About Never Saying Never

I'm older now and like to think I'm wiser. I think I finally learned to NEVER SAY NEVER.
I'm a multi-faceted person who some people think suffers from multiple personalties. Not really but a high school friend recently contacted me and called me a brainiac and it's true--I like a lot of different subjects and things. I can be the prissy miss in a formal, up-do and low heels. I also like to wear my jeans, hair braid, and motorcycle boots. Both people are me and I like them both.
Being older and hopefully wiser I've learned not to say NEVER. Years ago I hated jeans–now I live in jeans. They are damn comfortable once they are broken in. My mom had short hair and made me have short hair. Now I have hair I can sit on and I say I will NEVER CUT IT again but I have cut it in the past so the saying never thing doesn't apply.

As writers we deal with characters and plots and I foolishly had a lot of NEVERs there. I used to say I'd never write contemporary. Oops-six of the seven stories I sold were contemporaries. I used to say I'd never write children into stories. Oops-a full length Resurrected Love; two uncompleted western novellas; Glenaire's Lady set in Medieval Scotland; and the upcoming Christmas story, A Commander Under the Tree, all contain children. Another taboo was pets–I slipped again, although technically Caesar is a police partner not a pet in Resurrected Love. Oh yeah the I'll never write a Scottish or Medival bite the dust with the unpublished Glenaire's Lady and there is a child in that one too.

Some of the NEVER SAY NEVERs that fell in the past were white-water rafting (bone chilling not only because the water is cold) and rock climbing (the view is nice but the work is done by the legs not the arms) and I flew again. I apologize to Northwest for the indentations in the arm rests. I always said I wouldn't read a regency and I did but it doesn't mean there is a second one out there for me. It wasn t bad. It was good. It was also by a friend Dawn Thompson and wasn't the stereotypical regency with Lords and Ladies abounding to confuse me.

There are some things are ALWAYS SAY NEVER but most of those you know what they are. If you don t write me and I ll tell you.

One of the things I recommend that you do is ALWAYS LIVE YOUR LIFE to suit yourself. You won't be happy otherwise. And put away the NEVER I'LL-while you at it--unless you're talking about brussel sprouts.

Billie Warren Chai

The Birth of A Story -- The Heroine

Last Saturday I created my hero, Brandon Reynolds. He has undergone a few a revisions and is now a Major in the USAF - they don't have US Army bases in the NW US. I guess they don't expect the Canadians to attack us. I also noticed the closed the US Navy Base in Idaho where my cousin was stationed. I guess they don't expect them to float down from Canada any more either.

Every hero needs a heroine. As this is a Medical Romance novella for Highland Press Brandon gets a heroine who works in medicine.

Màiri Grant is more than enough for him and proves you can't judge a book by its cover. Insulated by allegations that she isn't his type when he didn't know he had a type Brandon finds Màiri to be a puzzle. He isn't particulary attracted to her but there are those sparks.

Màiri is a Labor & Delivery Nurse/Certified Nurse Midwife/Critical Care flight trained nurse. He mistakes her mousy demeanor for a mousy attitude but he couldn't be more wrong. On a flight to pick up a pregnant woman in distress the husband becomes belligerent. Of course our hero steps in to defend his crew member but whose going to protect him from her?

Our intrepid heroine is wary of men, particularly big men like Brandon, who confuse her as much as they scare her. Her ex-hsuband thought he could beat into submission but it didn't work. He only succeeded in making her learn to defend herself and to doubt her worth. To compensate for the lack of love in her life Màiri has devoted years to developing her expertise as a nurse. Inwardly depressed over the lack of a family Màiri lavishes her love on the babies she helps deliver.

Màiri is content with her life until she meets Brandon who refuses to let her wallow in her self-pity and shows her another side of love. When her ex-husband returns to make her life miserable, Brandon decides she brightens his life and through her love and he won't let her retreat.

The true Màiri emerges and presses Brandon to live life to its fullest.

Birth of A New Story--The Hero

Some people wonder how I write a story. I don't know; I just do it.

Since I'm starting a brand new story for a Medical Romance Anthology from Highland Press I thought I share some of the experience with you.

This is a short story, 15,000-20,000 that features a medical aspect to the romance. Romance means there is going to be a "happily ever after" ending so the hero and heroine will be engaged if not married at the end of the story. Ok, I'm preaching to the choir here but bear with me. I usually have a method to madness.

There are several signature elements to stories I write. One, the hero is or was in the military. We have our choice of five--Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. Which one depends on the character and what I want him to do. Since I've decided the hero will be an air medical transport helicopter pilot, I'll exclude the Marines and the Navy leaving the Army, USAF and the Coast Guard. The USAF and Coast Guard are known for their rescue activities but our hero need not be an actual trained rescuer, he is a helicopter pilot. The Army is a proud service that will serve my purpose. Two, he's going to own and ride a Harley.

The bare bones of this story involves our helicopter pilot hero, and a Labor and Delivery Nurse who is also a certified Nurse Midwife. I have kernels of conflict and some ideas on a heroine but this blog post is about the hero.

Oh yeah, he needs a name. Good thing he told me his name. Major Brandon Reynolds, US Army Reserve. He's single, some what of a male chauvinist and thoroughly professional. Oh yeah, he doesn't do babies well-has six nephews and two neices who live in the same town, but he loves the little crumb crunchers, as he calls them.

His engine is purring and I better get to the heroine before he runs out of gas.

Next up: The Heroine