THE FRIENDS INSIDE MY HEAD and a Giveaway by Charlene Sands

I know that’s a screwy title, but I was thinking about the mind of a writer and how we observe everything.  It gets me in trouble a lot, especially when dear hubby catches me eyeing a gorgeous man.  But what I am really calculating is his “hero-ness”.  Why is he appealing?  What physical traits does he have? How does he move?  How does he speak?  Is he cocky or arrogant and a real alpha, or the kind of Beta man who doesn’t realize his own appeal?

I do this with women too, but for some odd reason, hubby doesn't mind me noticing them.  It  doesn't register with him, so I get away with it a lot more.  But again, when I see a celebrity whether it be on TV or movie or even meet an interesting woman in real life, I’m wondering if she could be my heroine.  What traits does she have?   Does she bat her eyes or push her hair away from her face when she’s nervous?  Is her voice pitchy or do the sounds come out soft and smooth?  Is her smile infectious?  Is she a good friend? Does she own a business?  Is she a single mom, raising a child?  

When I create my characters, often I don’t know them really well until midway into the story.  As the pages turn, I learn and observe and I find motivation.  Usually, I have an idea of what my hero/heroine will do in a certain circumstance…but not always.  My characters often surprise me.  Which is weird in itself, because I’m the author, I’m designing the story and I am in control…or am I?

Friends from RWA- LARA Chapter 

Too many times my characters say or do something I didn’t know they would.  For instance, in The Cowboy Contract, when it was time for Trey and Maddie to consummate their relationship, there was a big whopping Texas storm brewing and Trey was anxious to get Maddie home to safety.  I had visions of them getting together by a crackling fire in the warmth of his home. The romantic mood would be set.   But Trey had other thoughts.  The storm brought out his baser needs as Trey began to recognize his strong feelings for Maddie.  With both trapped inside the cab of his truck, things sort of spiraled out of my control. Trey took over and the romantic scene I’d envisioned in my head, wound up being a hot, sensual love scene in the truck, rain pounding down all around them.  In this case, Trey knew better than I did.

On sale for the month of April for $.99. 

So why the title: The Friends Inside my Head?   Well, that’s because my characters are always with me.  All throughout the day, I’m thinking of them. What will they say? What will they do?  It’s a conscious and deliberate thing.  But there are times, when I hear someone speak a phrase or behave a certain way and it registers deep into my subconscious.  It’s stored away in there for the future, without me really even knowing it.  Then if there’s an opportunity for my hero or heroine to use it, I inadvertently summon it up and fit it into the scene. It’s odd how the brain works, isn't it? 

So I live my life with friends I adore. I have writer friends who get what loving the craft is all about, the obsession, the pitfalls, the amazing ups and devastating downs.  I have friends that I’ve known since grammar school. They are like family to me now and we have raised our children together.  I have friends in my neighborhood that have shared earthquakes and fires, births and deaths with me.  They are my cul-de-sac friends. 

And I have the friends inside my head.  My characters-- the people who populate my stories and who are my best friends and closest allies for the four months they live within me.  I adore them even when I have to make them do silly or inappropriate or shocking things.   The heroines are my girlfriends, people I’d love to spend time with; strong, feisty, kind women.  They are the type of woman a young girl would aspire to be.

The heroes are well…hot and hunky, alpha to an extreme, but they are amazingly tender and vulnerable too at times. They hide their soft spot until the heroine brings it out in them. They are men any woman would want to tame, adore, love. 

When I finish writing and polishing a story…I find myself missing my characters.  Why did that story have to end?  What’s next for them?  I go through a particular withdrawal wondering, who will be my next set of friends?  Will I love them as much? Will they have all the flaws and deep-seeded goodness to make them believable, lovable?

Yes, I have lots of friends and many of them…live inside my head.

Answer this one question and be entered to win either an ebook copy of The Cowboy Contract or the print copy of The Texas Renegade Returns.  If you could pick two celebrities to star in YOUR book, who would they be?  (Mine would be Chris Hemsworth and Emma Stone) 

Charlene Sands is a USA Today Bestselling author of series, contemporary and historical romance. She's the proud recepient of the National Readers’ Choice Award, the Bookseller’s Best Award and the Cataromance Reviewer’s Choice Award.  She is an active member of Romance Writers of America.   When not writing, she enjoys reading books from her favorite authors, sipping hot mocha cappuccinos, taking walks along the Pacific shores and date nights with her “hero” husband.  

Look for Charlene’s next Harlequin Desire, Redeeming the CEO Cowboy coming this August and be sure to sign up for her quarterly newsletter where she gives away prizes, and holds contests EXCLUSIVELY for her members at www.charlenesands.com  

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***Charlene's winner is Traci Wilcox!  Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing details!***

Charlene Sands: Going for Broke… Have you ever? And a giveaway!

Recently on The Biggest Loser, the contestants were flown to Auckland, New Zealand (the City of Sails) and aside from having to continue with their weight loss program, they were asked to so some amazing challenges, such as “base-jumping” from atop the Sky Tower, the tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere and bungee jumping off Kawarau Bridge in Queenstown.

Now, I’ve never done either of those daring activities and if asked, or if paid a whole lot of money I would decline, shaking in fear and running for my life. I have no desire to scare myself to death. Yet, even the host of The Biggest Loser, Alison Sweeney, (and star of Days of Our Lives) decided to take the plunge and bungee jump. She’d never done it in her life and I held my breath for her as she jumped off that bridge strapped in a harness and bungee cord. I have to give her kudos for that. I was scared silly, for her. I guess you can tell I’m not a roller-coaster kind of girl.

My motto is that life poses enough challenges, without making up more as you go along!

For some, getting up in front of an audience to give a seminar might be a big challenge. Or speaking up in your own defense when you are falsely accused, might give you hives. For others, it might be driving the freeway (my mom’s biggest fear) or confronting your boss for a raise.

At any rate, I think all of us, in one way or another, have decided to go for broke at one time in our life. In my story Carrying the Rancher’s Heir, my heroine, does exactly that. Callie Sullivan has been in awe of hero, Taggart Worth, since childhood, but as fate would have it the entire Worth family had been forbidden to her since birth. She was never to go near any of the three Worth boys that were her neighbors and classmates. But all grown up now and a woman in her own right, Callie has a chance meeting with Tagg, in another town, and suddenly all the rules changed. Callie decided to finally go for broke, to just do it, to be brazen and bold for once in her life and finally satisfy her fondest desire.

I have to admit, that I wouldn’t have the courage to do what Callie did, to go up to the man you admire most in the world and lay your heart on the line. With no guarantees, no real assurances that she wouldn’t get rejected, or worse yet, have her heart broken.

So what have you done in your life that surprised you, yet made you proud? What have you accomplished that you thought you never would? Have you ever gone for broke, in even the smallest way, and did it make a difference in your life?

I’d love to give away an autographed copy of The Billionaire’s Baby Arrangement, a 2010 RT Top Pick or any one of my backlist titles, either Desire or Historical, to one commenter today.

Charlene Sands is a USA Today Bestselling author of Harlequin Desire and Historical. She’s the recipient of the National Reader’s Choice Award, The Cataromance Reviewer’s Choice Award and double recipient of The Bookseller’s Best Award. Her May Harlequin Desire, Carrying The Rancher’s Heir, the first of her Red Ridge series, starring the Worth brothers, is available NOW in book stores and online outlets. Be sure to visit her WEBSITE for Grand Prizes “Worth”Winning where you could win one of 3 Amazon Gifts Cards.