In my most recent novel, I wrote a character with mental illness into the story line. Readers have responded with great enthusiasm for this 'real character with real problems who wasn't put away'. I'll admit, I was wary to craft Opal Grey so openly, concerned that her portrayal be balanced. Opal, in her own way, does love her offspring, her husband, and her friends; mental illness distorts that love. Families have issues. Family members, while loving the afflicted, pay a price. Addiction is another prevalent illness in society, often stuffed under the rug, hidden, covered-up - its effects on family deep-reaching and devastating. The struggle is not only with the addiction itself, but the consequences of addictive behavior. Poor financial decisions, erratic behavior, and betrayal plague spouse and children. I plan to delve into addiction in a future novel - from multiple perspectives.
Reading is an escape, yet we need flawed characters to experience their story. The art is in crafting balance - portraying a character with real problems while leaving their humanity intact.
What issues would you like to see explored through characters?
~ Nadja
05 June 2013
03 June 2013
Adventures In Self-Discovery
I've been on extended hiatus...due to *ahem* life changing events. For months I struggled to read, to be creative in any way. Adapting to my *new* life - accepting things beyond my control - finding the will (and the desire) to forgive stole my time, my energy, my attention. Pushing through to write was simply...not working. So, I set aside my pencil and notebook. And began living again.
A few interesting things happened along the way.
I started a contemporary story. I started a fantasy/supernatural story. I waffled. I hemmed and hawed. I stuttered. The words would not come. I railed. I shouted. I felt discouraged. And then, I picked up my most recent novel ... and read it. Understanding dawned, so incredibly simple, which I should have known all along. Historical romance is my genre. It is what I love to read...and it dominates the ideas rattling around in my brain. My characters speak formally. My characters want to be prim and proper. (Well, outside of the bedroom, anyhoo!) Write what comes naturally...else be prepared for a hard road to hoe. To quote that famous (or infamous) utterance of late - 'Ain't nobody got time for that!' Phew.
The realization that I enjoy working outside of my home hit me like a thunderbolt, er, once I settled into a routine and gained my bearings. Smart and sassy suits, heels, nail polish, and accessories are a great deal of feminine fun. I may have become *stylish*! Who'd have thought it... Ha!
Love, sweet and elusive pleasure that it is, stole into my life. An adventure of the best sort...
Discovering myself anew is challenging. Fulfilling. Exciting. Picking up the pieces, taking control of my life, and embracing it wholeheartedly, I'm anticipating good things.
On The Writing Scene
Reviews are piling up, and I'm thrilled with what readers have to say about A Practical Arrangement.
With little to no promotion since my initial book tour, and lack of promotion on my other novels, I happily report steady - and climbing sales! I thank the *romance gods* and die-hard readers. Thank you!
Over the next week, I want to organize a manageable plan of action for at least some promotion. I also will set aside a small writing time for each day. This is non-negotiable. I will give myself a kick in the pants...and ask my children to help out (which they will be more than glad to do!).
~ Nadja
A few interesting things happened along the way.
I started a contemporary story. I started a fantasy/supernatural story. I waffled. I hemmed and hawed. I stuttered. The words would not come. I railed. I shouted. I felt discouraged. And then, I picked up my most recent novel ... and read it. Understanding dawned, so incredibly simple, which I should have known all along. Historical romance is my genre. It is what I love to read...and it dominates the ideas rattling around in my brain. My characters speak formally. My characters want to be prim and proper. (Well, outside of the bedroom, anyhoo!) Write what comes naturally...else be prepared for a hard road to hoe. To quote that famous (or infamous) utterance of late - 'Ain't nobody got time for that!' Phew.
The realization that I enjoy working outside of my home hit me like a thunderbolt, er, once I settled into a routine and gained my bearings. Smart and sassy suits, heels, nail polish, and accessories are a great deal of feminine fun. I may have become *stylish*! Who'd have thought it... Ha!
Love, sweet and elusive pleasure that it is, stole into my life. An adventure of the best sort...
Discovering myself anew is challenging. Fulfilling. Exciting. Picking up the pieces, taking control of my life, and embracing it wholeheartedly, I'm anticipating good things.
On The Writing Scene
Reviews are piling up, and I'm thrilled with what readers have to say about A Practical Arrangement.
