Author: DelSheree

DelSheree Gladden was one of those shy, quiet kids who spent more time reading than talking. Literally. She didn't speak a single word for the first three months of preschool. Her fascination with reading led to many hours spent in the library and bookstores, and eventually to writing. She wrote her first novel when she was sixteen years old, but spent ten years rewriting it before having it published. Native to New Mexico, DelSheree and her family spent several years in Colorado for college and work before moving back home to be near family. When not writing novels, you can find DelSheree reading, painting, sewing, and working with other authors. DelSheree has several bestselling young adult series and has hit the USA Today Bestseller list twice as part of box sets. DelSheree also has contemporary romance, cozy mystery, and paranormal new adult series. Her writing is as varied as her reading interests.

Things That Don’t Fit in Boxes

This being the last weekend before our big move means we’re just about to the “Just throw it in a box, I don’t care which one!” stage. The problem is, there are some things you just can’t box up, such as…

Giant swing set play-fort things and trampolines…

Seriously, these are going to be a beat to move!

Everything in the fridge…

I hate waiting until the last minute, but what else can you really do?

The dog…

He’s a little freaked out by the boxes and hullabaloo going on and is driving me a little crazy this week.

The garage…

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just fold all the big tools and shelves and camping gear all up into one neat package? How do I pack most of this stuff?

The dirt and dust…

Not only do you have to pack everything up, but you still have to go back and clean everything once that’s done. Can’t it just jump in a box and spare me the effort?

Only a few more days until moving day! This is the moment you wish you were a Disney princess with woodland animals to lend a helping hand!

On The Couch with The Date Sharks

Today it’s time to talk shop with the boys of the Date Shark Series.

Everybody has those moments when they just need someone to listen to them and help work a few things out. Eli, Guy, and Vance have always been there for each other, but they’re dedicated to their patients as well.

So here’s your chance to get to know them a little better and see which one of them might be just what you need.

Eli Walsh (Date Shark #1)

Eli specialized in relationships, especially ones that are having issues. When he’s not juggling women with serious social problems as a Date Shark, he’s helping couples see the good in each other again and patch up their relationship issues.

Why go into couples therapy?

Calling his relationship with his mother “stormy” would be something of an understatement, but it has helped him see just how important having strong and healthy relationships is in life and has dedicated himself to helping his patients…and Leila…find happiness with their partners.

Guy Saint Laurent (Date Shark #2, Shark Out Of Water)

Being cooped up in an office all day doesn’t appeal to Guy at all. He needs to be moving, on the go, checking on multiple patients during the day. Working on the psychiatric floor in one of Chicago’s hospitals suits him just fine. Not only is he not in an office all day, he’s given the chance to work with people who have chronic mental illnesses and truly need help.

Guy’s seemingly blase attitude about relationships might make people wonder what on earth drove him to such a career choice, but when you’ve watched someone you care about struggle to deal with mental illness and be given up on by most of the people she loves, it leaves a mark. Despite the fact that he broke up with his last girlfriend because she asked him to cat sit, giving up on someone when they need the support of a true friend just isn’t something he can bring himself to do.

Vance Sullivan (Date Shark #3, Untitled)

Every group of friends has that one person who seems to keep everyone else glued together. That’s Vance. No matter which of his friends needs help, he’ll be the first one by their side. Having grown up in a big supportive family, some might think that’s the reason. There’s more too it than that.

The love of his life, Stephanie, had just as much to do with his decision to work with trauma victims dealing with PTSD and other issues as his family did. Steph’s bubbly personality and ability to talk nonstop without breathing does a lot to hide the emotional scars she carries around, but Vance has always been able to see her better than anyone else, and know how much she’s been hurt. Helping Stephanie deal with her past naturally extended into his care for his patients, but there’s always a point when the one giving all the help eventually needs the favor returned.

DATE SHARK (#1) – FREE

Amazon : B&N : iBooks

SHARK OUT OF WATER (#2)

Amazon: B&N : iBooks

BOOK #3 – Still a work in progress!

