Christina Alexandra

I’m taking break from the Challenge today. First, it’s my normal writing day and I’m back at my local coffee shop warming up because it is cold and rainy out there! And second, today is my Mama’s birthday! I won’t say how old she is, but we’re going out to celebrate tonight. 🎂

Tomorrow I have something special planned before my work week at the Day Job starts all over again.

As promised the other day, I have Little Miss Adventures with me. Hopefully she’ll help me get my words on the page today. I have a few weeks to get this story into shape and give it a title before it’s due on March 31! 😱

Your turn! What’s on your agenda for today? Anything fun?

If this image doesn’t give you an idea, today’s topic is theme songs!

Do my main characters have a theme song?

You know, my taste in music tends to run more classic rock, show tunes, and movie soundtracks rather than current pop music, so it’s hard for me to come up with a relevant known song to describe my characters. It’s also really difficult for me to come up with playlists for my stories.

That being said…for some reason, whenever I think of the Hero for my current WIP, the only thing running through my head is the theme from Bonanza. Yes, that 1960s TV show about ranchers.

Maybe it’s because Gideon Hunt, my current hero, wants to be a rancher. He has recently arrived in Southern California after seeing ads in the newspaper, and dreams of walking acres of land in the sunshine and not having to deal with snow. 😆

If you had a theme song, what would it be?

Christina

With St. Patrick’s Day being just around the corner, today’s topic is lucky charms, as in do I have a lucky writing charm.

I can’t say that I do. Maybe I should, since I need all the help I can get to write my stories. But I’m so easily distracted by anything around me that I feel it would be one more thing to keep me from writing.

The closest thing I have is Little Miss Adventures, and she hasn’t been on an adventure in a long time. I guess I should remedy that post haste!

Christina

Today is all about self care for the writer. For me, this means it’s time to unplug. I need time away from my desk, time away from social media, and the computer. 

If you follow me on facebook, you may have seen my post on Sunday encouraging you to unplug. In this digital age, it’s hard to disconnect from our devices. Between socializing, watching movies and shows, or doom scrolling it seems we are always plugged in to something. Even now, as I write this, I’m doing so on my phone while working on a school project on my computer (yes, I’m back in school…again).

To take it one step further, I like to unplug outdoors. This could be a morning walk in the park, an afternoon at Disneyland, or a trip to the mall. All I need is time away from electronics and fresh air to brush the cobwebs from my brain. 

I’m mixing it up a bit today. The original prompt was fun bookish merch ideas. But then I found out the first Monday after Daylight Savings is National Napping Day. 🤯 So, making an executive decision, I switched topics. Writers do it all the time!

I don’t know about you, but I love napping. Like seriously love napping. When I’m not at work or writing, by the time 3:00 pm rolls around, I am knocked out on the couch for at least an hour. 😴

But today… today was rough. With my Day Job schedule starting at 4am, I was so paranoid about being late on Sunday that I didn’t sleep at all on Saturday. And with it being light later in the evening, it’s throwing me completely off. But I work a 12-hour shift and, sadly, we don’t get nap breaks (we need to work that into the next union contract!). Needless to say, it’s been hard staying awake these past couple of days.

Not gonna lie, when I saw this image, I laughed a bit at how accurate of a representation it is of me at work this week. I find it completely unacceptable that I still have two days left before I can nap again!

🆘 send ☕️ !

Christina

Today is International Women’s Day, a day set aside but the United Nations in 1911 to celebrate the social, economic, and political strengths, resilience, and achievements of women around the world. It also brings to light the vast disparity in gender equality. While we have made strides in the past 114 years, according to the World Economic Forum, global gender equality will not be achieved until at least 2133.

It’s hard, you Friends. I’m in the US and it is so hard to celebrate all things being a woman while the current administration is attempting to wipe women out of existence is dismaying. They are erasing the history of women’s achievements in science, tech, military, and are actively working to kill us by denying us access to healthcare, attempting to criminalize us from traveling to seek healthcare. They even want to criminalize what media we consume—yes, the men want to make reading and writing romance a crime! It’s not a call-back to “better times” or “back to morality” as they want everyone to believe. It’s about those in charge (white, middle aged men)  staying in charge and keeping women in “their place”.

I don’t know about you, but a woman’s place is wherever the hell she wants to be.

This year’s campaign theme is #AccelerateAction and it is something I plan to take part in. I’m going to actively search out events in my general area where I can make my voice heard and make a difference. I will not sit idly by while people—men—try to make decisions for me and my sisters across the country and around the world. It is important that I support women creators by lifting them up and making sure their voices are heard and their stories told.

So, search out your women writers, poets, artists, musicians, and businesses. Make a conscious effort to purchase from and support them. I know, times are tough financially right now, if you can’t buy from a woman owned company, support them other ways. Let people know who they are and what you love about them. Spread the word and know that someone out there can help support them, too.

I’m going to leave you with this video of The Labour by Paris Paloma. If you’re on TikTok, I’m sure you’ve heard this. There is much more to it than just the underlying chorus that is the popular soundbite going around. It’s a really powerful song and definitely worth a listen.

I know this is a heavy topic today, but much of it is stuff that has been in my head for the past several months. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way, and if you do, know that I am just a message away if you need someone to listen to.

Today is an easy one. If I could co-write a book with anyone, it would be my Writing Partner Extraordinaire, Carolyn Anthony.

I call her my writing partner, but she’s so much more. A sounding board, plotting partner, voice of reason… She gives me a virtual smack upside the head when I stretch myself too thin and take on too many projects.

