Here, Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!

Can you believe it's December already? Almost 2016!

This time of year is always hectic for me. I'm bad about piling too many projects on my plate to begin with. Then with all the extras around the holidays, too many things fall off and plop on the floor.

Every year I fear I won't get everything done. Somehow, most of it gets accomplished. And some doesn't. I'm sure this year will be the same.

So on to this month's blog.

I promised you a guest. He's been out of his writing cave for a few weeks promoting his newest novel, and I'm honored to be the closing act for his Salem's Daughters Blog Tour.

Here he is . . . Stephen Tremp!

Thanks Carol for rounding out my Salem’s Daughters Blog Tour! You are the final stop. It’s been a lot of work and I’ve been looking forward to spending time Under the Tiki Hut and drinking Mai Tais.

For my protagonists Bob and Debbie Stevens, Murcat Manor is their Tiki Hut, a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of a back-stabbing corporate life. Unfortunately, thirteen cats, witches really born four hundred years ago, have different plans for the Stevens and their guests.

Writing a book is a funny thing. You begin with an outline, you know the end from the beginning, you develop characters and give them names, but you’re not quite sure who is going to live and who dies until the dust finally settles.

For me, after I bullet point the outline, I’m a panster and fill out the story here and there as I jump around. And as the story unfolds, the story itself actually begins to take over and write itself. I just let it flow naturally, allow for the characters to fight amongst each other for face time, and pay attention to what should naturally happen during each scene.

So I don’t select who lives and who dies when I outline a story. That only becomes clear as I write the book. It’s really a mystery to me. Often I say to myself, “I didn’t see that coming.” And it’s often sad to kill off a particular character. It’s easy to become attached to them. Developing characters is similar to raising children as we develop them over months or years of writing.

I didn’t realize how many people died in Salem’ Daughters until I wrote down the names after my final edit. The witches, now in the sixth of their nine lives, killed fifteen people, Of course, the witches had to die too, bringing the total to twenty-eight. But don’t feel sorry for Emily, Rebecca, Annie, Chloe, Amy, Helen, Angel, Scarlett, Isabella, Rachel, Jacqueline, Esther, and Madelyn. They’ll be back as they still have three more lives to live.

Well folks, that’s it. Time to bring Salem’s Daughters Blog Tour to a close. It’s been a lot of fun and thank you all for your support. I hope you’ve had as much fun as I did with all the tour stops.

Murcat Manor Kitty
Not Waving Goodbye

Fun Facts It is known that 25 percent of cat owners blow-dry their cats after bathing.

Did You Know Cats are often lactose intolerant, so stop giving them milk!

Question How do you go about killing off your characters?

A four hundred year old evil is unleashed when the daughters of those killed during the Salem Witch Trials find a new generation of people to murder at a popular modern-day bed and breakfast.

Stephen Tremp writes Speculative Fiction and embraces science and the supernatural to help explain the universe, our place in it, and write one of a kind thrillers. You can read a full synopsis and download Salem’s Daughters by Clicking Here.

Stephen Tremp posts weekly blogs at his website Breakthrough Blogs.

For a full synopsis and to download Salem’s Daughters Click Here.


Thanks for blogging with me, Stephen.

I just want to say I want to be sitting in one of those chairs in his tiki hut photo! But I digress.

I owe Stephen an apology. He provided me with a copy of Salem's Daughters. I'm so far behind in everything that I haven't had a chance to read it yet. I'm hoping to remedy that next year - the story sounds fascinating, and I'm looking forward to meeting all those witchy kitties.

I'm coming back in here to talk about killing characters. When I have to do that, I actually can't write for a few days before I do it. I guess I'm grieving and saying goodbye. Finally on the day, I tell myself I'm just going to do it. The scene then writes itself very quickly, and the deed is done. Then I can go on.

I guess if I killed as many as Stephen did, my books would never get written, LOL!

Does anyone else have this problem?

I will be back here on Monday, January 4. Until then,

Merry Christmas

and

Happy New Year