With little to no promotion since my initial book tour, and lack of promotion on my other novels, I happily report steady - and climbing sales! I thank the *romance gods* and die-hard readers. Thank you!
Over the next week, I want to organize a manageable plan of action for at least some promotion. I also will set aside a small writing time for each day. This is non-negotiable. I will give myself a kick in the pants...and ask my children to help out (which they will be more than glad to do!).
~ Nadja
19 January 2013
When The Weekend Is Mid-Week.....
Happy Weekend!
That being said, I confess that this Saturday was a work day for me...tomorrow is as well. Phew! Lol. But I'm coming up on two days off in a row...(talk about your Christmas miracle?!) A road trip, laundry (Oh! The Laundry!) and dust bunnies will consume my 48 - hour reprieve from the world of finances. So...some fun and some domestic ... er, bliss (I don't know if I can go that far...) will mark my upcoming days.
What does this weekend/upcoming week hold in store for you?
~ Nadja
That being said, I confess that this Saturday was a work day for me...tomorrow is as well. Phew! Lol. But I'm coming up on two days off in a row...(talk about your Christmas miracle?!) A road trip, laundry (Oh! The Laundry!) and dust bunnies will consume my 48 - hour reprieve from the world of finances. So...some fun and some domestic ... er, bliss (I don't know if I can go that far...) will mark my upcoming days.
What does this weekend/upcoming week hold in store for you?
~ Nadja16 January 2013
InD'Tale Magazine Reviews A Practical Arrangement!
Stop by InD'Tale Magazine to read the full review of A Practical Arrangement! Fabulous!....'The beauty of this story is in its telling - polished, clever and subtly told. “A Practical Arrangement” is recommended for its prose, surprising depth of story and a beautiful HEA. Nadja Notariani is an author to watch!'
Tammy Grant
Practical plans go awry when prim sensibilities unwittingly capture the heart of a scandalous seducer...
~ NadjaWriting For Enjoyment, Reading For Kicks
Read To Write...Er, Right?
I hope this post finds all my friends in this online world happy, healthy, and hitting goals like champs! I've been busily writing away on my newest romance, Finding Fidelity...and what a hoot it is. Most of my strict structured writing process has flown out the proverbial window; I'm 'going with the flow' on this novel. It's not speedy progress, but it is delightful to simply sit down here and there in stolen moments and put pencil to paper.
Interestingly, I've begun a new reading kick. For the last few months, I've had little time to catch my breath...let alone pick up a book and submerge myself in a story! I'm happy to say this week has offered me some time to do just that. Reading a good story is the best motivation....for me, anyway...to incite my yearning to write. Go figure...but I'll take it. LOL.
Does a new story/good story inspire any of you this way?
It's been an extremely busy month. While I've settled into *New Job*, there is something new to learn, a course to take, a test to pass nearly every week. Added into the mix was a week long stay at the hospital for my youngest. I happily note that he is home...and a healthy little boy. Phew...nerve wracking. The Notariani is a thankful mom/writer/reader this January. :)
Have a great week, all! Hope to see you all around the blogs!
~ Nadja
I hope this post finds all my friends in this online world happy, healthy, and hitting goals like champs! I've been busily writing away on my newest romance, Finding Fidelity...and what a hoot it is. Most of my strict structured writing process has flown out the proverbial window; I'm 'going with the flow' on this novel. It's not speedy progress, but it is delightful to simply sit down here and there in stolen moments and put pencil to paper.
Interestingly, I've begun a new reading kick. For the last few months, I've had little time to catch my breath...let alone pick up a book and submerge myself in a story! I'm happy to say this week has offered me some time to do just that. Reading a good story is the best motivation....for me, anyway...to incite my yearning to write. Go figure...but I'll take it. LOL.
Does a new story/good story inspire any of you this way?
It's been an extremely busy month. While I've settled into *New Job*, there is something new to learn, a course to take, a test to pass nearly every week. Added into the mix was a week long stay at the hospital for my youngest. I happily note that he is home...and a healthy little boy. Phew...nerve wracking. The Notariani is a thankful mom/writer/reader this January. :)
Have a great week, all! Hope to see you all around the blogs!