Creating A Protagonist With Depth: Part Four

If you haven’t read the first three part in the series, you can find Part One HERE, Part Two HERE, and Part Three HERE.

Now let’s discuss how to fill out your character with some backstory, faults, contradictions, and conflict.

Backstory

Now that we have the basics of your character and who they are at the beginning and end, it’s time to fill in the middle.

We do that with backstory. Why is your character the way they are?

Remember those personality flaws, fears, and annoying habits you created earlier? Now it’s time to find out where they came from.

The reason behind the flaw is what makes it interesting.

Ex: Lena from “Beautiful Creatures” is afraid of falling in love because of the curse on her family that tells her she’ll turn evil and hurt the people she cares about.
That’s more interesting than just being too shy to ask a guy out.

Like an iceberg, most of the backstory you come up with will never appear on the pages, but it will make your character who they are.

Faults

Nobody likes perfect characters. They’re boring.

Every character needs a few faults.

Make a list of 5 faults your character has – let’s go deeper than not being able to make a free throw.

Personality flaws: unreliable, eccentric, immoral, volatile.

Fears: common or complex – Indiana Jones’ fear of snakes got him in trouble a few times.

Weaknesses: unemotional, domineering, perfectionist.

Contradictions

Faults aren’t enough. Your character needs to be contradictory at times.

Why? No real person behaves the way they should all the time.

We do things we know are wrong, go against our own beliefs, and do the opposite of what we intended to do.

This can go the other way too. Does your bad guy had a soft spot?

No one is all good or all evil. Your characters need to have a mix of both.

Conflict

Every good character needs plenty of conflict, not just from situations they find themselves in, but internal conflict as well.

Go back to your list of fears…

Which of these fears will your character face and try to conquer in your story?

While trying to overcome the main conflict in the story, your character must also overcome internal conflicts that are holding them back.

If they don’t, their character arc won’t be completed.

Full, rounded out characters can make or break a story. Giving your character a life outside the story will help them come alive on the pages for your readers.

Random Things Because my Brain is Fried

Ever had one of those weeks where your brain feels like this by Friday?

It’s been a busy week and I think my husband, kids, and me are all ready for a nice long weekend. With soccer, packing, hauling things to the dump, dinner, puppies causing trouble, work, cleaning, planning, and all the other fun stuff that goes along with everyday life, there are always those few random things that you think about in the in moments where you’re too tired to really think of anything important. Like…

Why do I like to put my socks on before anything else?

Why does the puppy like to sleep with his legs straight out from his body, crossed at the middle like he’s been frozen mid crazy run?

How many nicks in the paint on your house can you possibly cause in six and a half years? (You’ll find out the answer when you have to go around retouching paint!)

Is there a reason we still have the cords and plugs to eighty three pieces of electronics we don’t even own anymore?

We don’t even own a VHS player. What do I do with the box of old tapes in the stairs closet?

Is there actually a point to Minecraft?

Is Netflix ever going to add another season of Warehouse 13?

Just how many services am I going to have to call and have moved to the new house? (Answer: too many!)

Why is the antiseptic spray at work so freaking sticky when it gets on the floor?

What was I about to do?

What random thoughts go through your head during the week?

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The Makeover of Libby Sparks a.k.a The Destroyer

Every so often, it’s necessary to step back and take a look at your books and see what is and isn’t working. After perusing book covers of some current young adult novels, I felt like the covers for the Destroyer Trilogy weren’t quite doing it anymore. The symbols used in the original covers are unique (I designed them especially for the books), but they weren’t really giving readers a good idea of what the books were about. So, I decided it was time for a makeover.

I’d love to hear what you all think of the new covers, featuring Libby’s fateful diktats on the cover of book one, Inquest…

…the promise of one of the worst betrayals Libby has had to face…

…and the promise of unimaginable chaos.

