CJ Bahr, author

My Path To Publishing

5/1/2023

Welcome! I’m happy you dropped by. To get things rolling, let me tell you the tale of how I came to be an author. It started when I was very young…you see, in my household I was the youngest of four girls, and I can’t remember a time when someone wasn’t reading. My parents led by doing, both were avid readers and instilled my love of books I still hold today. I owe them my success, and wish they were here to witness the achievement of a life long goal.

Reading, mostly in the fantasy and science fiction genre, of course, led to writing. I remember a short story written in elementary school, “Whatever Happened To Ellen?” blossoming into a radio show complete with sound effects and music in college. It was my first foray into monsters and mayhem. I wrote all through my education, almost majoring in English Literature, but my life took a different turn with music.

It was after I graduated college I had my first sale, and a first big score it was. A simple short story (slightly over 1200 words) called “Does The Shoe Fit You Now”, a Cinderella sequel, was bought by one of my favorite authors, Marion Zimmer Bradley, for her Sword & Sorceress anthology, specifically book 12. Not only did I sell to the first place I submitted, it was actually my first submission ever! It turned out to be beginners luck…

As life would have it, I soon had to concentrate on my career as a music editor for television and film, in order to eat and keep a roof over my head. But I still kept writing, in fact, I decided to try my hand at long fiction and tackled writing my first novel. It took many years to write (remember I needed a shelter and food), but complete at 100,000 words, “Valley Fever” was born, a contemporary fantasy set in Southern California. Proud of my child, I sent it out into the world, querying agents and ultimately submitting to three different publishers.

I was not idle waiting to hear if someone would give me a shot, I started my second novel, “Walking Through Fire”, a paranormal romance with a hunky Scottish ghost. Already I could tell this was a better effort than my first, so when everyone passed on “Valley Fever”, it didn’t deter me. I would lead with my stronger story. But how to get someone to buy it?

I decided on a different path than I had taken with my first manuscript. Querying agents and sitting in slush piles hadn’t done the trick. I needed editors and agents to take notice, so I took the contest path. Researching who the final judges would be, I entered several with promising results. I was a finalist in the paranormal category of Utah's “Great Beginnings”, then struck gold in 2013 by winning Florida’s “Golden Palm” contest, and coming in second in Chesapeake’s “Finish That Damn Book”, both in the paranormal categories again. This got me two full requests by two different editors.
how I envision my path...

On April 1st (yup, I’ll never think of April’s Fool’s Day the same way again!) I got “The Call” from Amanda Barnett, senior editor for the Faery Rose line at The Wild Rose Press. Yes, I was doing the snoopy dance; someone wanted to buy my novel.
And that my friends, was my paranormal path to publishing.

Now years later, I have a seven book series in the "Fire Chronicles" with the first three published. "Valley Fever" is my foray into Indie publishing. And, I'm an author and editor of a collaborative horror anthology "31 Overlook Hotel".

Pull up a chair, get yourself a drink, and thank you for joining me in this paranormal life.

Read On KISS

6/14/2022

First, I’m thrilled to say “Walking Through Fire” is now available on the KISS app.

What is KISS you might ask?

KISS is a new and exciting way to experience Romance stories of all genres. Readers can enjoy serialized quality content from NYT and USA Today bestselling authors, available right from your phone!

KISS has hundreds of titles and authors to choose from, including new and exclusive content from some of your favorites!

To celebrate KISS sharing “Walking Through Fire,” which tells the romantic story of a ghostly Scottish laird cursed to haunt his home one month out of the year for over two hundred years until a beautiful and brilliant American woman comes along, I’m giving 2 free codes away to whoever shares in the comments their favorite real life ghost adventure.

Rules: Leave your comment by July 1st to enter in a random drawing.

My newsletter subscribers have double the chance to win. So think about signing up for the next exclusive offer. I promise not to spam. You'll learn first about new releases, promos and bonus content.

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Guest Author - Katherine Grey

2/7/2022

Hey All! Please welcome fellow author, Katherine Grey. She hales from New York and is sharing all the details about her newest release, Promises To Keep. So, without further ado, let's get to know Katherine.

Paranormal Life: What genre(s) of Romance do your write, and why?
Katherine Grey: I write contemporary with a hint of paranormal. I’ve written historical romance in the past and would like to do that again as well.

PL: What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever done in the name of research?
KG: I climbed out the bathroom window on to the roof then inched my way to the edge, lowered myself over the side, hanging by my hands, then dropped to the ground to see if it was possible for my female main character to do it. This was more than a few years ago. I’m not sure I could do it now.
PL: That's pretty awesome!

PL: Which comes first for you – character or plot? And why?
KG: The character has always come first for me. I’m not sure why. I’ll overhear something or read a snippet of something and a character will pop into my head. Sometimes, it’s just a basic idea that needs to be fleshed out and sometimes, the character comes to me fully formed with a complete history.

