Pack the Punch in 2012!

Ronie Kendig grew up an Army brat and married a veteran. Together, she and her husband have four children and three dogs. She has a BS in Psychology, speaks to various groups, and mentors new writers. Rapid-Fire Fiction, her brand, is exemplified through her novels Dead Reckoning, a spy thriller, and her military thriller series, The Discarded Heroes, which includes Nightshade (ICRA Finalist), Digitalis, Wolfsbane, and Firethorn. September 2012 will launch her highly anticipated A Breed Apart series with Trinity: Military War Dog.

Ronie can be found at www.roniekendig.com, Facebook (facebook.com/rapidfirefiction) and Twitter (roniekendig).

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Happy New Year’s, Y’all! Honestly, I’m struggling to believe that this is 2012. For one, it’s the year all four of my kids will be teens (13, 13, 16, 19) and this year also sees the completion of the Discarded Heroes series with the final, explosive conclusion—Firethorn—and it also brings the release of the much-anticipated A Breed Apart series about military war dogs and their handlers. And I, for one, want this year to pack a mighty punch, sending the Nightshade team off with a bang and thundering into hearts with Trinity: Military War Dogs.

So. How do we do that? How do we pack a punch in our stories, one that grips our readers by the throat and never lets go? To my delight, Firethorn is receiving a lot of praise, being called the best of the Nightshade books and earning 4.5 stars from Romantic Times. So, I sat back and tried to examine what I’d done in that book that is garnering acclaim. Here are a few things I think are integral to capturing our readers:

1.) Relatability – I believe one of the strongest components of the human existence is relationships. Everything in our lives is somehow connected or linked to our experiences with other humans. It’s the way we were wired. Some more than others need constant companionship. When we find things in common with others, we tend to have a closer, deeper bond. We also are more inclined to want to spend time with the person(s). The same is true in fiction—when our readers feel connected to or can relate to what a character is going through, you reach them on a deeper level. They will also trust you more.

2.) No Holds Barred – Life never holds back on us. We’re thrown unbelievable circumstances, some so bizarre and unbelievable that it’d never pass muster in a novel. Yet, that’s what happens to us. It’d be wonderful if life was nice to us, but that’s not going to happen. Yet time and again, we instinctively try to protect our characters. We have this “oh no” moment, then immediately yank the reins back and say, “I could never do that to my character.” That is a big mistake. Unleash life on them.

3.) Pacing – Somehow, the “warp” button got punched and society is blazing forward. Think about it—you’re in line at the drive thru. It takes longer than 10 minutes. And you’re angry, wondering what’s taking so long. The same thing can happen in fiction—the story is there, it’s pretty solid and compelling, but the pacing is lackluster at best. Chunk unnecessary scenes and get your characters moving. When writing, I look for what I call “kitchen” scenes. And I take a machete to them. Kitchen scenes are often set in kitchens (wow, profound, huh?) or other domestic settings…and really, all you get out of them is a long bit of narrative or dialogue between two characters. Get your characters moving, use these scenes to inject some of the subplot, or characterization, or setting. Just keep it moving.

One tactic I use is to write out the gist of each scene on a 4X6 card, along with whose POV it’s in, and what the point of the scene is. If there’s not good movement through those scenes, (say two are “kitchen” scenes), then I unsheathe the machete and hack away.

Another tactic is to watching for long pieces of narrative or ping-pong dialogue. These are often used for information dumps or internal dialogue. Sometimes they’re absolutely necessary, but at others times, they’re just slowing down the story.

One last tactic is a bit more subtle and intuitive, but if you use longer sentences, bigger words, that automatically slows down the mind, forces it to read and process slower. Kick things up a notch during a high-impact moment with shorter words and sentences. Fragments even!

So, I hope this might help you pack some punch in your story, grab your readers by the throat and never let go—yet, at the same time, prevent strangulation due to excessive boredom.

Looking for a fun, power-packed 2012! Happy New Year, Y’all!

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Ronie's latest title, Firethorn, just released! Order Firethornnow!