We’re similar in some ways we write, but opposite in others, and I think both ways complement each other. Carolyn writes contemporary and paranormal romance at the high heat level, while I write historical romance with a medium heat level. She gets down to the nitty-gritty raw emotions of the characters, while I come up with some truly disturbing scenarios. She would help me spice up my stories and I would help her bring that emotional connection to the readers.

With what we each bring to the table, if we were to ever write a book together, we’d be unstoppable!

Christina

Today we’re discussing names and nicknames. Naming characters is so personal. Sometimes it’s easy, and sometimes…not so much. But it’s always a fun time. Most of the time my characters choose their own names. When I start writing, it's always “he” and “she” but as I get further into the story, and especially when I get to the dialogue, their name just pops onto the page. 

To be honest, it’s usually a side character that says their name first, and then I get that "a ha!" moment. 

When it comes to choosing a name, I have all sorts of ways to do this. Most of the time I go to The List. Yes, I have a master list of names that I consult. It's sorted by main character names and secondary character names, both male and female, a list of surnames, and even a list of titles I want my characters to have. Once I have settled on my main characters names, I choose the secondary characters, their friends, family members, neighbors, enemies, servants, even the pets and businesses.

So. Many. Names.

This is an older copy of The List. It is ever growing and changing as I write more stories and come across new names. 

As for nicknames, I don’t really give nicknames to my characters. They mostly use a shortened version or diminutive of their name. For A Twelfth Night Wager Arthur Winslow Maddox Barrow was called Win, partially because it’s short for Winslow, and partially because he is a keen barrister (lawyer to those of us here in the States) who hasn’t lost a case in over two years. So his nickname does double duty. In the same story, Adelaide Shipley is called Addie by those who know her.  

What about you: What are some of your character names or nicknames that stand out to you?

Christina

Today it’s all about my favorite settings to write about. I don’t know if I have a favorite setting to write, but I do have favorite scenes I like to write, and the settings on those can shift from story to story. There’s always a scene of intimacy between the characters. Oh, not in a spicy bedroom, sexy times sort of intimate, but a scene that is just the two of them alone having a meaningful discussion or discussions. In A Twelfth Night Wager it was the mistletoe in the greenhouse that prompted a kiss between Win and Addie. In The Love Line it was wading in the river, Andrew’s arms wrapped around Lucy-Anne. And in A Midnight Scandal it was Hugh and Lillian in Hugh’s bed reconnecting after six years apart. 

For my current (still unnamed) story, it’s Eliza and Gideon on a walk together in the spring, the poppies blooming around them as the sun begins to set. This image pretty much sums it up, though I don’t know what conversation they’re having quite yet. But this scene is definitely happening. It’s so cozy and romantic and leaves much to the interpretation of the reader. That’s the problem with plantsing stories. I know what happens without actually knowing what happens. 

Christina

Today I'm sharing a bit of the setting aesthetic for my current story. The still untitled  story I’m working on is for the To LA with Love anthology and takes place in 1890s Southern California. While it does take place in the west, and has some western elements, it isn’t a true western in the strictest sense of the word.

Of course it's a romance, and these characters are some of my favorites! My heroine, Eliza Steele, is a woman with a secret past. She showed up one day and having just purchased the large abandoned farmhouse. Nestled in the foothills of the Southern California mountains, this community is the ideal location for her to start over. While close to Los Angeles, it is still far enough away that she can remain in hiding without actually hiding. Eliza has spent the past several months fixing up the house to her liking, making it as far removed from the house she grew up in as possible. She even converted the family parlor to a lending library and social hub.

Is it historically accurate? I very much doubt so. But it looks so comforting! I don’t know about you, but I wouldn't mind being a boarder in this house! 😍

It’s Read Across America Day! Okay, Let’s be real, every day is read across America day.

Held every March 2nd, on the birthday of Dr Seuss, Read Across America Day was founded by the National Education Association to foster a lifelong love of reading among people of all ages, and we all know the best way to make a lifelong reader is to start young.

I can’t remember the first book that was read to me, or the first book I read on my own. But I don’t ever remember a time when I was without a book. Family parties, holidays, vacations. I would drive Mom crazy when we were visiting Dad in San Francisco and I'd be walking down the street with a book in front of my face, somehow always managing to duck and dodge tree branches and parking signs. My summer camp duffle bag weighed a ton because half of it was filled with books. At least now I have the luxury of ebooks and a digital library, but no matter what, I still have at least one book on me at all times.

It’s like the old American Express commercial…don’t leave home without it.

Christina

I'm joining the Writer Friends Challenge for the month of March. It's a way for me to share a bit of me and my writing so you can get to know me better. Each day there is a different prompt, and while it's technically an Instagram Challenge, I've decided to do mine on my website and here.

Today is Day 1 and the prompt is “What does being a writer mean to me?”

I’ve always been a storyteller (or “storyyeller”, as autocorrect wanted to say). Before I could read and write I was creating stories for my toys and acting them out in my doll house. Making up fan fics in my head from my favorite cartoon and movie characters. As I got older, I’d tell these stories to The Elders or friends, and by the time I hit first grade, I was writing them down. 

For me, being a writer is a part of who I am. It is the truest form of me. I’ve said it before–I am a total introvert. Not only do I enjoy my alone time away from people (lol), but I’m not very demonstrative or expressive with people. Even my family and closest friends don’t know what goes on in my head. I rarely say what is truly on my mind and writing is the only way for me to purge big thoughts and emotions from my psyche. 

To me, being a writer is a way to escape the crazy world in which we live.Some days (weeks…months) are harder than others, but the world needs it’s escapes and happy ever afters and if I can help take someone’s mind off everything, then I will consider it a win.

And we all need whatever wins we can get. ❤️‍🩹