posted by Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy
As readers, we all have certain scenes in books that really "ring true" or for whatever reason, we find especially memorable. Well, as writers we have the same thing... Or maybe I should just speak for myself, I do anyway!
Sometimes I know I'm going to LOVE a scene while I'm in the midst of writing it. This was the case when I was writing the scene in The Wild Sight where the heroine, Rylie confronts her biological father for the very first time. Same with one of the scenes in the train station in The Treasures of Venice (I won't say which one, coz ya know it might spoil part of the fun). Other scenes kinda grow on me, and the more I re-read (and sometimes revise) them, the more fond I get of them.
Not long ago, I asked my critique partners and a couple of my beta readers
which scenes in The Treasures of Venice were their favorites. My CP and fellow Bandita Jo-Mama picked one where the heroine, Samantha was not buying my hero Keirnan's charm routine. She said she liked it when Sam wouldn't take any more of his bullsh-- er, um GUFF.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sam refused to let him skate by with a non-explanation. “Enough with this cloak and dagger stuff. I’ve played along with you for an hour, and even though you seem to speak multiple languages, I can’t quite believe you’re a spy.”
Apparently he was immune to authoritative scowls because he ushered her into the hall, grinning. “Nothing as glamorous as that. I sell and lease commercial real estate. Helps to know some key phrases.”
She felt a twinge of disappointment at his admission to being a mortal man after all. She needed to stop watching so many movies. However, when the door shut behind them, she remembered the urgency in his voice back in the square.
Determined to get some answers, she crossed her arms over her chest. “Okay, but I don’t believe all you wanted was to drag someone into the Doge’s Palace to talk about paintings.”
He scanned the empty corridor and sighed. “All right, I understand your curiosity. I really do. The thing is…” He shifted from foot to foot as if weighing his options. “I was being followed and I figured the easiest way to dodge them was to make them think they had the wrong guy.”
Wrong guy, indeed. No matter what kinds of strange and exciting feelings he elicited inside her, Sam knew beyond a doubt Keirnan Fitzgerald would meet none of her long-term commitment criteria. Not that she would even consider looking again so soon.
“So meeting a woman in St. Mark’s square and taking her into the Doge’s Palace was a way to lose your tail?” She definitely watched way too many movies, and worse yet, she blurted out the next thought that leaped across her mind. “Please don’t tell me you’re a thief who’s coming back later to steal these paintings.”
Keirnan clutched at his chest in mock horror. “Samantha, you wound me with such aspersions! I assure you, I am not a thief.”
Sam felt a little embarrassed, yet recognized the diversion. “Then who was following you?”
He pressed his lips together into a tight line and guided her toward the stairs before he finally admitted, “I’m not exactly sure.”
She wasn’t buying that line either. “But you have a pretty good idea, don’t you?”
When he didn’t answer, Sam paused at the foot of the staircase.
He darn well owed her a few answers!
“So if you’re not a spy or a thief, why are you being followed and how do you know your way around this place so well?”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
What about you? What are some of your favorite scenes in Casablanca books? And yes, you can pick your own. :-)
Oh, and the squealing you heard was Aunty. Two friends of mine received their pre-ordered copies of The Treasures of Venice YESTERDAY!!! (Aunty pouts because she still doesn't have her author copies.)
As readers, we all have certain scenes in books that really "ring true" or for whatever reason, we find especially memorable. Well, as writers we have the same thing... Or maybe I should just speak for myself, I do anyway!
Sometimes I know I'm going to LOVE a scene while I'm in the midst of writing it. This was the case when I was writing the scene in The Wild Sight where the heroine, Rylie confronts her biological father for the very first time. Same with one of the scenes in the train station in The Treasures of Venice (I won't say which one, coz ya know it might spoil part of the fun). Other scenes kinda grow on me, and the more I re-read (and sometimes revise) them, the more fond I get of them.
Not long ago, I asked my critique partners and a couple of my beta readers
which scenes in The Treasures of Venice were their favorites. My CP and fellow Bandita Jo-Mama picked one where the heroine, Samantha was not buying my hero Keirnan's charm routine. She said she liked it when Sam wouldn't take any more of his bullsh-- er, um GUFF.*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sam refused to let him skate by with a non-explanation. “Enough with this cloak and dagger stuff. I’ve played along with you for an hour, and even though you seem to speak multiple languages, I can’t quite believe you’re a spy.”
Apparently he was immune to authoritative scowls because he ushered her into the hall, grinning. “Nothing as glamorous as that. I sell and lease commercial real estate. Helps to know some key phrases.”