PL: Is there any special music you like to listen to while writing? How does it inspire you?
KG: I like to listen to classical music, specifically anything by Yo Yo Ma. I’m not sure it inspires me. It’s a nice background noise (I hate to use that term when referring to music) that doesn’t distract me from the story itself. If I listen to music I can sing along to, then I tend to pay more attention to the songs than to my writing.

PL: What’s the best writing advice you were ever given?
KG: Don’t let anyone tell you there’s only one right way to write a book. Use the method that works best for you and don’t pay attention to what anyone else says. If what you’re doing works for you then it’s the right method for you.

PL: Can you tell us a little about your next project?
KG: I’m working on revisions for Broken Trust, the third book in my Echo Company series. The book revolves around Ivan Redleaf, a member of Echo Company, and Jane Carpenter, a small-town librarian. There is a secondary plot that continues Jimmy and Callie’s story, the characters from the first book in the series, Honor Bound.

Please read on for an exclusive excerpt from Promises To Keep.

Vince Everett clamped down on the anger that threatened to resurface. He needed to get to the rendezvous point. And he needed to get there fast. There was no telling how long their escape would go unnoticed and until he met up with the rest of the team, he had no way of knowing if they made it out of the compound.

He moved down the side of the building, doing his best to keep to the shadows though it was damn hard with sodium vapor lights at regular intervals lighting up the night like a god damn carnival. He eyed the hard packed earth between his present position and the next building. It was a good twenty feet of open space.

The woman he carried had regained consciousness and began to stir, using his back to try and lever herself upward. He placed a hand on her ass and she froze--just as he intended. He’d never threaten an innocent woman or intentionally frighten one, but if it kept her from fighting him right now, he was willing to do it.

He felt her chest expand and knew trouble was brewing. He flipped her off his shoulder into the dirt. Covering her mouth with one hand, he planted his knee beside her hip. He pointed the gun at her, high enough to be sure she saw it. “Don’t make a sound,” he said in a low tone.

Music and raucous laughter spilled into the silence from the cantina at the far end of the compound. If she screamed all hell would break lose and his odds of getting out of Colombia outside a body bag would plummet to zero.

She nodded and he lifted his hand a scant few inches from her mouth.

“Why are you doing this? Who are you?” she whispered.

“Believe it or not, I’m trying to get us both out of here in one piece.”

She opened her mouth to say something more and he held up his hand. “Save the questions for later.” He lifted her to her feet. “You make even a peep, I’ll shoot you without a second thought. Got it?”

Sometimes a leap of faith can cost you everything…

An empath who feels only the negative emotions of others, Ava Tiernan has lived a life of self-imposed isolation. Circumstances force her to put her trust in Vincent Everett, the leader of Echo Company, a special ops unit consisting of soldiers with unusual abilities. But when she needs his help the most, he doesn’t believe her and leaves her alone and defenseless against a man determined to exploit her.

After a mission goes sideways, leaving one of his men seriously injured, Captain Vincent Everett has one goal: find out who set up his team and why. When he discovers Ava is the reason his team was ambushed and has been kidnapped by a rogue government agent, he risks everything to save her.

Now he has one chance to make things right for his team, one chance to keep Ava safe, and one last chance to prove he’ll never let her down.

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Katherine Grey writes sexy sweet contemporary romances with a hint of the paranormal. She lives in upstate NY with her family. When she’s not writing, she can be found up to her elbows in flour trying out new cookie recipes.

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Motivation

2/4/2022

Motivation. It’s what good writing contains. Why are your characters doing what they are doing? Why do they feel a certain way? Here’s a look into one of my writing tips…always ask “but why?”

I can’t say I came up with this challenge. It first appeared to me in my monthly Friday Nighters critique group, though I’m sure it’s older than that. I’m not sure how many times my pages came back with multiple “but why?” in the margins. I soon came to despise them; however, I later embraced them. You see, by not taking the easy way out, it forced me to look at the various motivations in my WIP and validate or clarify them, for myself and more importantly, my readers, making my writing richer.

For example, in how many movies, as an audience member, have you watched someone enter a dark and scary basement knowing the character was crazy because he/she was going to die, get captured, tortured, fill-in-the-blank. You think to yourself the character is a complete idiot, call 911, get backup, turn tail and run, anything but enter the basement! As the audience member you just asked yourself the first “but why?”

The easiest explanation (in a horror movie) is the audience needs the scare/suspense so we’re gonna send the character into implausible danger to make it happen. It doesn’t matter why, just so long as we have the big scare. Well a movie may get away with this, but your story won’t.

