Shadows of Passion

SoPic this week

2007-04-17T02:50:00.000-07:00

This week is easy:

Give us the definition of "A romance book". Cite examples if you want.

There are no wrong answers :)

This is a tough one to define. In simple terms, it's a snapshot of a relationship whether it's a new relationship or an established relationship. The journey in a romance book is about self growth, often overcoming obstacles to be together.

The moment in "Pride and Prejudice" when Darcy writes a bitter letter of explanation that leads Elizabeth to see she had judged him too harshly. The agony when they're both beginning to work towards an understanding and Elizabeth's family is ruined by the thoughtless conduct of her sister, Lydia. But my favorite scene (other than the first proposal scene, which is brilliant) is when Elizabeth is confronted by Darcy's aunt. In that scene, all the growth the heroine has been through is evidenced in her attitude toward Darcy. As a romance book, it's a fabulous formula that works well.

Personally, I'm a stickler for a happy ending. But even that has a different meaning for different people. For my mom, a happy ending would be marriage. For me, a happy ending means a relationship. For someone else, a happy ending may mean freedom. Who knows?

I'm with Jen on this one. A romance novel is one where the characters, no matter their background or sexual preference, grow to be together. (This means gay or non-traditional or three-way-or-more romance fits into my definition)

Also, a happy ending is important to my definition. This could mean they ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after, or they could have a more complex happy for now ending. Either works, but a tragic ending does not work for me.

The way I look at it, chick lit and romance are on the same spectrum. Chick lit is about personal growth to be one with your chi, or whatever. Romance is about personal growth to be one with yourself AND someone (or multiple someones) else. Am I even making sense here or am I babbling? I think I'm babbling.

A Romance Book, huh? Well, I do like happy endings, but if there is a conclusive closure to the relationship, I don't need marriage. Even if there's a distinct indication that is the direction the characters are heading, then it works for me.

What I don't like is a story where there's no tie up, no definitive ending to the emotional growth of the characters.

That being said, a romance book should be about the characters, be it any characters, m/f, m/m... uh.. Dragon/human works for me too, as in Sara Dennis' Dragon Undone.

As Crystal pointed out that could also include multiple characters. My preference is for two. All I ask is for there to be real emotion in the book. Don't lead me on a merry chase of suspense with the story woven around two characters, but not about the characters and call it a romance. It's suspense.

Romance books are for the emotional reader. Feeling what the story portrays and connecting with your character. Most readers are looking for the happy ending, but not all. Some people want to just be in someone else's shoes for a while, to experience feelings that may be two decades buried in a marriage. My opinion (See that, it's mine, no one else's, so don't take offense) is simply this: Romance is about love, meeting the right person, the conflicts that arise from that meeting and then getting through it to be happy. Happy can be in just about any context, as Jen said, even freedom.

You don't see people questioning how scared out of your skin you're suppose to be for a Horror book to be classified as horror, do you?

Good question.

If someone starts raving to me about this "romance" they just read, I'm going to assume they're talking about a genre romance novel. For me, this means a story which is focused on the romantic relationship between the main characters (whether it be straight, gay, menage, or polyamorous) that results in a "happily ever after."

Now, when I say "HEA," I don't mean there has to be a white picket fence 'n all. For some stories, that's the right ending, but it's not fitting for others. In The Twilight Deception, the hero is a vampire assassin, and the heroine is an FBI agent. Both have extreme commitment issues. A "traditional" HEA wouldn't work for them, nor would they for several other plot and character combos.

But there has to be at least some amount of commitment at the end of the story for me, even if it's only, "Let's try this, and see where it goes."

However, if I pick up a book that people are telling me is a romance, and it ends without said romantic commitment -- I'm going to be pissed. I don't mind books where the romantic plots don't end happily, but I like to know about it. In that case, it's a "romantic novel," or a "love story," or "chick lit," or "erotic fiction," etcetera ... not a "romance novel."

Yes, I'm a pissy, particular person, and if I'm looking for chocolate cake, I don't want to be served a fruit basket. Thank you.

Art?

2007-04-09T05:37:00.000-07:00

Oooh Goodie...it's Monday again.

