Skip to main content

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter

Interview with Liwen Ho part 1

Today I’m very excited to interview Contemporary Romance author Liwen Ho!

Liwen’s bio:

Liwen Y. Ho works as a chauffeur and referee by day (AKA being a stay at home mom) and an author by night. She writes sweet and inspirational contemporary romance infused with heart, humor, and a taste of home (her Asian roots).

In her pre-author life, she received a Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Western Seminary, and she loves makeovers of all kinds, especially those of the heart and mind. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her techie husband and their two children (AKA munchkins).

Camy here: Liwen is one of the twelve authors participating with me in the Christian Contemporary Romance anthology, Save the Date, which releases September 15.

Liwen will be on my blog three times! Twice for a two-part interview (Part 2 is here), and then I’ll post an excerpt of her book, One Vow for September, which is one of the stories in Save the Date.

And here, he’s me and Liwen!

When did you first discover that you were a writer?

I’ve always loved words more than numbers. I guess a good sign that I had the potential to be a writer was when I didn’t mind writing essays in school. But the first time that I actually felt like a writer was when I had to fill out a form at the dentist. The form asked me for my occupation and I finally felt comfortable with putting down “Author” after several years of writing and publishing books.

What's your greatest writing weakness and how do you overcome it?

Descriptions! I’m not a big descriptions reader or writer, so I really have to make a conscious effort to add it into my writing. Thankfully, I have a critique partner who is awesome at writing the most beautiful and detailed descriptions. I learn a lot from her.

Haha, I’m the same way with descriptions! :P

What's your best writing strength?


Dialogue! I have the most fun with that. Even though I’m actually pretty introverted and listen a lot more than talk, I enjoy making my characters talk.

I love writing dialogue! Although most of the time, I like making my characters say stuff I would never say. :)

Most writers struggle with insecurity. How do you retain your confidence as a writer?


What a great question. What really helps give me confidence as a writer is first and foremost knowing that God has blessed me with the gift of words (written, not spoken—that’s my hubby’s strength, haha!). I believe He gifts every person with unique strengths and writing just happens to be mine. It also helps to read positive reviews from readers and seeing how my books have impacted them.

I suffered from several bad bouts of writer’s block several years ago. How do you handle writer's block? Do you ever get writer's block?

I usually get writer’s block after I’ve finished a book. Or maybe it’s more of a writer’s drain, physically and emotionally because writing is hard work! What helps me get inspired to write again is reading romance books or watching romantic movies or shows. My favorite form of inspiration these days is Chinese dramas!

Oooh I love Chinese dramas! I absolutely loved Bromance!

Describe your writing space as it is now, and your fantasy writing space.


The left reclining seat of our family room couch has been my writing space for a while now. I share it with our doggy Madeline who loves to “help” me write. My fantasy writing space? Anywhere with a view of the ocean!

That would be heavenly for me, too! The sound of the waves is sooo soothing!

How did you choose your characters’ names? And what can I send you that will make you name your next heroine Camy?


Haha! Tell you what, I will name a heroine Camy one day soon! ☺ You and your books inspired me to start writing Asian characters, so I would be honored to name one after you! In terms of choosing character names, I usually choose ones that I think will fit the character’s personality. For my Spark Brothers series, I ended up going with names that started with the first five letters of the alphabet—Aiden, Brandon, Colin, Darren, Evan—to make them easier for me to remember. I also did the same for the heroines in that series. And sometimes I’ll name characters after people I know, just for fun.

Haha! If you do name a heroine Camy, let me know and we’ll roast the poor heroine on my blog! LOL

Do your kids influence your writing at all? How? How about hubby?


My two kids (AKA munchkins) and my hubby do influence my writing. I’ve based characters’ personalities off of them, especially my hubby’s. He and I are literally polar opposites (he’s an ENTP; I’m an ISFJ), so I model a lot of my alpha males after him.

Camy here: My hubby’s pretty much the opposite of me, too!

I’ll be back next week with the second part of Liwen’s interview. She’ll be talking more about her book, One Vow for September, which is one of the books in our Christian Contemporary Romance anthology, Save the Date, which releases September 15! Preorder now to get 12 novellas for only 99 cents!

Comments

Popular Posts

Brainstorm - character occupation

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.23.2009 Hey guys, I could use some help. In my current manuscript, The Year of the Dog , which is a humorous contemporary romance, I have a minor character, Eddie. He’s my heroine’s ex-boyfriend, and they’re on good terms with each other. He’s a bit irresponsible, but not so much so that he’s a complete loser. He’s got a very easy going attitude, he forgets to pay his bills sometimes, he’s friendly and charming. He’s adventurous and fun to be around, but he’s a little forgetful sometimes, and he tends to spend a little outside his income. I need an occupation for him. What would a charming, easy going, slightly irresponsible guy do for a living? He’s not too irresponsible, because otherwise readers will wonder what in the world my heroine saw in him to date him in the first place. She was attracted to his charm, his easy going attitude (her family’s uptight, and he was a nice contrast), and his adventurousness. But his forgetfulness and irresponsibility