If you liked the symbols from the previous covers, have no fear, they’ll still be there on the back cover, slightly redesigned as well…

If you’d like to grab a copy with the new covers, you can find them all here…

Inquest

Secret of Betrayal

Darkening Chaos

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Making Pizza and Pleasing Readers

Usually, I don’t read reviews of my own books. It’s better for my sanity, even though I usually have pretty good reviews. It’s hard not to read a review when a reviewer sends you a direct email to tell you they didn’t like the second book nearly as much as the first and includes a link to their two star review that contains their opinions on the quality of your characters and story. I told her I was sorry she didn’t enjoy the book, but thanked her for taking the time to review and left it at that.

Compared to the 70 5-star reviews on this particular book, this one shouldn’t bug me, but it was kind of bumming me out. Not necessarily because it was a bad review, but because I felt like I had let this reader down. Honestly, it was really getting me down until I started making homemade mini pizzas one night for dinner.

Sounds totally random, right?

Let me explain.

Not only were we making mini pizzas because I thought it sounded like fun, but because it’s the only way everyone can actually get what they want on their pizza. I love Hawaiian pizza. My kids think pineapple on pizza is the weirdest thing ever. The kids and my hubby like sausage. I don’t. My daughter has something against pepperoni. My son refuses to eat olives. Solution: Mini Pizzas topped by whoever’s going to eat it.

What does this have to do with writing?

I know you can’t please every reader. I’ve heard it a million times. I’ve said it to other people at least half as many times. I know this is true.

But I didn’t really know it, know it until I was making pizzas that night and trying to get my kids to put all their toppings on without making a huge mess (failed on the mess part). I looked at our lovely pizzas…

…and that’s kind of when it hit me. You can’t please everyone and that really is okay. Heck, I can even get four people to agree on pizza toppings! What chance do I have of getting every reader who picks up one of my books to think it’s awesome? Clearly, not going to happen because everyone has different tastes and interests when it comes to books.

This particular reader wanted something different than what I provided. I wrote the best book I could, and a lot of people have really enjoyed it. She didn’t. All I can do is shrug and move on. If I tried to write every book so every person who read it would be perfectly pleased with it, I would lose my mind. I feel like my head might explode just trying to contemplate such an impossible feat.

I’m proud of how this book turned out. I wrote it in a way that I felt was true to the story and characters. Had I written it any other way, I would have disappointed myself, and that would have hurt more than a few not-so-great reviews. Yes, it’s disappointing that this reader didn’t enjoy the story. I hope she finds another series she falls in loves with. We didn’t click on this one. I can’t do anything about that. What I can do is keep writing the kind of books that I feel proud of when I put them out in the world for readers to eat up. That’s really all I can do, and I’m okay with that.

Connect with me online:

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Things To Remember When at the Library

My kids love the library, especially recently. I’ve lost track of how many times we’ve been there over the last few months, or how many books we’ve checked out. I have, however, learned a few important lessons!

1. Set a book limit!

Otherwise your kid will check out a billion books, that mix in with your books, and of course your kiddo can’t remember which books they checked out to be able to find them all again.

2. Keep your check out receipt in a safe place!

Our library will email us our receipt, which is awesome, because I lose stuff a lot. When your kid loses all their books in their room, this will be invaluable in hunting them all back down.

3. When it’s time to gather up the library books to return them…HIDE THEM!

Or else one of your kids (who shall remain nameless) will grab one out of the stack and take it to school to read during AR time and then forget it at school (of course) on a Friday, which means you can’t return it until Monday.

4. Use the electronic book return!

If your library has an electronic book return, and the receipt gives you a coupon for $5 off your late fees, hoard those babies like they’re made out of gold. With all the books lost in bedrooms, left at school, or just misplaced somewhere else, you’re going to need them!

5. Make friends with your librarians.

Some books are shelved in super weird places, like all the 39 Clues books being shelved by the author (all the books have different authors) so trying to find the next book in the series is like an Easter egg hunt in Yellowstone! Your librarian can save you a lot of time!

The Plus Side of Insomnia

I had some book goals for the beginning of 2015…and then my husband and I decided to sell our house, so everything book related happily got put on hold in the face of the excitement of moving.

We’re all pretty pumped about moving next month. Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly!

So, back to insomnia.