I've discovered I like the goosefleshy feeling I get when I hit upon this weeks Sopic. I'm trying to find things that will make us talk, make us think, and make us argue with ourselves and/or each other. So, here we go :)

I've found the website of one "Mark Jenkins" an artist who delights in putting his creations in odd, and sometimes amusing spots. (Examples here, here, and here. Please note, clicking the links will open in new windows, so you won't lose our ever-so-helpful commentary) Also, I find myself compelled to add the 'phone' in the one link is made out of packing tape.

The two which particularly caught my eye are here and here.

Here's my first question:

Is this art? Or is this someone on a 'Candid Camera' campaign?

Okay, I admit to know exactly jack about art. I failed ceramics in school. Okay, I got a B, but I aced everything else, so it might has well have been an F (shut up, Jen).

In any case, I think these are funny. Especially the one with the head in the wall and the cone feet (you'll have to clicky on Dayna's linkies to know what I'm talking about). However, I don't think they're art. I mean, what's the message? What are we supposed to learn or take away form it? It's not meant to be beautiful like, say, the Mona Lisa. So...no beauty, no message...how could it be art?

Anyone else have a take on this?

Topic of the Week--Why 'Bad' Reviews Are Good

2007-04-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

*Ducks flying tomatoes*

Yep, you read it right. What in the world can be good about a "negative" review? Now, let me say that Talia Ricci DID NOT give me a really bad review. She read it twice to try and put herself in the heroine's place. (See it here,Singled Out Review)

I was able to get some good stuff from this review, but the bottom line is that she really didn't like it. It bugged her.

So what do I do? Well, in the past (like this is my first "meh" review. NOT.) I've just left them hanging and said nothing about them. This time, I said "ouch" and then took a real hard look at it. Did her problem with "Singled Out" have merit? Mmmmm. It's very possible.

I'll tell you this, I'd rather have a reader/reviewer slash my work to bits and say why they didn't like it than have someone blow smoke up my...well you get the picture. It's not like I can't improve. It's not like I haven't been in the same place.

So, back to the topic. Why is a "bad" review "good"? Well, like a really good slash and burn critique by another writer, or a very conscientious editor with a taste for comma placement, it can improve my writing. And I'm all about getting better. My critique partners do this for me. My editors do this for me. Now, I can let readers for me. Yay team.

If a "negative" review has an opinion about structure or character that may not ring true, okay. But in my case, I think Miss Ricci might have a point. Not everyone who reads "Singled Out" is going to buy the "he was mean to me because he loved me" premise.

It makes a "negative" review a little easier to swallow if I can add it to my store of writer knowledge. I hope reviewers are more willing to be honest and let me know where I need some work.

Feel free to start throwing things at me, but discuss.

Personally, I've always been the odd one out amongst other authors when it comes to reviews. I've seen a lot of complaining about reviewers like Bam, Dear Author, Mrs. Giggles, Lit Sass, and so forth.

Okay, I can understand being annoyed when a reviewer trashes a book without giving an explanation why -- but most of these reviewers give detailed explanations, even if they're a harsh in their wording.

I've seen some writers say, though, that reviewers should only give good reviews, along the theory of, "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all."

Sorry, the world doesn't work like that. And it shouldn't. What use are reviews to readers if every review is glowing and favorable? There are certain sites I don't depend on for reviews (as a reader) because they have a policy of only giving positive praise.

I don't see how that is helpful to a writer. At least with a critical review, you know what the reviewer didn't like. Sometimes it's useful. Sometimes it's not. For instance, Dear Author negatively reviewed my short story, Waking the Shadows; however, it was made clear that she didn't like short stories as a general rule. Mrs. Giggles didn't like A Passion Draconic, but I knew from prior reviews I'd read that she wasn't fond of some of the themes I'd implemented in the novel. In both cases, I shrugged it off as preference. Everyone's entitled to their own.

This isn't an easy business, and I think it's important for a writer to develop a thick skin. Many writers see their book as their baby, and the problem with that is there's no emotional detachment after the book is published. And, a writer needs some amount of detachment, otherwise every time someone says something negative, it's going to feel like a knife in the back.

And even if reviewers shut their mouths, readers will speak up. I don't think there's any way to avoid negative feedback like that, unless you become a hermit.

*shrugs*

My opinionated 2c. ;)

Well, I'm all about the validation. (Love me, love me, tell me I'm brilliant PLEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease.) I admit it. But that's not the world of reviewing I'm getting :)

I get two kinds of reviews: Those who rave and lurve what I've done (usually writers) and those who like it...but.

