Help Me Write my Next Original-Character Novel
I’ve really been encouraged by the feedback I've gotten for my QH stories. I aspire to be a great writer and have already written 2 full-length novels. Sadly, I couldn't get an agent or publisher interested in them so I decided to take a break from writing. I was away for a full year with no plans to write books or even fanfic. Then came QH and the ideas began to flow again!
The problem is that I need all the support I've gotten from writing fanfiction to do it. Having my wonderful betas assist my writing and having readers give me comments and ask questions keep me focused and motivated.
My dilemma is how to write a story that is non-QH but has the flavor and fun of Zoya and Asad, that is private but accessible and allows me to get feedback and structure. Therefore, I need to keep this website private (friends-only) so I can still present the finished project to agents and editors. They rarely take on projects that have already been widely posted online because so much of the potential audience has already read the story.
Does this sound appealing? Would you like to be part of the creation of this story? All you need to do is what you’re already doing! Just read the posts, comment and ask questions! I may ask you questions, too, to help me expand and improve the story. You’ll need to sign up for a free LiveJournal account. To keep everything private and manageable, I’ll only accept friend requests from readers who have already posted feedback or sent private messages for my QH stories. Please try to use you IF user name or tell me what it is if you choose a different identity on LiveJournal.
I’ve decided to take the last story from my QH fanfic series and turn it into an original-character novel. The first three stories are interconnected and take place in a single month. PERFECT PARTNERS would be a fresh timeline so it makes for a clean break. I still have Sayed and Samir Aziz coming to India but I have to remove Zoya and Asad to make it an original story.
Original blurb:
Friends of Zoya's Jeeju come to India for a 3-week stay. Zoya temporarily moves back into her family home to play hostess to Mr. and Mrs. Aziz and their 19-year-old son, Samir. Rattled by the separation, the Khans find every excuse to spend as much time as possible in Zoya's house. Najma and Dilshad are distraught to be separated from Zoya. Asad is suspicious of Samir, who sports ratty hair, face piercings and a surly attitude.
Asad's suspicion turns to alarm when Sayed, the Aziz's older son, joins his family. Sayed is 26, wears jeans, owns his own successful San Francisco-base web-design company and shares Zoya's ability to find trouble. Asad's temper ignites as he faces a threat he's never known before. He must compete with a man who could truly be Zoya's PERFECT PARTNER.
The story is still set in India, still the story of two Americanized Indian boys who don’t know the culture or the community and get into trouble. Instead of being in Zoya’s tender care and under Asad’s merciless glare, it starts with Tarek (formerly Sayed) meeting a local girl named Aasha. She works at a property dealer's office while also working on her masters in Biochemistry.
Sayed hires her to help him find a suitable property for his family to rent and another to build a home. He's in a hurry to find a place because his little brother fell in with a bad crowd back in San Francisco. Shan (formerly Samir) is currently serving a 30-day sentence in juvenile detention for carjacking. Tarek and his parents want him out of America and away from him negative friends.
Aasha has a bad reputation. She was caught in a hotel room with the son of a rich man who has great influence in the community. The son offered to marry her after their night together but Aasha refused him, saying she was drugged. She lost her position at the University after the scandal and now can only get a job selling real estate. Tarek is American so he’s not bothered Aasha's 'transgression' and continues to work with her. He soon finds out that she's being harassed and stalked, both by the rich man's son and some local brutes.
Unlike my Zoya/Asad adventures, this book is a love story. Tarek will fall for Aasha and find out the truth of what happened to her the night she was drugged. By the end of the book, Aasha is hopeful that he'll overlook her reputation and become a serious relationship. We find out in book 2 that Tarek has more of a motive than just buying property and protecting his little brother. Book 1 will build Tarek and Aasha's bond and show how hard he's fallen for her - to the point that his love for her will mess up his plans in book 2!
The problem is that I need all the support I've gotten from writing fanfiction to do it. Having my wonderful betas assist my writing and having readers give me comments and ask questions keep me focused and motivated.
My dilemma is how to write a story that is non-QH but has the flavor and fun of Zoya and Asad, that is private but accessible and allows me to get feedback and structure. Therefore, I need to keep this website private (friends-only) so I can still present the finished project to agents and editors. They rarely take on projects that have already been widely posted online because so much of the potential audience has already read the story.
Does this sound appealing? Would you like to be part of the creation of this story? All you need to do is what you’re already doing! Just read the posts, comment and ask questions! I may ask you questions, too, to help me expand and improve the story. You’ll need to sign up for a free LiveJournal account. To keep everything private and manageable, I’ll only accept friend requests from readers who have already posted feedback or sent private messages for my QH stories. Please try to use you IF user name or tell me what it is if you choose a different identity on LiveJournal.
I’ve decided to take the last story from my QH fanfic series and turn it into an original-character novel. The first three stories are interconnected and take place in a single month. PERFECT PARTNERS would be a fresh timeline so it makes for a clean break. I still have Sayed and Samir Aziz coming to India but I have to remove Zoya and Asad to make it an original story.
Original blurb:
Friends of Zoya's Jeeju come to India for a 3-week stay. Zoya temporarily moves back into her family home to play hostess to Mr. and Mrs. Aziz and their 19-year-old son, Samir. Rattled by the separation, the Khans find every excuse to spend as much time as possible in Zoya's house. Najma and Dilshad are distraught to be separated from Zoya. Asad is suspicious of Samir, who sports ratty hair, face piercings and a surly attitude.
Asad's suspicion turns to alarm when Sayed, the Aziz's older son, joins his family. Sayed is 26, wears jeans, owns his own successful San Francisco-base web-design company and shares Zoya's ability to find trouble. Asad's temper ignites as he faces a threat he's never known before. He must compete with a man who could truly be Zoya's PERFECT PARTNER.
The story is still set in India, still the story of two Americanized Indian boys who don’t know the culture or the community and get into trouble. Instead of being in Zoya’s tender care and under Asad’s merciless glare, it starts with Tarek (formerly Sayed) meeting a local girl named Aasha. She works at a property dealer's office while also working on her masters in Biochemistry.
Sayed hires her to help him find a suitable property for his family to rent and another to build a home. He's in a hurry to find a place because his little brother fell in with a bad crowd back in San Francisco. Shan (formerly Samir) is currently serving a 30-day sentence in juvenile detention for carjacking. Tarek and his parents want him out of America and away from him negative friends.
Aasha has a bad reputation. She was caught in a hotel room with the son of a rich man who has great influence in the community. The son offered to marry her after their night together but Aasha refused him, saying she was drugged. She lost her position at the University after the scandal and now can only get a job selling real estate. Tarek is American so he’s not bothered Aasha's 'transgression' and continues to work with her. He soon finds out that she's being harassed and stalked, both by the rich man's son and some local brutes.
Unlike my Zoya/Asad adventures, this book is a love story. Tarek will fall for Aasha and find out the truth of what happened to her the night she was drugged. By the end of the book, Aasha is hopeful that he'll overlook her reputation and become a serious relationship. We find out in book 2 that Tarek has more of a motive than just buying property and protecting his little brother. Book 1 will build Tarek and Aasha's bond and show how hard he's fallen for her - to the point that his love for her will mess up his plans in book 2!