Romantic Times 4.5 stars - “…exciting, adrenaline-pumping prose that will catapult you right out of your easy chair. Oh, but keep the Kleenex close by for the tears.”

Former Marine and current Nightshade team member Griffin “Legend” Riddell is comfortable. So comfortable he never sees the set up that lands him in a maximum security prison, charged with murder. How can he prove his innocence behind bars?

Covert operative Kazi Faron is tasked with reassembling Nightshade—the black ops team someone dissected. Breaking Griffin out of a federal penitentiary amid explosive confusion may turn out to be her last assignment. What will it take to convince the fugitive that whoever set him up has also dissected the Nightshade team? As Kazi and Griffin race to rescue the others and discover the traitor, love begins to awaken in their hearts.

Can a covert operative and the felon she’s freed overcome their mutual distrust long enough to save Nightshade? Will anything prepare them for who—or what is coming?

Read More

Know Your Netiquette

Army brat Ronie Kendig grew up learning to roll with the punches, including countless moves and educational disruptions that forced her to make friends fast. At 19 she married the hunk of her dreams, an Army veteran. Together, she and her husband have four children. She has a BS in Psychology, speaks to various groups, volunteers with the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and mentors new writers. Rapid-Fire Fiction, her brand, is exemplified through her novels Dead Reckoning, a spy thriller, and the military thriller series, The Discarded Heroes, which includes Nightshade (Retailer’s Choice Award Finalist, IRCA finalist), Digitalis (INSPY Award finalist, Wolfsbane, and Firethorn (4.5 star review from Romantic Times and releases January 2012).

Ronie can be found at www.roniekendig.com, Facebook, and Twitter!

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Twenty years ago, writers didn’t have to worry about Facebooking, Tweeting, messaging, texting, or anyone of the other seemingly hundreds of other social media colloquial. They wrote their stories and communicated with readers (mostly) through their publishers. But our culture today is vastly different and so is the publishing world.

If you’ve blinked lately, you might have missed some things—like internet etiquette in this rapidly changing world. In the last almost two years since my first title released, I’ve been watching the leaders, the movers and shakers among writers. Admittedly, this whole writing and participating in social media gig overwhelmed me at first, and some days, it still does. But here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way.

• Balance – It’s important to find a balance. We’re writers, so we need to WRITE! However, the industry is such that we also have to engage our readers, who “demand” that interaction and are less understanding of those who don’t take the time to get to know them. Personally, I find Facebook much more integrated (despite its annoyances like ever-changing privacy issues) and easier to engage with readers. Some prefer Twitter. Find what works for you and then. . .WORK IT! Establish yourself there.

• Iron Sharpens Iron – Earlier this summer, I sort of shot myself in the foot. One of my books contained a scene that I knew some readers would take issue with. And they did. A few raked me over the coals and made accusations about me as a person and as a Christian. It hurt—bad. And I made the mistake of commenting about a couple of the reviews on Facebook. Big mistake. Big. Huge! Your readers are watching and if you end up whining a lot or complaining, they’ll find other authors to spend time with. Keep your focus on your readres, on the faithful, not on the small percentage of negative. In essence, show your fans you appreciate them. Think about it—we all prefer to be around people who can see the sunshine ray in a cloudy day. As they say, iron sharpens iron. *That* is the influence I want to have—to challenge others to be better, just as my close friends challenge me. We do this through our fiction, but now we have the opportunity in social media, to apply it to our everyday lives.
  

• Be Authentic - Readers definitely want to know about your books, after all, that’s how they probably discovered you in the first place. But it really does get old if all you do is talk about how great your books are. Show readers glimpses of the real YOU. Be authentic. (Be cautious at the same time—see point #4), while remembering to keep things positive and upbeat.

• Guard Your Privacy – if you’re going out of town, don’t announce that publicly. Also, if you have small children, experts generally advise that you not use their real names. Our family endured some drama when a woman ingratiated herself through my writer page on a social media outlet, then friended my then-14 year old daughter. Next thing we knew, this supposed woman had my daughter’s full name, phone number, our address, and had put my daughter in contact with two older guys, and then offered to “come and get” my daughter. It happens, so just be alert and smart with information provided publicly.

