Yes I know it's not Friday but I have two feature authors this week one today and one on Friday, so first up is Barbara Kyle the bestselling Canadian author who writes about family, love and loyalty in Tudor times.
Barbara Kyle is the author of the acclaimed Thornleigh Saga historical novels The Queen's Exiles, Blood Between Queens, The Queen’s Gamble, The Queen’s Captive, The King’s Daughter and The Queen’s Lady which follow an English middle-class family's rise through three tumultuous Tudor reigns. She is also the author of the contemporary thrillers Entrapped and The Experiment. Over 450,000 copies of her books have been sold in seven countries.
Barbara has taught writers at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies and is known for her dynamic workshops for writers groups, organizations, and conferences. Her Master Classes have launched many of her students' novels to publishing success. She also mentors writers through her manuscript evaluation service.
Before becoming an author Barbara enjoyed a twenty-year acting career in television, film, and stage productions in Canada and the U.S.
www.barbarakyle.com
Barbara's Five Favourite Books
THE WINDS OF WAR by Herman Wouk
SHOGUN by James Clavell
LONESOME DOVE by Larry McMurtry
POSSESSION by A.S. Byatt
AN OFFICER AND A SPY by Robert Harris
Barbara's Five Top Writing Tips
1. Write an outline. It will save you a lot of grief.
2. Get to the story's inciting incident as soon as possible. Definition of inciting incident: the event that throws the protagonist's world out of balance. The story that follows will be about them striving to restore balance to their life.
3. Build big scenes around a major reversal or revelation.
4. Beware using coincidence as a plot device. It's okay to use coincidence to get characters into trouble, but not to get them out of trouble.
5. Build the story's climax around the hardest choice the protagonist will ever make.
Barbara's Recent Release: THE QUEEN'S EXILES (June 2014)
1572. Europe is in turmoil. A vengeful faction of exiled English Catholics is scattered about the Continent, plotting to overthrow Queen Elizabeth and install her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, on the throne. And in the Netherlands the streets are red with the blood of those who dare to oppose the brutal Spanish occupation. But amid the unrest, one resourceful young woman has made a lucrative enterprise…
Scottish-born Fenella Doorn salvages crippled vessels. It is on one of these ships that she meets wealthy Baron Adam Thornleigh. Secretly drawn to him, Fenella can’t refuse when Adam enlists her to join him in war-torn Brussels to help find his traitorous wife, Frances—and the children she’s taken from him.
But Adam and Fenella will put their lives in peril as they attempt to rescue his young ones, defend the Crown, and restore the peace that few can remember.
“Riveting Tudor drama in the bestselling vein of Philippa Gregory” – USA Today
“An epic tale of patriotism and treason, political upheaval and oppression, familial love and the ties that bind” – Let Them Read Books blog
“A heart-stopping thriller… Kyle is a master at her craft.” – RT Book Reviews
Thank you Barbara for taking part follow Barbara on twitter @BKyleAuthor
Barbara Kyle is the author of the acclaimed Thornleigh Saga historical novels The Queen's Exiles, Blood Between Queens, The Queen’s Gamble, The Queen’s Captive, The King’s Daughter and The Queen’s Lady which follow an English middle-class family's rise through three tumultuous Tudor reigns. She is also the author of the contemporary thrillers Entrapped and The Experiment. Over 450,000 copies of her books have been sold in seven countries.
Barbara has taught writers at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies and is known for her dynamic workshops for writers groups, organizations, and conferences. Her Master Classes have launched many of her students' novels to publishing success. She also mentors writers through her manuscript evaluation service.
Before becoming an author Barbara enjoyed a twenty-year acting career in television, film, and stage productions in Canada and the U.S.
www.barbarakyle.com
Barbara's Five Favourite Books
THE WINDS OF WAR by Herman Wouk
SHOGUN by James Clavell
LONESOME DOVE by Larry McMurtry
POSSESSION by A.S. Byatt
AN OFFICER AND A SPY by Robert Harris
Barbara's Five Top Writing Tips
1. Write an outline. It will save you a lot of grief.
2. Get to the story's inciting incident as soon as possible. Definition of inciting incident: the event that throws the protagonist's world out of balance. The story that follows will be about them striving to restore balance to their life.
3. Build big scenes around a major reversal or revelation.
4. Beware using coincidence as a plot device. It's okay to use coincidence to get characters into trouble, but not to get them out of trouble.
5. Build the story's climax around the hardest choice the protagonist will ever make.
Barbara's Recent Release: THE QUEEN'S EXILES (June 2014)
1572. Europe is in turmoil. A vengeful faction of exiled English Catholics is scattered about the Continent, plotting to overthrow Queen Elizabeth and install her cousin Mary, Queen of Scots, on the throne. And in the Netherlands the streets are red with the blood of those who dare to oppose the brutal Spanish occupation. But amid the unrest, one resourceful young woman has made a lucrative enterprise…
Scottish-born Fenella Doorn salvages crippled vessels. It is on one of these ships that she meets wealthy Baron Adam Thornleigh. Secretly drawn to him, Fenella can’t refuse when Adam enlists her to join him in war-torn Brussels to help find his traitorous wife, Frances—and the children she’s taken from him.
But Adam and Fenella will put their lives in peril as they attempt to rescue his young ones, defend the Crown, and restore the peace that few can remember.
“Riveting Tudor drama in the bestselling vein of Philippa Gregory” – USA Today
“An epic tale of patriotism and treason, political upheaval and oppression, familial love and the ties that bind” – Let Them Read Books blog
“A heart-stopping thriller… Kyle is a master at her craft.” – RT Book Reviews
Thank you Barbara for taking part follow Barbara on twitter @BKyleAuthor
Great, to the point and effective. Sometimes I am a bit skeptical about "rushing" into the story's inciting incident. As I read more, write more and, well, grow older, I realize that it's a must for a good read.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree Bernardo I had a writing tutor once who advised to begin with screeching tyres meaning the story should begin at full speed and go on from there.
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