Elaine M DeGroot

 

Spring is an interesting season. It battles with winter for control. While living in Minnesota, I saw spring weather crushed by snowstorms in March and April. An April snowstorm sent us retirees into relocation mode, and we moved to South Carolina.

 

The seasons offer fun settings for an author. Spring is one season I haven't explored much for my stories. The only story that touches on spring is Victorious Love. The blossoming of Garrett and Leigh's love throughout The Consequential Love Series and the start of their married life is celebrated with the spring timing of their wedding. Although Challenged Love included a discussion of the timing of their wedding.

 

"What a lovely time for a wedding. Nature is budding with new life, and you'll begin a new life together."

"You're right, spring's rebirth of nature adds a special meaning for our wedding, and we lucked into the timing."

"Ah, but everything happens for a reason."

"My fiancé says the same thing."

 

The seasons offer a fascinating backdrop for story settings. I've used a winter blizzard and the heat of summer in my stories. Blizzards are often used to strand people together; sometimes they're strangers and sometimes enemies. During this time, they discover strong feelings/attraction for each other. Winter weather provides opportunities for cuddling under quilts and sitting in front of romantic fires. I used those in Resolute Love, and winter activities like snow blowing and snowmobiling.

 

Many of my stories take place in the summer. Summer offers heated, sweat-glistening bodies (as enjoyed by Beth and Allison when they ogled a shirtless Jace on the worksite in Playground Antics) and skimpy clothes displaying physical assets. Oh my! In Restoration, there were a couple of scenes involving skinny-dipping. The summer activity of golf was critical for the meet-cute in Accidental Attraction. A summer picnic was important to Ivy and Caleb's relationship in Sparks Fly. Green Eyes & Dimples includes both a summer holiday, the 4th of July, and a picnic.

 

Obviously, I need to focus on the fall season in a book soon. The vibrant colors, the crunch of fallen leaves, the spicy aroma of hot apple cider, and the fun of corn mazes offer intriguing moments for romance.

 

Let's not forget all the various holidays celebrated during each season. They offer endless opportunities for story ideas. I identified my holiday ideas in my Blog post on February 17, 2023.

 

Do you have a favorite season? Fall and winter are mine, so I'm shocked I've neglected fall in my writing. Perhaps it's time for a change of seasons! Hmm…

 

Adverbs are the bad guys!  Okay, I admit that statement is misleading. Adverbs are bad guys when they weaken my writing. Using them too often can dilute my writing turning a dynamic scene into a blah scene

 

Here's an example. The word "very" is one of the usual suspects when talking about adverbs. It's way too easy to slap "very" in front of a verb or descriptor to show it's more, but choosing a stronger word in the first place makes for better writing. What do you think of this: Maggie was very mad at Connor. Blah? What about: Maggie was irate with Connor. Better? Maggie was furious with Connor. Stronger? What Connor did incensed Maggie. Getting the idea? Last one: Connor's action ignited Maggie's fury. Woah! What the heck did Connor do?

 

When I search for a stronger word, I use a combination of a thesaurus and a dictionary to ensure the word I select fits what happened and what the character is feeling or experiencing. The sentence with the weaker word may need to be rewritten, but you readers are worth the effort.

 

There are times when the word "very" remains in my writing. Usually, this is in dialogue. Think for a moment how often you use "very" when describing how strong your feeling or reaction was to something or someone. You're describing the dessert you ordered. "The cake was very good." A friend asks about a movie you saw. "It was very funny." Sound familiar?

 

I want my characters' dialogue to sound realistic, so I use adverbs when they talk unless the character is a walking thesaurus. 😊 (What an interesting idea for a character. Hmm…)

 

I'm fortunate to have AutoCrit for my editing. One of its many reports is one identifying all the adverbs in my work. My dialogue can be highlighted which helps with the selection of adverbs to eliminate or keep.

 

Did I blow your mind regarding adverbs?

Happy 2025!

 

A new year filled with endless possibilities has begun. Adding to my excitement about the new year is a 2025 Literary Calendar filled with special months, weeks, and days to celebrate; all are related to writing. It provides inspiration for my blog & Facebook posts and newsletter topics!

