Author Visit and Giveaway: Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen
NovelReaction.com is excited to welcome author Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen as part of the blog tour for her new novel Trapped.
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Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen’s numerous magazine and internet writing credits include fiction and nonfiction published byThe Friend, New Era, Ensign, Guideposts for Kids, Class Act, and yourLDSneighborhood.com. She also enjoys teaching writing and speaking in various venues.
Ronda first knew she wanted to be a writer when she was in the 6th grade. Her English teacher had been reading S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders to the class, and when she reached the section where Johnny urged Ponyboy to stay “gold,” Ronda realized she wanted to write “golden” words just as Hinton had. More than that, she wanted those words to encourage the “golden” in others. That remains one of her goals.
MODERN READING: VICARIOUS EXPERIENCE
By Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen
We read for many reasons, such as trying to gain knowledge or to escape the everyday pressures of life. But as an author, what also concerns me is 1) what makes a novel catch fire in the hearts of modern readers, and 2) how can I meet that requirement?
Through study and observation, I’ve concluded that novel readers mostly seek a vicarious experience. David Farland seems to agree for he’s described this concept, at least in part, as the physical responses people have to the novel. Reader’s endorphins react, he details, to the obstacles, emotions, and climax of the story.
Which leads to my next question. If vicarious experience is key, then how do I as a writer, create that experience? In answer, I’ve looked to some of my favorite writers and I’ve determined that at least three elements are critical: mystery, detail, and restraint.
Take the modern novelist, Stephenie Meyers , for example. Not because I enjoyed her Twilight series—which I did–and definitely not because I crave vampires—for I absolutely don’t—but because Meyers has the ability to make her stories come to life, to make readers feel as if they are living in the moment, and to give life to her words in such a way that they jump off the page. She knows how to create vicarious experiences.
For instance, consider Twilight’s revelation scene when Edward allows Bella to figure out who he is. There in the restaurant, the reader already guesses Edward is a vampire, so that in itself creates mystery and nervous emotion—suspense–in the reader. Then, throughout the discussion, Meyers incorporates tiny details that describe how the couple responds to each other as well as a sense of Edward’s physical restraint. The following few sentences, alone, depict what I mean, but as you look through that entire section of the book, you can see numerous, similar examples:
“I scowled, but nodded. He moved his hand out from under mine, placing both of his under the table. But he leaned toward me.”
If you’re anything like me, you’ll notice both your heartbeat and breathing kick up a notch just from the memory of that scene or from the sentences I’ve quoted here. That’s vicarious experience. So that’s what I work to create in my own writing. Have I succeeded? Only you, my reader, can answer that question.
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A Forged Letter, A Golden Vial, An AncientCurse…
the blog tour
(August 9-August 24) for Trapped by Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen will
have it all.
Her expression remained somber, but
excitement crept into her voice. You are the Firstborn She…You must go to
them. You want me to act as bait? Not bait, Emi. A spy. Our Trojan
horse. When Emi Warrin wakes one
night to find a thief in her mother’s house, she has no idea the intruder
has planted a trap – a mysterious letter that will change her life forever.
Lured to the Austrian Alps with Daniel, the man she loves, Emi is thrown
into a perilous, mafia-like world of feuding families and a devastating
curse that spans generations. As the Firstborn She – the only firstborn
female in hundreds of years – only Emi can free her family from the curse
that will soon afflict her as well. But for Emi to break the curse, she
must delve into evil designs. As
Emi struggles to understand her destiny as the Firstborn She, she learns
that everything isn’t as it seems and that all choices have consequences.
Can Emi break the curse before it’s too late?
have to do is leave a comment (along with your email address if it isn’t
on your blog profile) and answer the following question.
Which Austrian city would you most like to visit?
you’ll receive.
All comments must be left by midnight MST
on August 27 to be eligible.
August 9
Heather Gardner
August 10
Jewel Adams
August 11
Mary Greathouse
Teri Rodeman
August 12
Lynn Fowlstone
Christine Bryant
August 13
Valerie Ipson
Sheila Stayley
August 16
Deanne Blackhurst
August 17
Connie Hall
C.S. Bezas
August 18
Kimberly Job
Tristi Pinkston
August 19
Karen Hoover
Nichole Giles
August 20
Alison Palmer
Jessica Williams
August 23
Joyce DiPastena
Laurie Lewis
. It was not my favorite phase of life. But I wrote during it and I can still dig up some of those awful things if I really search. If you’re a teen now, write. Someday you’ll be thankful you did.