Moving is stressful. Well, trying to sell your house and keep it clean with two kids and a dog who is constantly eating crap he should and having…shall we call it intestinal troubles?…that’s stressful. My hubby and I had a tough time keeping up with that in addition to all the other craziness of inspections, offers, surveying, and on and on.

You’d think all that would make you fall asleep as soon as you hit the pillow, but not so much. When I get stressed, I don’t sleep well.

What do I do while I’m lying there staring into the darkness?

PLOT

Sounds ominous, right? I’m not talking revenge or mayhem. I’m talking BOOKS.

With all the hoopla of the last few months…

I haven’t done much writing, or marketing, or anything actually book related. The last week or so, with all the insomnia I’ve been having, I have at least had the chance to work out the kinks I had been stumped with on The Ghost Host.

What’s been bugging me about The Ghost Host?

Trying to capture the decision making skills of a troubled 18-year-old girl on her own for the first time.

She thinks she has things under control. Her friends are with her. A guy she really likes has promised to protect her. She and the ghost who’s stalking her seem to be on decent terms for the moment, and the FBI is actually looking like a good move.

Echo doesn’t actually have anything under control, and I was too the point in the story where things needed to start unraveling but I wasn’t sure how to do that. How exactly does a girl in that situation react when her first boyfriend, first time on her own, first kind of job, and first time trying to handle the ghosts on her own?

I finally figured it out.

She makes a lot of mistakes.

So, now that I’m finally making progress on The Ghost Host again, I can hopefully finish the last quarter of the book a start making plans for a summer release.

So, keep checking back to see what trouble Echo and the ghosts manage to get themselves into.

Unreliable Narrators Are Not My Favorite

The unreliable narrator has shown up in some pretty popular books, like Gone Girl, A Clockwork Orange, Lolita, and Fight Club, just to name a few.

What is an unreliable narrator?

It’s basically a narrator whose credibility has been seriously compromised.

This can be obvious to the reader, as it is with Alex in A Clockwork Orange, or not so obvious, like it was with Gone Girl.

Why don’t I like unreliable narrators?

Because it’s hardly ever done well. Gone Girl is one of the exceptions, and I’m a little hazy of Fight Club at the moment because it’s been a while, but I seem to remember thinking that one was done pretty well too.

What makes the difference between an unreliable narrator being done well or feeling like a cheap trick?

It all comes down to the ending.

I remember watching a movie with my hubby some years back called Hide and Seek. My husband and I both agreed that this one of the worst attempts at an unreliable narrator that we’d come across. What left us feeling that way? Basically, by the end of the movie, we were both left feeling like we had been blatantly lied to through the whole movie. The MC acted in ways completely contradictory to the truth that would eventually be revealed, and so did his daughter.

The daughter was the biggest disappointment, because it made no sense at all that she would respond to the dad’s questions and act the way she did when she knew the truth the whole time. There wasn’t any logical reason for the way the characters behaved, EXCEPT that the writers were lying to the audience.

How is this different that a good unreliable narrator?

An unreliable narrator believes in his or her reality, or is completely committed to the deception they’re trying to perpetrate. Every word that comes out of their mouth, every action the take, and look and gesture should all be in line with their warped viewpoint or deception.

At the end of the book/movie, you should be able to look back and not point out any instances where things don’t line up.

The Sixth Sense is a good example of this. If you’ve ever watched the “making of” for that movie, you’ll see how the painstakingly went through that entire film to make sure Bruce Willis never talks or touches anyone other than the boy. They create situations where there “seems” to be interaction, such as when he’s sitting in the living room with the boys mom, or goes to meet his wife at the restaurant, BUT you see at the end that none of those scenes were what they seemed.

When writing an unreliable narrator, this is what it takes.

Unreliable narrators are tough to write well. There has to be a well thought out plan. Interactions, thoughts, and dialog has to be scrutinized. It’s a lot of work, but if you can pull it off, you’ll have something people will remember for a long time!

Snow day!!

Snow is a big deal for us in New Mexico and we made the most of it!