 

To start us off, January is Hot Tea Month! This celebrates the perfect beverage choice to stay cozy on a cold day while you curl up with a good book and lose yourself in a world of characters doing their thing. That shifts my thoughts to the appearance of beverages in the writing of my books.

 

I used wine tastings to develop relationships between my romantically involved characters. Also, their background, preferences, and experiences come to light.

 

Scotch was another hero's drink of choice. He sipped it while reflecting on the changes in his life and what he truly wanted. When family pressure produced a pounding headache, he opted for a drink of Scotch rather than searching for aspirin. The amber liquid worked better for him.

 

After an attempt on another hero's life, his boss introduced him to Bourbon. He discovered he liked the flavor and possibly how it affected his troubled thoughts.

 

Speaking of Bourbon, the order for a Bourbon Neat in a neighborhood bar provided the compelling title for a romantic suspense story I'm writing. In another story, sipping Bourbon together on a balcony offered moments of openness for a new couple as they revealed secrets of their past.

 

Of course, hot coffee with curls of steam rising over the mugs is often the drink of choice during other moments of conversation, revealing all manner of characters' backgrounds, hopes, and dreams.

 

Beer is often a preferred beverage, as are margaritas and Gin Bucks! Somewhere along the way, I need to include a wintry-weather family favorite—hot buttered rum! We have an amazing recipe.

 

Ending on hot tea, another story had girlfriends and roommates drinking hot tea while discussing their men, offering each other advice, and providing one another consolation.

 

I'm excited as this year progresses with more writing, beverages included, and literary days, weeks, and months to celebrate.

 

 

Strong writing equates to a better reader experience. A few ways to accomplish this are by using active verbs and stronger descriptions.

 

For example, did the heroine walk away? Or did she stagger or march or stumble? Did the antagonist look at the target? Or stare or glare or glance? Did the hero laugh? Or chuckle or snicker?

 

Very is a word to avoid. Instead of saying very pretty, why not use a stronger word? How about gorgeous or striking?

 

Fortunately, through my research, I have lists of alternative words for walk, look, laugh, and many others! Also, when I'm on the AutoCrit editing platform, I can run various reports to strengthen my writing for these areas and others.

 

The thing to remember is the typical words used when people talk. This means dialogue is different from narration. Weaker words may be more realistic when used in dialogue. Consider how often you use very when you talk to people.

 

My assistant, Missy, and I work hard to ensure our writing has vibrant narration and realistic dialogue providing each character with a unique voice.

 

Music influences my writing in a variety of ways.

 

Starting with the writing process. Music has played a part in inspiring scenes in my stories. Notable ones are "I Don't Dance" by Lee Brice which led to a scene in Victorious Love where Garrett asks Leigh to dance with him in a bar. I often listened to the CD with that song on it, and one day it struck me that my couple hadn't danced together after two books, Resolute Love and Challenged Love! I needed to correct that. So, I wrote a scene that presented the opportunity. A song played that led him to ask her to dance. What was it? "Crazy" by Patsy Cline. That's a favorite of mine and is an older song. Turns out not only did that song result in a dance, but it also offered an opportunity for Garrett to share a memory from his youth with Leigh.

 

If you're interested in hearing these songs, here are links.

• "I Don't Dance" by Lee Brice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBEBbgQEJy4
• "Crazy" by Patsy Cline: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbnrdCS57d0

 

The next stage is editing. I listen to music while polishing my writing which includes lots of country music and older music from LPs we've had for years. Okay, it's more like decades! The old music works magic, what can I say?

 

The last use of music is on the reels I create for my Facebook page. I select music that fits the story. These are some of my favorites:

• Playground Antics – "Holding out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler
• Sparks Fly – "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summers
• Green Eyes & Dimples – "Lonely Eyes" by Chris Young
• Restoration – "Girl Like You" by Jason Aldean
• Accidental Attraction – "Beautiful Mess" by Diamond Rio

If you're interested in the reels, visit my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/RomanceByDeGroot and take a look at the Videos or Reels, whichever shows up for you. Have fun!

 

1. Introduce yourself to our readers. Where do you fit into the story? What should we know about you?

I'm Tracie Braun, the main female character of Green Eyes & Dimples. How I fit into the story is simple. If not for my fascination with Matt West's features, we wouldn't have a title or a story! I'm a devoted sister, a loving aunt to twins (Nicky and Lucy), and a photographer/social media guru.