• It’s Not About You – When readers claim a favorite author or favorite book, it’s generally because there is something in the story that resonated with them, something they could relate to. That’s what this entire gig is about—relating. If authors monopolize time with discussions about THEM, readers will lose interest. Engage your readers with questions like “what do you. . .?” or “what is your favorite. . .” The amazing marketing guru, the Great Rudini (aka: James L. Rubart, author of Rooms, Book of Days, and The Chair) once told me that the reason people will buy books is because they like [the author].” Relationships have to be built, and building requires engaging. So, talk to your readers. Find out what’s happening in their lives. Go to their pages and see what they’re up to. I realize some of us are insanely busy outside of writing. I homeschool all day, then have to write at night, but I take a moment here/there to pop in on Facebook and see what’s happening.

• Have fun!! Don’t we all want to be there’s laughter and smiles? Then create some of your own. Have fun with those who are willing toe engage and the “party” will become contagious and draw others. I was told at one of my first signings to have people (family) gather around my table because it would draw others to find out “what’s going on over there.” Draw your crowd to your social media preferred site by creating a stir! Some like controversial stirs, some like comedic stirs, others like relational stirs. Find what works, and WORK IT!

• Short and Sweet - We live in a fast-paced world that demands dissemination of information in tidbits and not in big words like I just used. :-) A great example of short and sweet information is the blog of Allen Arnold, Senior Vice-President and Fiction Publisher at Thomas Nelson: http://allenarnoldwrites.com/
  

So there you have it. Being an author is hard work, but if you break it down into some bite-size pieces, it'll be manageable--and fun!

Do you have a favorite tip regarding netiquette
that you think should be mentioned?
Let us know--post a comment!

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Ronie's latest title, Firethorn (Discarded Heroes #4), releases January 1st. Order Firethorn now!

Blown & dismantled, Nightshade is read to repay the favor!

4 1/2 stars!!! Romantic Times says: “…exciting, adrenaline-pumping prose that will catapult you right out of your easy chair. Oh, but keep the Kleenex close by for the tears.” Chandra McNeil, reviewer

Can a covert operative and the felon she’s freed overcome their mutual distrust long enough to save Nightshade? Will anything prepare them for who—or what is coming?

Read More

A Model Story

Ronie Kendig grew up an Army brat, married a veteran. Together, she and her husband have four children, a Golden Retriever, and a Maltese Menace. She has a BS in Psychology, speaks to various groups, volunteers with the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), and mentors new writers. Rapid-Fire Fiction, her brand, is exemplified through her novels Dead Reckoning, a spy thriller, and the military thriller series, The Discarded Heroes, which includes Nightshade (Retailer’s Choice Award Finalist), Digitalis, Wolfsbane, and Firethorn (January 2012).

Ronie can be found at www.roniekendig.com, Facebook, and Twitter!


As an author, one of the most exciting aspects of having a book published is the cover. I admit, when my publisher sent me the cover for my debut fiction title, I was so terrified to open the document that I first emailed it to my husband and asked him if it was “safe” to look at. Sick with anticipation, I dreaded opening that file. Would it be a cover I loved? Or would it make me gouge out my eyes?


As you can see above, I’ve survived five book covers to date (Dead Reckoning not shown) and am anxiously awaiting the first cover for my new military war dogs series (the adventure begins August 2012!). When those emails with the covers drop into my INBOX, my stomach plummets and knots. I am blessed in that I’ve never had a bad cover. A few weeks ago, I got a Facebook message on my author page from someone named Brandy Billings. It read:

Hi Ronie, this is Brandy a.k.a Kazi. I wanted to say thank you so so much for the experience of being on your book cover, it was amazing. I cant wait to read this series after all the great reviews!!