All my fellow bloggers here know me too well for me to say "I let this roll like water off a duck's back". The fact is, I gnaw over those reviews like a dog with a bone. I tend to call one of my CPs or send them the link on messenger to whine about it. "Why don't they love me!"

But, after my emotional outburst, I use them as the research tool they happen to be. I pick 'em apart to find the validity in them. I try to apply what they've said to the next book--or see if it applies to what I've already written on the next book.

I've really only had one bad review though. No, she didn't hate the stories or the book or my writing. But her review itself was so convoluted, I wasn't sure what point she was trying to make. She didn't like...something...but I'm still not sure what it was. (So, I chose something I thought was wrong, and decided she was very insightful ;) )

The hardest part for me is those reviews where the reviewer was so obviously assigned a book they couldn't possibly enjoy. Like me reading something chock full of thees and thous and saiths. I'm not going to enjoy that, no matter how neat the premise is.

I really believe the trick is to find a reviewer you trust. If you know that reading a book a reviewer has given 100 out of 100 throbbing manhoods to is one you're going to enjoy...follow that reviewer! :) Knowing I don't like thees and thous is going to make a difference when you read a review of a 'thee and thou'-riddled book.

Um...'k. went on a little long there to basically say: Hear, hear!

Thursday Thirteen Shadows Style

2007-03-26T20:01:00.000-07:00

The Century Project opened up a can of worms for me. I both loved, hated, and wondered at the pictures there. It did, however, spawn a not too positive thought process for me.

Would I ever, ever, ever let someone take a nude photo of me?

Noooooooooo. So, the Thursday Thirteen is in honor of the courage all those women had and my cowardice.

Thirteen Reasons I Will Never Pose Nude Shadows Of Passion


1…. The ten pounds the camera adds

2. The forty pounds the camera doesn't add but is there anyway.

3. The whole ugly Miss America debacle. (Could I lose my precious book contracts if they find out I posed nude? LOL)

4. The lack of perky boobs. (Remember the joke that Ron White tells? I can roll them up after you see 'em)

5. Cellulite. Enough said.

6. "Mommy, why are you nakee in those pictures?" Again, enough said.

7. The thought that any of my ex-boyfriends may see them. (I'm vain. I'll admit it.)

8. My mother. Enough said. Definitely enough said.

9. My five foot nine, 120 pound sister. Do I need to elaborate here?

10. My husband might think it sets a precedence. "Honey, we could make a load of money on the internet if you and Michelle pose TOGETHER. I'll take the pictures."

11. I still have to drop my children off at school people.

12. What would I do with my hands?

13. Um, really, I'm not doing it for your sake. I promise.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

The Forbidden Library

2007-03-19T05:37:00.000-07:00

I was going to find a news article to deal with this week...and instead, found this:

The Forbidden Library Go ahead and click it--it'll open in a new window. Essentially, this is a list of banned and contested books.

I have to say, I've never really understood the idea of banning a book. The ideas contained within aren't just going to go away because the book isn't on the shelf anymore.

Wouldn't that be nice? Let's just take the book down, and pretend that the N word never existed. Let's pretend white people were never cruel, evil bastards to an entire other race of people. Yep. Taking Huck Finn off the shelves could rewrite history. (Whatever. Feel the sarcasm.)

It amazes me, some of the names on that list. Zilpha Keatley Snyder's The Egypt Game, which I devoured as a kid. (I've also bought about five copies--one for my sister, for my oldest son, and copies for me which have been loaned, borrowed and 'borrowed' by others.) John Bellairs, who still scares the crap out of me, and his books are for tweens. Roald Dahl is on there twice, once for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!

As a fantasy reader/writer, I need to point out how many of those books are argued about for encouraging belief in 'magic'. Because, yknow, believing in something otherworldly is a really stupid thing to do. (I'm behaving and not pointing out the underlying base of most religions. Really, I'm not.)

I have to say I love that the creator of this site includes links-to-buy for each of these books...but that may just be my morbid sense of things...(which I blame on reading books banned for their 'morbid themes'...at least three on that list ;) )

As someone who works as a librarian in my real life, I'm completely opposed to censorship when it comes to reading. Yeah, stick an AGE label on it if you don't want the little kids to read it, but DO NOT remove it from shelves. I always figured if you can start an argument, you must be doing something right. You hit a hot button, made people listen and take notice. made them THINK and talk about what they think.