 

2. What do you think about the author? Tell us everything. We want to know.

This book reflects well on the author, Elaine M. DeGroot. She kept a promise to a friend and executed it with her typical precision by writing this touching story. Her instincts for creating storylines that grab hold of your imagination are amazing and translate into a captivating read! I'm proud of playing a strong, key role in one of her well-crafted stories.

 

3. What are your feelings about this story?

I love this story and the varied characters. The nasty soccer moms were adversaries I faced and defeated. The twins are adorable, important to the story, and fun to care for while my brother and sister-in-law were galivanting half a world away! The author ensured Matt and I practiced safe sex—at times with humorous challenges.

 

4. How do you feel about being a character in this book?

I enjoyed being a character in this book, especially because I met Matt and his parents. Being a stand-in parent for my niece and nephew proved I have what it takes to be a mother. That's critical for a possible future with my leading man, Matt West.

 

5. What do you see in your future? (No spoilers please!)

a. Being instrumental in increasing my Uncle Ben's success as a custom home builder.

b. Watching Nicky and Lucy grow up.

c. Experiencing love and adventures with Matt.

 

6. Is there a Sequel in the future? Will you be part of it?

I don't anticipate a sequel, but that's up to Elaine and her readers. If there is one, I'm all in!

 

7. Say a movie producer comes knocking. What actress would you want to play you and why?

Hmm, Green Eyes & Dimples the movie, let me think. The actress needs to be adventurous, strong-willed, and capable of being a bossy hussy. Do you know anyone who fits that description? I'm open to all suggestions.

 

The backstories of the stories that become books are interesting stories in their own right. Oftentimes, it's a story of inspiration.

 

My latest book, Green Eyes & Dimples, came about as a promise kept.

 

The story behind the story:

 

While writing Playground Antics, I posted on my Author Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/RomanceByDeGroot, how I was searching for a name for the mayor. A friend commented and recommended his name. Said it had a nice ring to it, "His Honorable Mayor…" I agreed. However, as the story progressed, the mayor turned out to be a bad guy. I couldn't bring myself to use his family name for such a scoundrel and criminal.

 

So, I promised I'd base my next main male character on him, making the character an Air Force brat and a volunteer youth soccer coach.

 

Months later, my promise resulted in a heck of a story and one I'm proud of. It's my eighth published romance.

 

As I wrote in his copy: "A promise made. A promise kept."

 

I have reasons/inspirations/stories behind all of my books. I share simple summaries on my Facebook page. I believe the why behind a book is of interest to readers.

 

Our official first day of FALL is almost here—22 September. Ah, the changing of the seasons!

 

This post is all about the setting in these books. Where I place my characters, AKA the setting, offers me fun clothing and thrilling activity choices for my scenes. Let's review some of my wardrobe and activity choices. 

 

For example, the move to fall brings cooler weather and warmer clothes. I love cold weather and all it brings: flannel shirts & sheets, sweaters, jackets, sitting before the flames in a fireplace, shoveling, hazardous travel conditions, and snowmobiling. Perhaps that's why winter played an important role in my first three stories, the Consequential Love Series. These books included winter weather, a blizzard, flannel shirts, sweaters, and fires blazing in the fireplace. These choices led to action and conversation. A flannel shirt is "worn" by Garrett on the cover of Resolute Love. The first appearance of him in a flannel shirt became a scene. Remember, Leigh is woken by him. After opening one eye and then the other, her first words are "You have a lumberjack thing going for you this morning. Why?"

 

Restoration is a summertime story. Alex wore many sundresses. They displayed her fine figure for our hero, Seth. He appreciated her many, shall we say, assets.

 

Green Eyes & Dimples begins around the 4th of July. Both main characters wear a variety of shorts. Let me tell you, Matt appreciated how Tracie looked in her short shorts. Of course, she admired him in his sports shorts during soccer camp.

  

The wintery setting in Resolute Love provided snowmobiling as a mode of transportation. This provided Garrett insight into Leigh's background and habits. She was quite the little speed demon. Do you recall his comment when he surged ahead of her on his snowmobile to stop her? "You're driving as though hell hounds are on your tail."

