Deeanne Gist - www.deeannegist.com - Inspirational Romance Author

Monday, December 12, 2005

Congrats To Our Winner

Congratulations to Kathleen A. in Minnesota for winning our last contest. She graciously sent us a photo of her favorite reading spot along with a really sweet note, as so:

"A hot cup of coffee, a cozy chair and A Bride Most Begrudging warmed my heart and spirits during these past cold Minnesota evenings."

Thanks, Kathleen, and congratulations!!

As you will recall, this contest asked "Which scene below from A Bride Most Begrudging was the most difficult for Deeanne to write?"

This is how you voted:

The hunt for Sally = 13%
The fight scene between Drew and the Indian = 34%
The rooster flogging scene = 20%
The first chapter = 13%
The last chapter = 20%

Kathleen chose the correct answer, which is:

The fight scene between Drew and the Indian.

All those scenes were difficult. What made this one particularly so was my lack of experience. The only physical fights I've ever been in are "girl fights" which by their nature do not involve fists. I had no idea where to start. So, I contacted a film maker out in California by the name of Richard Alvarez who choreographed the fight scene for me over the phone. Had he not done so, that scene would have most likely involved slapping and hair pulling and biting. Ha!

The new contest question is:

Which New Year's resolution did Deeanne Gist achieve in 2005?

Finished and turned in The Measure of a Lady one month before it was due to the publisher.
Completed last year's family scrapbook (for 2004).
Changed the oil in her car every 5000 miles.
Resisted purchasing anything from mail order catalogs.
Hand painted a border in her study and half bath.

You can vote now by clicking here or on the contest link in my sidebar. (You do not have to pick the correct answer to be eligible to win.)

So, are you surprised that the fight scene was the hardest? Which one scene did you choose (or would you have chosen if you had entered the contest)?

posted by Deeanne at 11:40 AM

2 Comments:

Barb said...: Wellll....writing any fictional scene would be different, cuz you hafta make sure you cover things so well that the reader gets the whole picture (if you will). But the fight scene would definitely be a challenge. I could go to my boys' karate school and watch them spar, and that might help. For the rooster scene I'd think you'd hafta borrow a rooster, or at least go spend meaningful time on a chicken farm? How DO you make sure you cover all the details--setting, innuendo, facial expressions--when you're writing fiction???
Deeanne said...: First hand experience is always the best, reading the experiences of primary sources would come in second, with normal, dry research taking last place.

I actually witnessed a rooster flogging an actress while I was doing research at Colonial Williamsburg. She did exactly as I described in the book, then went right on with her presentation, rooster hanging upsidedown in her hand the whole time. Ha! It was something to see, I'll give you, that!