She felt a twinge of disappointment at his admission to being a mortal man after all. She needed to stop watching so many movies. However, when the door shut behind them, she remembered the urgency in his voice back in the square.
Determined to get some answers, she crossed her arms over her chest. “Okay, but I don’t believe all you wanted was to drag someone into the Doge’s Palace to talk about paintings.”
He scanned the empty corridor and sighed. “All right, I understand your curiosity. I really do. The thing is…” He shifted from foot to foot as if weighing his options. “I was being followed and I figured the easiest way to dodge them was to make them think they had the wrong guy.”
Wrong guy, indeed. No matter what kinds of strange and exciting feelings he elicited inside her, Sam knew beyond a doubt Keirnan Fitzgerald would meet none of her long-term commitment criteria. Not that she would even consider looking again so soon.
“So meeting a woman in St. Mark’s square and taking her into the Doge’s Palace was a way to lose your tail?” She definitely watched way too many movies, and worse yet, she blurted out the next thought that leaped across her mind. “Please don’t tell me you’re a thief who’s coming back later to steal these paintings.”
Keirnan clutched at his chest in mock horror. “Samantha, you wound me with such aspersions! I assure you, I am not a thief.”
Sam felt a little embarrassed, yet recognized the diversion. “Then who was following you?”
He pressed his lips together into a tight line and guided her toward the stairs before he finally admitted, “I’m not exactly sure.”
She wasn’t buying that line either. “But you have a pretty good idea, don’t you?”
When he didn’t answer, Sam paused at the foot of the staircase.
He darn well owed her a few answers!
“So if you’re not a spy or a thief, why are you being followed and how do you know your way around this place so well?”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
What about you? What are some of your favorite scenes in Casablanca books? And yes, you can pick your own. :-)
Oh, and the squealing you heard was Aunty. Two friends of mine received their pre-ordered copies of The Treasures of Venice YESTERDAY!!! (Aunty pouts because she still doesn't have her author copies.)
The big black moment in Love at First Flight is one of my favorite scenes in any of my books. I also love the scene in LOS when Ryan and Susannah finally discuss the baby they lost more than a year earlier. I find those things soooo much fun to write.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading TToV, Cindy!! So glad it's showing up around the country! Whoo hoo! You are multi-published!!!
Ooooh, I can pick my own? It has to be the moment when Darkefell first realizes he loves Anne... should I tell you when that is?
ReplyDeleteThey are on their way through his property in a pony cart, and she makes him stop in a wooded area because she has seen some little flowers in the wood. She climbs down and races over to pick some, reveling in their springtime glory. Darkefell follows and stands riveted watching her. She is what he never thought he'd find, a woman who is smart, natural, strong and... his.
“What is it?” he asked, crouching at her side.
“A wood anemone,” she said softly, cradling the pinky white blossom and fondling the petals. “Isn’t it lovely?”
“It is,” he said, his tone husky.
She looked up, and he was staring directly at her.
One of my favorite scenes is in The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart where Merlin discovers that the tough commander, Ambrosius, who has taken him in and been kind to him is actually his father. Ambrosius asks Merlin "Do you hate me for the kind of life I gave you?"
ReplyDeleteAnd Merlin replies, "Since I was a a child I have had the world to choose from for a father. Out of them all, Aurelius Ambrosius, I would have chosen you."
Gives me goosebumps every time!
I can only pick one??? LOL One of mine is in Destiny of the Wolf where Darien realizes who the woman is who is sitting in his tavern in his town, wearing a disguise. :) In fact, I think first meetings are the most fun to write. :)
ReplyDeleteYep, I have a few of my own favorite scenes in my books - mostly a realization scene.
ReplyDeleteAnd I always order a copy of my book from amazon - I've been told they can arrive before author copies, though with In Over Her Head, it didn't.
I love funny scenes. One of my favorites in Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series is in the fifth book - was it Five Alive? Where the dog ate Stephanie's grandmother's two boxes of prunes and gets kidnapped by the bad guys in a brand new Lincoln Continental. I laughed so hard I cried - as you can imagine, the bad guys spent the rest of the book driving around to a minivan.
ReplyDeleteAs for my own, that's a difficult question. I probably have a favorite scene for each character, but I can't say I have one favorite scene over-all.
I have a number of favorite scenes. Like you said, Cindy, some I knew ahead of time would be great and others surprised me.
ReplyDeleteMy fav in the first category in Loving Mr. Darcy is when Darcy feels their unborn child for the first time. It turned out even better than I imagined. And I KNEW it was great when my tough-as-nails sister read it and stopped immediately to email me that she was choked up and shedding real tears! That was one of my best days ever!