~ Nadja06 January 2013
Top Ten of 2012 For A Practical Arrangement!
For The Love Of Reading's Top Ten Books of 2012 is featured in the January 2013 issue of BTS Magazine! I'm thrilled to share that A Practical Arrangement is listed at #5! Thank you to all the bloggers and readers who read and shared their thoughts. You all are wonderful!
۩
A
Practical Arrangement, Nadja Notariani ۩
~ Nadja
Miss Evangeline Grey, intelligent and sensible, has no
desire to marry, her reluctance born from the dire warnings of her
overly emotional mother. Her father has other ideas, however, and
decrees that unless she weds by the spring, he will choose a husband
for her.
Prim and proper Evangeline accepts her father's issue
with little more than mild alarm. Knowing herself plain of face and
sharp of tongue, she believes herself capable of warding off any
perspective suitor. Her plan goes awry when the scandalous seducer,
Mr. Thomas Masterson, visits her family's home, for Thomas has
learned that he must procure a wife to receive his full inheritance.
When he discovers Evangeline's predicament matches his
own, Thomas determines to orchestrate a practical arrangement. A war
of wit and word results, and Thomas finds himself ever more beguiled
by the soft heart he discovers under Miss Grey's stern, inhibited
exterior. Patiently, he endeavors to gain her respect and awaken her
passions. As tenuous trust blooms between the rake and the
reluctant, unfortunate events – and Thomas' past reputation –
threaten to destroy the peace and happiness he has found within the
bonds of his Practical Arrangement.
~ Nadja
01 January 2013
Making Magic and Marking Time...
Happy New Year!
Today ushered in a new year, 2013 to be exact. Wow...2013? While I contemplate how this can possibly be ...well, possible....I look forward to living the new year to the fullest. Best wishes to all for a prosperous and peaceful year.
This author is four pages into plotting and 'what-if' pages on the fantastical magic laced world of a new story idea I mentioned a few weeks ago. If you stole a peek at the music video that kicked my brainstorming into action (however slow it is coming along), you maybe grabbed the vibe.... It's different, but absolutely interesting! Writing out a structured system of rules to govern magic within a storyline is proving a challenge. I've got an ear 'trained to the world of fantasy and magic' at the ready to help me sort through this mess I've created...Hmmm. Time to capitalize. LOL.
I'm also a few pages into the writing of my newest romance, which is tentatively being called 'Finding Fidelity'. I can't give much away at this point, because this story seems to be unfolding in new directions at every turn. The only character profile packet I've developed is my main character, Francesca Davis DiCello...and she's positively 'hard to handle' as I attempt to pen her wild and wacky tale of self-discovery.
New years often bring us to self-examination, resolutions, and a feeling of fresh starts. I'm not much for resolutions, and it would seem I set out on my own fresh start about five months early. But I wish everyone the best as they take on 2013...whether you've resolved to make changes or are perfectly content right where you are!
~ Nadja
Today ushered in a new year, 2013 to be exact. Wow...2013? While I contemplate how this can possibly be ...well, possible....I look forward to living the new year to the fullest. Best wishes to all for a prosperous and peaceful year.
This author is four pages into plotting and 'what-if' pages on the fantastical magic laced world of a new story idea I mentioned a few weeks ago. If you stole a peek at the music video that kicked my brainstorming into action (however slow it is coming along), you maybe grabbed the vibe.... It's different, but absolutely interesting! Writing out a structured system of rules to govern magic within a storyline is proving a challenge. I've got an ear 'trained to the world of fantasy and magic' at the ready to help me sort through this mess I've created...Hmmm. Time to capitalize. LOL.
I'm also a few pages into the writing of my newest romance, which is tentatively being called 'Finding Fidelity'. I can't give much away at this point, because this story seems to be unfolding in new directions at every turn. The only character profile packet I've developed is my main character, Francesca Davis DiCello...and she's positively 'hard to handle' as I attempt to pen her wild and wacky tale of self-discovery.
New years often bring us to self-examination, resolutions, and a feeling of fresh starts. I'm not much for resolutions, and it would seem I set out on my own fresh start about five months early. But I wish everyone the best as they take on 2013...whether you've resolved to make changes or are perfectly content right where you are!
~ Nadja
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