Also, as someone with a history degree, let me tell you that even if you take it off the shelf, even IF you write about, say Christopher Columbus and paint him as a perfect little hero, it still doesn't make it so. People are nasty, evil, bad. And people are good, wonderful, and self-sacrificing. And these are all the same people. People are people, and books are just words...until you let them be something more.

My thought: let them be.

First off, I've never agreed with book banning. There are certain books that I don't feel are appropriate to be required reading for kids -- depending on age -- but I feel kids ought have free access to read them should they so desire.

I've had an unconventional experience, though. I was home-schooled and allowed full access to my parents' library. I grew up reading books with extremely controversial elements; for instance, Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality novels, which in addition to raising a lot of questions about religion, also contain a fair amount of graphic sex. Or Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover novels, where homosexuality and polyamory are considered "normal." Or Mercedes Lackey's Diana Tregarde novels, which feature a Wiccan heroine....

You see my point.

I don't feel that I was "harmed" in any way by reading these books. If anything, they gave me a greater understanding of the outside world (in comparison with my extremely sheltered environment) and respect for different lifestyles and cultures.

I think it's foolish to try to get books banned because they either represent something in the past that was offensive, or because they don't coincide with your personal theology. For the first, sticking your head in the sand isn't going to erase the past. For the second, well, I'm pagan; somehow, I highly doubt that a conservative Christian's opinion of what's "appropriate" is going to coincide with mine. I wouldn't want my (theoretical) child subject to their definitions of propriety.

My opinionated 2c, as always. ;)

Okay, I'm not just hopping on the bandwagon here because it's after midnight and I should be asleep. Actually, I'm pretty darned coherent at the moment, so figured now was as good a time as any. So... Here's my two cents.

No, I do not approve of book banning. Yes, I do feel some material is appropriate or NOT appropriate for age groups. But here's where I get to go off... THAT'S THE PARENT'S RESPONSIBILITY.

Um... Hello? I have a 5 year-old son who can read every word I put on this screen. I have to be careful when I'm working or brainstorming that I don't let it get too brassy, steamy or graphic. Because I'm not ready for him to be reading it. I have that control. Someone decrying a book for "graphic language" and banning it is absurd! Who on this earth saw one thing wrong with the Narnia books? I mean, really. I read those so many times I wore out the spines. And I know I've had them since I was younger than 10.

Now, I'm not trying to say some puritan zealot hypocrit of literature watchdog-ism isn't going to come right back at me and say that it was inappropriate for me at that age. This is where I can stand. MY PARENTS GAVE ME THE RIGHT. No one else. There was nothing wrong with those particular books, and many others on that so-called banned list, then nor now that would keep me from letting my son read them if he was interested in them.

Libraries are for "public" education, "public" entertainment, "public" research. When books are banned, you take away the public aspect of all of that, and make it *that really bad word that America was soooo not founded on*. If you don't know it, go to the library and look it up! Oh, but you know what, someone probably banned that too.

Okay, I'm calming down here. I will say that most people have a wide and varied idea of what is "graphic" "gory" or "explicit". Books are written, abounding in variety, to suit anyone who cares to read. Sadly many don't. What's worse, people who are on the committees who do the banning, don't read widely, take on one opinion as the heresy of the day, and lump an entire generation, genre, or quality into the decision to ban.

I'm not agnostic, nor pagan, but I don't attend a church. I believe in god, his teachings, the commandments and heaven and hell. Should I demand all christian teachings be banned because I'm worried/afraid/conceited enough to believe that alone will ruin/sway/traumatize my child? Golly, what a power trip...

Topic of the Week 1--The Century Project

2007-03-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

Trying something a little new this week.

We have quite the range of personalities on this blog. I don't think any of us are the same when it comes to politics, religion, etc. So, I'm opening up some dialogue. I figure it'll amuse the snot out of some readers, and (most especially) us. Plus, it'll give you a chance to get to know us. For better or worse.

So this week, I'm opening things up with a link. You really should be 18+ to take a look.
Go ahead, click here. It'll open in a new screen, and you can see what we're talking about. You can even keep it open while we're talking, which is cool.

In short, the link goes to The century project, where a photographer has taken photos of women of different ages, completely nude. The first shot is a very brutal shot of a baby's head crowning during delivery, which astonished me when I first saw it. (I've been through childbirth three times, however, and that photo hit me with an emotional impact as much as the shock--it really wasn't what I'd expected.)