Wasabi Wednesday - AWAKEN MY HEART

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.30.2008 Get free short stories and info on exclusive book giveaways when you subscribe to my newsletter! Blog book giveaway: To enter to win today’s book (below), leave a comment on this blog post, giving your name, saying you want to enter, and answering the Wasabi Wednesday question . International readers are welcome to enter! Please leave a WORKING email address or website where I can contact you (please use this format--you [at] yourmail.com--or something like that to prevent spammers from trolling for your email address). Please make sure your email address works. It is the winner’s responsibility to check to see if you won and to email me if you haven’t yet heard from me. You have a week to comment--I'll pick a name out of a hat on Wednesday, February 6th. (BTW, you can post a comment and NOT enter, too.) Awaken My Heart by DiAnn Mills 1803, the colony of Texas. Marianne Phillips, the daughter of a wealthy rancher, has never agreed with her fa

Regency Goodies Giveaway

To celebrate the release of my debut Regency romance, Prelude for a Lord , I’m holding a huge giveaway of books, hand-knit lace shawls, Jane Austen tea, and violin Christmas ornaments! I’m giving away FIVE baskets. Each has (1) a bag of whole leaf Jane Austen tea from the Jane Austen Centre in Bath, England, (2) a violin ornament in honor of my fictional musicians, Lord Dommick and Lady Alethea, (3) a copy of Prelude for a Lord , and (4) a different hand-knit lace shawl (yes, knit by yours truly). I tried to use knitting patterns that Jane Austen or her contemporaries would have used, although some are more Victorian than Regency. The patterns were all from the knitting pattern book, Victorian Lace Today by Jane Sowerby . ***PLEASE NOTE: For those of you allergic to wool, all the scarves are made with some sort of animal fiber, so be warned that you might react if the scarves touch your skin. Basket 1: Black Mohair Diamond Scarf Click here for the project page on Ravelry Yar

Wasabi Wednesday – Year of the Rat mug

Captain's Log, Stardate 01.09.2008 Get free short stories and info on exclusive book giveaways when you subscribe to my newsletter! The winner of Abandoned Identity by Tamara Tilley is Amanda Congratulations! Blog book giveaway: To enter to win today’s book, leave a comment on this blog post, giving your name and saying you want to enter. International readers are welcome to enter! Please leave a WORKING email address or website where I can contact you (please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail.com--or something like that to prevent spammers from trolling for your email address). Please make sure your email address works—I’ve had several winners where my email to them bounced and I couldn’t get hold of them. It is the winner’s responsibility to check to see if you won and to email me if you haven’t yet heard from me. You have a week to comment--I'll pick a name out of a hat on Wednesday, January 16th. (BTW, you can post a comment and NOT enter, too.) Doing s

I got my cover!

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Blog book giveaway: To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there. Eyes of Elisha by Brandilyn Collins Tangerine by Marilynn Griffith I GOT MY COVER!!!! What do you guys think?

I sold to Steeple Hill!

Captain's Log, Supplemental Remember that romantic suspense proposal I blogged about earlier? Well, it just sold to Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired Suspense line! I am so jazzed! I am beyond jazzed! The story’s working title is Sinister Spa The story's title is Deadly Intent and here’s a blurb (but it’s probably not what will appear on the back of the book): Massage therapist Naomi Grant could use a massage herself. With her father at home recovering from a stroke, Naomi is put in charge of the family’s elite day spa in Sonoma county. The new responsibilities sit awkwardly on her shoulders, and things only get worse when handsome Dr. Devon Knightley breezes into the spa, demanding to see one of the female clients. And the woman is found dead in Naomi’s massage room. Suddenly, Naomi is a suspect and her family’s spa is shut down. How could God let this awful thing happen? Devon only needed to see his ex-wife about a family necklace she still hadn’t returned, but when she dies and

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th

Chinese Take-Out and Sushi for One

Captain’s Log, Supplemental My agent sent me an article from Publisher’s Weekly that discussed this incident: Chinese Take-Out Spawns Christian Controversy And here’s also a blog post that talks about it in more detail: The Fighting 44s This is Soong-Chan Rah’s blog: The PCS blog In sum: Apparently Zondervan (yes, my publisher), who has partnered with Youth Specialties, had put out a youth leaders skit that had stereotypical Asian dialogue, which offended many Christian Asian Americans. In response to the outcry, Zondervan/Youth Specialities put out a sincere apology and is not only freezing the remaining stock of the book, but also reprinting it and replacing the copies people have already bought. I am very proud of my publisher for how they have handled this situation. The skit writers have also issued a public apology . (I feel sorry for them, because they were only trying to write a funny skit, not stir up this maelstrom of internet controversy. I’ve been in youth work long enou

Romans 15:13

Romans 15:13 Dear Lord, Thank you that you are the God of hope. Thank you that I can trust in you and hope for something better because you are in control of everything around me. Help me to be filled with your joy as I focus on you to sustain me in the midst of trials. Let your power flow into me to make me strong in my faith and in my hope in you. Amen ローマ15:13 親愛なる主よ、 あなたが希望の神であることを感謝します。あなたは私の周りのすべてを支配しておられるので、私はあなたを信頼し、より良いものを望むことができることを感謝します。試練の中にある私を支えてくださるあなたに集中し、あなたの喜びで満たされるように助けてください。あなたの力が私の中に流れ込み、私の信仰とあなたへの希望を強くしてください。 アーメン

Got my books!

Captain's Log, Supplemental Okay, I'm still at the library and Captain Caffeine sent me these pics since I wasn't home when they arrived: MY AUTHOR COPIES ARRIVED! Wow, that's just so cool. And I'm so glad Captain Caffeine sent me pics!