Have enough unanswered “but whys” in your WIP and it will make the reader shut down in disgust thinking your hero/heroine is stupid.

The good news? It doesn’t take much to fix the unanswered “but why”. It could be a simple thought in your character’s head (if he/she is alone): I really don’t want o go into this dark and scary basement, but the circuit breaker is in there and I really want lights on about now. Motivation now revealed, your character’s IQ has jumped by leaps and bounds.

If you have two characters eyeing the dark and scary basement, you could have them arguing:

Bob: “Are you crazy? The killer is probably down there!”
Jane: “But we need the lights on, besides there are two of us and one of him.”
Bob: “Screw that, let’s get out of here.”
Jane: Be brave, we can do this.”
Bob: “Fine, we’ll go down into the dark and scary basement, but if we die, I’m blaming you!”

Not the best of examples, but I’m sure you get my drift. It’s a great question to work into your internal editor. And if you can’t figure out your “but why”? Well, you could “cover it up” and hope no one notices. Not the best of choices. Or you could “hold it up”, have a character point out the problem and shine a glaring flashlight at it. Oh, and there’s one “but why” fix you could get away with (probably) just once: “I have no idea why…” the “gloss it over” trick. After all, remember Casablanca?

Signor Ferrari: “…why, do not know. Because it cannot possibly profit me, but…”

Actor, Sydney Greenstreet’s line is a classic example of a “Plot Hole / Motivation cover up”.

But it’s better and more believable if your motivations are justified. Do you have a favorite “but why” solution? Share it below in the comments sections.

Don’t take for granted your readers know the unmentioned motivation or see the gaping hole in your plot, remember to ask yourself, “but why?”

Character Interview - Catastrophe

10/1/2021

Today I’m interviewing an important secondary character from Redeemed By Fire, Catastrophe. “Cat” plays a pivotal roll, and I thought it might be fun for her to answer some questions in the style of “Inside The Actors Studio”.

Catastrophe is part Maine Coon and part unknown. Her human slave is Detective Lucas Avery, who she ensnared in an alley, on a dark and stormy night. She likes to visit the bayou with her human and his extended family. The Avery’s hate when she escapes the house to prowl the swamp—like she would ever allow herself to become another’s prey. She’s the hunter and quite proud of that fact

Paranormal Life: Welcome, Cat. It’s a pleasure to chat with you today. I’ll start you off easy. What is your favorite sound, and what is your least favorite sound.
Catastrophe: Simple. The treat bag opening <purrs>. My human always supplies the best treats for me. Least favorite is barking dogs. Why do they have to makes such noise?

PL: What would you like people to know?
Cat: Humans are so limited. It is best to be feline. The supernatural surrounds them and they have no idea. Ghosts and monsters are very real. One can never hide from a cat.

PL: Are you lucky?
Cat: Of course. All cats have nine lives, and I haven’t used a single one, no matter what my human thinks when he’s found out I escaped the house.

PL: If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when at arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Cat: Since I’ve seen angels, I do know Heaven exists. I’ve also seen demons, so the reverse must also be true about Hell. Of course, when I die I will go to heaven and I’ll be greeted with my favorite treat as God becomes my new person.

PL: If you had a free day with no responsibilities and your only mission was to enjoy yourself, what would you do?
Cat: Silly human, all my days are free. I do what I want, when I want, in between naps. Enjoyment is my middle name.

PL: What would you most like to hide?
Cat: The hairball I accidently coughed up inside my human’s shoe.

PL: What are your hopes for the future?
Cat: That my human wouldn’t work so much, so he could be around to cater to all my whims.

PL: What motto do you live your life by?
Cat: Naps are good.

PL: If you have any questions for Cat or myself, please drop them in the comments.

New Orleans, hot sultry nights, and an ancient evil who makes the French Quarter home.

Cassanne Thomas returns to New Orleans to start her life over and becomes the target of a supernatural serial killer. Escaping her close call with death, Casi is the only witness to the crime and finds herself placed in protected custody by a handsome Cajun detective. But with her dark, troubled past, trusting the police is the last thing she wants to do.

Detective Lucas Avery, the top homicide detective in NOLA, is unaware of the supernatural world surrounding him. With the killer stalking the streets, he vows to shield the beautiful, enigmatic, Casi with his life while fighting his growing attraction to her. He's been burned before.

Danger chases Lucas and Casi from the streets of the French Quarter to the wilds of the bayou. Will they be able to stop a monster, straight out of a nightmare or become victims themselves?

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My Path To Publishing

Read On KISS

Guest Author - Katherine Grey

Motivation

Character Interview - Catastrophe

Author

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My Path To Publishing

Read On KISS

Guest Author - Katherine Grey

Motivation

Character Interview - Catastrophe

Author

Archives

InterestingStuff

Interesting
Stuff