The author of the wall post was the model who’d posed as “Kazi,” the heroine in Firethorn, Discarded Heroes #4 (Barbour, January 2012). Elation wove through me as I quickly jotted back a reply. What was really fantastic is that I’d already been contacted by the sister-in-law of the man who posed as “Griffin” from Firethorn. Turns out she is a homeschooling mom like me—but get this: she also teaches creative writing and she wanted to interview me for the students.

But let’s shift back to Brandy. As I stared at my screen and browsed her photos on Facebook, something struck me: she’s a real person, not just the pretty face on the cover of my fifth novel. Brandy has a story. Being the writer that I am, I wanted to know what her story was. Who is she? How did she come to model? How'd she get the gig for Firethorn? What was it like, modeling? Knowing she’d be on the cover of a book?

My curiosity got the better of me and I asked for an interview. Brandy said she would be honored, and as we spoke on the phone the next day, her story unfolded.

Brandy modeled when she was in high school, but she hadn’t modeled recently. Her life had taken a new course—the care and nurturing of her two children. She’d been waitressing one day when one of her customers asked if she modeled. I can imagine Brandy gets this question a lot, since she is pretty and carries herself with confidence. She explained to the lady that she wasn’t modeling but used to.

That customer turned out to be the art director of Mullerhaus, a design house based out of Tulsa. The director gave her card to Brandy and asked her to send some headshots. Needless to say, Brandy got the gig to model for Firethorn!

A neat little tidbit to me is that two other models' images had been sent to me for consideration. I rejected both for a variety of reasons. When they showed me the cover mockups for Firethorn, with Brandy as the model, I was tickled!

At the time of "the call," Brandy and her children were going through a tough transition. The whole experience, she said, was amazing! It's neat to me, as the author to hear how the circumstances lined up perfectly to benefit both the cover and Brandy.

The day Brandy arrived for the shoot, the male model who would pose for Griffin, "Kunta," came in as Brandy was leaving. Since I created the characters, I couldn’t help but laugh imagining these two--“Griffin” and “Kazi”—meeting at the studio. Brandy also mentioned that Mullerhaus asked her if she was okay with posing for an interracial cover. Naturally, she had no problem with it--and I'm so glad. She's perfect!

Mullerhaus was kind enough to share and authorize me to use this “buddy” shot of the two models, Kunta and Brandy. This really made my day because it captured for me how I saw my characters. And what a feat for a cover design team to encapsulate this by a perfect pairing to represent my characters!

This past weekend while speaking in Tulsa, I had the extreme privilege of meeting Brandy in person. What a delight she is, and I really believe our paths were crossed intentionally. Seeing her, meeting her, getting to know about her and her life—like her son just broke his arm—brought the “glamour” of being a model down to earth.

We often forget that models are genuine people with stories, hurts, joys...They are more than just a pretty face. I am so grateful to have this added dimension to the creation of my covers. Now, when I see the cover of Firethorn, there is not just a great sense of accomplishment, but a tender memory. It has more meaning since Brandy, aka "Kazi," is now also a friend.

And. . . just for fun, check out these comparison shots below. The first image is the actress Elisha Cuthbert (photo below, left), whom I used on my character sheet for Kazi. The image beside it is a modeling photo of Brandy (taken by her sister, she explained while I was in Tulsa!).

What do you think? Did Mullerhaus rock it or what?













Author's Note: It should be noted that despite being perfect for my cover, in no way am I implying that the real life people—Kunta and Brandy—are perfect for each other. They are both spoken for.

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Ronie's latest title, WOLFSBANE, releases July 1st--just a few weeks away! Order Wolfsbane NOW!

“If you only know one thing, know this—whatever happens down there, I’m not coming back without you.”

With those words, former Green Beret Canyon Metcalfe convinces Danielle Roark that his black-ops group, Nightshade, will protect her in the same jungles where she endured six months of rape and captivity.

The mission goes bad almost as soon as they are choppered in and get ambushed. When a massive mudslide separate Canyon and Dani from the team, the two must fight their way to safety. When attraction becomes a distraction and Canyon’s mind is addled by painkillers, he can only blame himself for what happens next.

Read More