Thank you for joining me for What to Read Wednesday. I’m excited to have ELLE BRIGHT visiting today. She’s sharing a very interesting post about applying reality to fiction. She’s also brought along her latest release FALL OF DARKNESS. You’ll be pulled in by her amazing cover and then hooked by her blurb.
So, without further chit-chat from me…take it away Elle!
Applying Reality to Fiction
Shortly after I joined the Romance Writers of America, I attended my first Utah RWA chapter meeting. Author Tiffinie Helmer gave a presentation on using visual aids from the real world to create your fictional world. That idea has stuck with me over the years. I began by clipping magazine pictures, then progressed to Photoshop collages, and have since moved on to Pinterest. Regardless of the media, I’ve found reality to be an integral part of my writing.
Growing up, I found it interesting when books stated something to the effect of “all characters and events are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to real people or events is merely coincidental.” Really? Don’t get me wrong, my work is all my own, but there have definitely been people, places, and occurrences that have influenced my writing along the way.
The beginning of my book, Fall of Darkness, is set in Chicago. This is an area I have lived in, know fairly well, and absolutely love. My memories of the area, combined with online research, lend authenticity to my setting. For example, Kate’s apartment building is based on a real complex in a real area, with my own personal flair added to it. The ‘rape lot’ in my book was a real parking lot which acquired that nick-name at one of the hospitals I’ve worked for in the past.
Though my characters are unique creations of my imagination, some of their characteristics are drawn from real people and experiences. Kate can never find her keys, because I can never find my keys. Like Kate, my sister really was set up with a balding gravedigger. Kate’s mother exhibits quite a few characteristics of my own. Have you ever heard the saying, “Be careful or you’ll end up in my novel”? Well, there’s some truth to that. You have been warned. 
So, how did I come up with the storyline for Fall of Darkness? Well, Twilight had spread like wildfire and the idea of a vampire love story intrigued me. I tried to imagine what I would do differently, if I were to write a paranormal romance. From there, I was hooked. I’m an avid reader, but books no longer held my interest. All I could think about was my story and getting it out on paper. My characters wouldn’t stop talking. They still won’t. It’s so amazing to hold Fall of Darkness in my hands and see my words in print.
What’s next? I am in the process of writing book two in The Darkness Chronicles series, Dark Redemption. Dark Redemption resumes the story where Fall of Darkness left off. There’s still so much of the story left to tell and I’m excited to share it with the rest of the world. I also have a handful of contemporary romantic comedies in progress.
About Fall of Darkness:
Fall of Darkness (Darkness Chronicles, Book 1)
One woman, the fate of the world in her unknowing hands. One man, sworn to destroy her. A love so strong it defies nature. In a world of obsession, deception and betrayal, the line between good and evil fades, but one truth remains absolute. Darkness must fall.
For centuries, werewolf, Dominic Ridolfi, has battled the demons of the night, upholding the sacred pact to protect man from vampires. Yet when sent to destroy the long lost Cacciatori heiress, the vampire prophesied to free her kind from the curse of darkness, he finds himself reluctant to complete his task. The innocent beauty awakens his humanity and Dominic finds himself not in the role of assassin, but savior.
Swept away in a whirlwind romance, Kate loses herself in Dominic’s mysterious world of opulence and seduction. But Dominic has a secret. He knows the truth about Kate’s past, and her future, truths with the power to destroy them both. Only in her dreams does Kate sense the growing darkness within. Dominic saved her once, but can she save herself from the darkness within?
Buy Links:
https://www.createspace.com/4307595
About Elle Bright
Elle is a practicing Registered Nurse, specializing in Pediatrics, Neonatal Intensive Care, and Emergency Medicine. She received her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from Grand Canyon University. Elle is a proud member of the Romance Writers of America. She lives in San Diego, California, with her husband, their three children, and their part-human border collie. When not writing or working, Elle enjoys reading, Zumba, running, travelling, shopping, and spending time with her family.
http://ellebrightwrites.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elle-Bright-Author/399211590194895?ref=hl
https://twitter.com/Elle_Bright
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18139273-fall-of-darkness
Filed under: Book Excerpts, What to Read Wednesday