Can't wait for your book. It is ordered. But where, oh where, are our author's copies?
Marie,
ReplyDeleteI LURVE that scene in LOS too! Ryan finally reveals to Susannah how much he was hurt by the loss, and that is something she didn't expect.
As for the multi-published... ACK!!! That hasn't really hit me yet.
AC
GOOD ONE, Donna!
ReplyDeleteI LURVE it when the big tough hero gets an emotional wallop upside the head! So much fun to read. ;-)
AC
OOOO Cheryl, that one gave me goosebumps too! I haven't read that series in years but it is one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteThere's a scene in Terry Brooks' "Sword of Shanara" that has stood out in my mind since the first time I read it... 30+ years ago! ACK!
The hero's very ordinary and rather uninteresting foster brother steps up to the plate and saves the king of the Elves. He must disguise himself and behave in heroic ways he never imagined himself doing. Best of all, he succeeds! The scene ends with the line: "It was Flick Ohmsford's finest hour."
Even after all this time, I love that line and that scene! Thanx for the reminder.
AC
LOL Terry!
ReplyDeleteJust like eating potato chips, it's hard to stop with just one. ;-)
First meetings of the h/h are always fun. So are first kisses, but that's a topic I'm posting about in a future blog.
AC
Judi,
ReplyDeleteI always order one from Amazon too! It was suppose to have shipped yesterday, so we'll see which I get first. It's still almost 2 weeks early, so at least I know the books will ALL be here for my launch party.
AC
OMGosh, Robin!
ReplyDeleteI remember that scene from Stephanie Plum and I'm sure I laughed til I cried too! But then, I do that a lot with the Plum series.
AC
Sharon,
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like such a poignant scene! I can't WAIT to read "Loving Mr. Darcy!" But I'll be really pouting if you get your author copies before me!!!
AC
I think a lot of my favorites would be first meetings - ones that are charged with emotion because of characters and surprise, and ones that are charged because of the buildup that comes before.
ReplyDeleteIf I picked one of my books it would be in Hex Appeal when Jazz woke up without her magick. For someone who relied so heavily on her magick, she was very pathetic and a totally fun section to write.
ReplyDeleteLinda
A favorite from SEALed With a Promise, I probably shouldn't quote here because it has a BAD WORD.
ReplyDeleteEmmie gets to see herself as others see her, and for the first time, instead of being crushed, she gets mad. I had as much fun as I even had in my life figuring out how a repressed biology professor would tell a Navy SEAL off.
The more I had her use the BAD WORD in shall we say unusual sentences to find that word in, the funnier it got, and the more real. It is Emmie's personal turning point--when she stops denying her anger and begins to use it as an energy source.
I wrote the scene in about twenty minutes (unheard of for me.)
My favorite of other writers--okay one of a long list of favorites--occurs in Heaven Texas. The hero explains to himself that if he is any kind of friend at all, he needs to make sure the heroine's first sexual experience is with him. I've read it over and over and I laugh out loud every time.
Sheila,
ReplyDeleteThe first meeting of Samantha and Keirnan in the opening of TToV is a scene I'd carried around in my head for a looong time before I finally wrote it down with these 2 characters.
I hope you enjoy it!
AC
Linda,
ReplyDeleteFor any character to lose something they depended heavily on opens up all kinds of fun possibilities! I'll be sure to look for that one in Hex Appeal!
AC
MM,
ReplyDeleteYour prim & proper biology professor saying a BAD WORD sounds like a fun scene. SEALed with a Promise is on the top of my TBR pile, so I'm anxious to read it. :-)
AC
Oh Oh Oh it's so hard to choose. Yes, Marie, That scene from LAFF is fresh in my mind. That Screaming Scene is a memorable moment for me. And I was just discussing it with my girlfriend today. She just read it. OMG It's still boils my britches.
ReplyDeleteTerry, I loved Darien telling Lelandi that Larissa was not the one he dreamed of loving under the pale light of the moon, naked in the woods. But her.
Cheryl,
Every love scene in your books. Once you go Cat. How can you forget it.
That's just a few.
Thanx for popping by Diva Donna.
ReplyDeleteI'm THRILLED!!!!! My Author Copies arrived this afternoon!!!! OMGOSH!!! The finished book is just soooo beautiful!
feeling giddy,
AC
Aunt Cindy,
ReplyDeleteI'm excited for you.
Just to hold your second book.
Wild Sight was such a good Irish Tail. I loved Rylie. So Celtic Thunder is playing in the background. Do you hear the Drumsroll. TTOV is published.
You're a multi-published author now. WOOHOO!!!