 

In Restoration, a pristine pond, farm work, and a lakeside country supper club offered Seth and Alex a couple of skinny-dipping episodes, a picnic in a field, and a few interesting encounters. I cracked up while writing the scene of Seth and the club owner and head chef, Harry, meeting after one of those encounters. "…Tuck in your shirt before you go upstairs." He turned and headed back to the kitchen. "And you might want to zip up, too."

 

Then there is the picnic in Sparks Fly. After Caleb surprised himself by suggesting a picnic to Ivy, her grandmother, Avis, identified the activity of "picnicking" to the youngsters. Caleb asked her what the term meant. Her answer was epic. "Well, it doesn't have anything to do with food and everything to do with you two and nature."

 

Green Eyes & Dimples offers backyard fun with a bit of canoodling or more intense activity.

 

All of these examples are thanks to the setting of a story. You could say I enjoy creating fun scenes by incorporating all the setting offers me.

 

Let me know if you have a favorite setting in any of my books with a comment on this post.

 

A long time ago, I read that the cover of a romance indicates how steamy the story is by the amount of bare skin you see. I think that is an efficient way to show the reader what they can expect in the book.

 

When I start the process, I search for a cover photo that fits the story. For Resolute Love, the flannel shirt matches the northern Minnesota winter setting. Plus, Garrett wears a flannel shirt for his snowmobile bonding session with Leigh's dad.

 

The cover of Victorious Love mirrors a scene in the book when Garrett and Leigh stay at her brother's house and Alex has Garrett sleeping alone on a daybed in his home office.

 

I searched for a sexy construction worker photo for Playground Antics. I believe I hit the jackpot with the one I selected. The photo had a slight issue meeting Amazon's cover requirements, so a banner was used to overcome the issue. I love the "A Solstice Publishing Romance" banner. It's simple with no fancy embellishments and identified my book as part of a collection! I hope a similar banner can be used for the Green Eyes & Dimples cover.

 

Playground Antics was also the first of my covers with only one person on the cover instead of a couple. Risky? I don't think so; what do you think? Personally, it's my favorite cover of all my books.

 

The font used is another consideration. Most are straight. Because Accidental Attraction is a romantic comedy, I wanted a curly font for a fun, lighthearted look. I think it worked.

 

Do you have a favorite cover? Your choice doesn't have to be one of mine, although I'd also like to know which of my covers are your favorite.

 

Once a work in progress (WIP) reaches THE END, the focus shifts to editing. This can be a challenge.

 

Fortunately, many tools exist to assist authors with this critical step. My primary tool of choice is the AutoCrit on-line editing platform. The features are amazing and are improving all the time.

 

I choose Romance as the genre to which to compare my work. A score is generated based on general topics of Pacing and Momentum, Dialogue, Strong Writing, Word Choice, Repetition, and Readability. Each of these offers subtopics with reports highlighting suggested changes. I focus on pacing, adverbs, showing versus telling, and repetitions within the subtopics. I consider these and either accept or disregard them. Over the years of using this system, my writing has strengthened, and my initial scores have improved from the 70's to the 90's.

 

I've identified four authors who have similar writing styles and do a comparison with them. Recently, I've also done a comparison against General Fiction. It's interesting to see the difference in the scoring. 

 

They added a story analyzer feature. For my current WIP, I used this feature to review possible contradictions, foreshadowing events, and a timeline analysis. As a result, I caught and corrected discrepancies in my writing. Very handy!

 

I also use MS Word's Read Aloud feature. I set the view to 200% and listen as the program reads through my story. This helps me find punctuation discrepancies such as commas instead of periods and missing quotation marks. I also identify awkward phrasing and repeated words. Find is a handy feature as I catch myself using words too often in my dialogue, like starting with "So" or "Well."

 

I don't make use of Beta readers, but many authors do. These folks read the story and offer constructive critiques.

 

Professional editors are available to hire for a variety of editing focused on different aspects of writing, such as the big picture of your story, the plot, the structure, the pacing, your characters, the theme, the sharpness of the prose, spelling, typos, and punctuation.

 

No one ever said writing a book that's ready for publication is easy!