Giveaway: Salmander pin and Ebook of Succubus Lost

Tiffany Allee is here with us today to talk about story writing and offer up a fantastic givaway in honor of her new release, Succubus Lost!

Take it away, Tiffany...

Balancing Story Elements

I expect a lot from the stories I read. I want a good plot, engaging characters, and a sparkling romance. So I try to provide all these things in the stories I write. To do so, I've had to adjust how I plan my stories, and how I write them.

Perhaps the most important element in the fiction I write is the romance. Two characters falling in love. This is also something that I'll admit I've struggled with. How do I make room for love in a story that is constantly moving, with characters who are dealing with life or death situations?

I've come to find that the weight of this problem has to fall squarely on the shoulders of the characters I write (and my eternal thanks goes to my editor, Kerry Vail, for teaching me this important lesson). Only if they are deep enough, and well rounded enough, will they be able to convincingly be distracted by each other while they are working to solve their case, or trying to survive.

That's not to say that plot and setting aren't important too. I think an interesting plot and consistent world building are necessary for me to enjoy books fully as well. Now that's not to say I require a mystery or a murder (although I do love both in the books I read and write), but there has to be some external issue that the hero and heroine have to solve in addition to resolving their conflict with each other for me to be fully engaged.

For me, all of these elements have to come together for me to be drawn into a story so much that I'm willing to skip bedtimes and forgo dinner. What do you find most important in a story?

 About Succubus Lost:

Succubus Lost

From the Files of the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency, #2

Tiffany Allee

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Blurb:

Someone is kidnapping and incinerating otherworlders beyond recognition, and Detective Marisol Whitman, a succubus, races to find the murderer before he claims another victim. But her pursuit is derailed when her responsible younger sister vanishes. Marisol suspects foul play and enlists support from an unlikely source: an agent from the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency, Valerio Costa.

When the trail pointing to everyone from vampires to witches dries up, Agent Costa admits to knowing more than he’s shared. Marisol’s sister’s kidnapper harnesses more magic than she can imagine—and they’re running out of time. To find her sister before her powers are drained and twisted beyond recognition, Marisol must connect the dots between cases and put her trust in Costa, a salamander who may burn her before she can solve either case.  

About the author:

Tiffany currently lives in Phoenix, AZ, by way of Chicago and Denver, and is happily married to a secret romantic. She spends her days working in Corporate America while daydreaming about sexy heroes, ass-kicking heroines, and interesting ways to kill people (for her books, of course). Her nights are reserved for writing and bothering her husband and cats (according to them). Her passions include reading, chocolate, travel, wine, and family.

http://tiffanyallee.com/

http://tiffanyallee.com/blog/

http://www.facebook.com/authortiffanyallee

http://twitter.com/#!/TiffanyAllee

 

 And now for the giveaway!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway