That Time of the Month by Emily Shaffer Guest Post

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That Time of the Month by Emily Shaffer-Chick Lit/Women's Fiction

Recently fired and almost broke, thirty-year old Ellie decides to push all distractions aside and form a crash-or-burn plan to save herself and finally pursue her dreams. She gives herself one month to make the near-impossible happen, otherwise she has to leave New York City and move into her niece's toy room.
The plan seems simple but becomes complicated by a nosey best friend, a difficult roommate, a dreamy stranger, and a really bad ring. As the month progresses, Ellie must confront the realization that by deciding to focus on herself, she may have become completely self-centered.
Will she let her own ambitions, insecurities, and assumptions ruin her friendships and get in the way of a possible romance? Ruled by endless lists and fueled by several plates of pie, Ellie's comical thoughts and mishaps drive this story from the office to the coffee shop during a month that will leave her with a broken foot, a great pair of shoes, and a forever changed life.

Made (or Written) For Each Other 

When I was in school, and first started dating, there was a boy that I adored above all others. Was he cute? Sort of. Was he smart? I have no idea. Did we have a lot in common? Nope. Why did I adore him?

We had chemistry.

All of us have met someone and immediately had an unexplainable connection to that person. It's a phenomenon based on feelings more than anything you can put into words. So how is it that a writer can create chemistry between two characters on a page?

I had never really thought about it very much when I was writing That Time of the Month. I just wrote the words and scenes that seemed natural, but when I look back at my novel, I can see that I was creating chemistry. With every knowing glance, smirk, and hair flip, my characters were engaging in an age-old flirtatious dance.

I could try to point to specific lines of dialogue or descriptions that would help create a sense of romantic connection between my characters, Jeff and Ellie, but I think (for them) chemistry comes down to a couple of simple things.

First, women are attracted to the idea of a man who is charmed by that woman's quirks and faults. We all want to be appreciated for ourselves. We all want those things that set us apart, to be the things that another person loves in us. Ellie talks to herself and gets herself into awkward situations, and these are some of the things that Jeff finds fascinating.

Second, women like a man who doesn't give up on them. Ellie has a bad habit of pushing guys away because she is afraid of being rejected. In Jeff, she encounters a man who is genuine and persistent. He can see past her defense mechanisms and continues to pursue her.

While there are other elements that definitely help progress a romance, for Ellie, sparks start to fly when someone sees her and accepts her for whom and what she really is.

I think that to create chemistry, it is important to understand the characters and what motivates them. When you really know your character's heart, you know how another character can make that heart flutter.

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Thanks for stopping by Emily!

I am a Tennessean by birth, and have lived pretty much everywhere. My Dad always says that when I was born, and the doctor tried to slap me to make me cry, that I stood up on the table and slapped the doctor instead…and from then on, I never did anything that I didn't want to do.

Luckily, what I want to do is write…and not carjacking or vandalism.

Like my main character, Ellie, I love making random lists…so here are some random facts about me:

-I'm nearsighted in one eye and farsighted in the other. The world looks like a fun-house mirror if I don't wear my glasses or contacts.

-I was almost kicked out of Graceland for using flash photography in the peacock-mirrored front room, and my tour group shunned me the entire rest of the tour. That made for a lonely trip through the Jungle Room.

-I was once mistaken for a member of Hanson…granted, they all had long hair at the time, but still….not what you wanna hear as a girl.

When I wrote That Time of the Month, I really saw it as though it was a movie. I can see every scene, every character and what they are wearing, every piece of pie, perfectly in my mind. I'm currently writing the sequel, That Time of the Year. I love the story and characters so much, that I am tempted to turn the series into a trilogy.

Connect with Emily!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmilyAShaffer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmilyAShaffer
Blog: http://emilyanneshaffer.wordpress.com/

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