I'm opening up this post for the rest of the Shades to add their thoughts, but hope some readers will weigh in in the comments section. From now on, I'll be by on Mondays to post the 'Topic of the Week.'

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, and I'll be back to chime in with more of my own.

Dayna Hart

Okay, my weigh-in on this. First I thought...ewwwww...I so would not let someone take a picture of that angle. Which, yes, is totally juvenile. You wanted the real Shades here, right?

The second thought I had was: this is beautiful. What an inspired idea. I love that it's normal looking people, short, fat, skinny, floppy, wrinkled, stretched out. Imperfect. Which really just made the whole project, well, perfect.

I was also like. Oh. Hell. No. would anyone get a shot of my naked breastables at ANY age after like 3. Baby Crystal was a porker too. But then I thought, you are some seriously BRAVE women. Rock on, twisted sisters!

Crystal Jordan

There were two of those photographs that got my attention. The first was the woman who lost a breast to cancer. The tattoo!!! Awesome!!! That's how I want to be in the face of disease or tragedy.
The second was the big woman who resembled one of the statues of early man's goddesses. Having been fat all my life, I viewed that picture with a biased eye. However, I realized that it WAS beautiful.
The stories behind the pictures were fascinating. As the 94 year old said "Some picture, Kid." LOL.
Thanks for showing these, Dayna.

Oh, but I'm not done with you, folks ;) A recent book review (here) spurred on controversy because one of the photos chosen to accompany the review was that of a 12 year old girl. Fully nude.

Lead to letters to the editor. One of which noted: “A 12-year-old is not old enough to make a decision about that kind of thing,” Cumpson, a local resident offended by the photo’s publication. “If [the women] want to do it, that’s fine, but as far as a child goes, that’s totally unreasonable.”

(The full story, including the quoted comment can be found at "Picture Stirs Debate", Kingston Whig Standard, Feb. 23rd.) *

The photo in question is here, in fact with the accompanying story:

"And as for publishing a naked photo of a young girl, the girl herself has something to say about that. The picture of Nora was taken when she was twelve. Four years earlier, Nora almost lost her family and everything she knew. “My mother was charged with child pornography for taking pictures of me in the bathtub when I was 8 years old,” she writes. “The prosacuter [sic] said that she had committed a crime.” But for Nora, her anguish didn’t arise from the photos her mother took, but from the effects of the criminal proceedings on her family. “My worst memory of the case was one morning when I was eating breakfast and we got a phone call, and my mother answered, hung up, and started sobbing. ‘I can’t take it anymore,’ was what she said.” Nora writes that she wanted to be in The Century Project to get her story out to the world. “I want people to see how stupid it was for my mother and many others to be prosecuted. Do I look abused to you? Or do I look like a happy child with wonderful parents[?]”

(From Women through the ages; Bodies and Souls challenges conventional images of women A review by Renée Stephen, (c) Renee Stephen, for the Independent Voice)

(I, myself, have to wonder if the person who had such issue with the photo read Nora's words)

Both the reviewer and the publisher replied . The very next day, in fact. (click the links for the full versions rather than just my summary ;) )

*note: Although that was the actual headline, the weblink which lead my husband to this controversy was (from memory, so not quite accurate): Nude photos of 12 year old girl spurs controversy about book.

So, what do you think? Is this book pornographic? Is my disclaimer at the top, that you should only click if you're 18 or older valid? Or a byproduct of puritanical morals gone amok?

Interesting. I don't see this image as child pornography, and I hate to say it, almost every parent on this planet has some picture of thier own child doing something silly in the bathtub, myself included. As well as mashed food in the hair, and who knows what all else I have to blackmail... er... embarrass... um.. Well, to reflect on at a later time in our lives.

While looking at the whole collection, and the women and girls who are in it, I assumed (yes, I know what that means) that the legal ramifications for their participation were met, especially the underage photos. As a collection, this doesn't come across to me as pornography in the least.

I do think the 18+ disclaimer is appropriate, simply becuase of the nudity factor, yet I wouldn't be suprised if the fact that it's art would hold less weight in general concensus. I wouldn't call any of it pornography. It's not done with any kind of sexual undertone, the women are completely natural in pose, expression, and environment. The simple fact of nakedness does not automatically decry pornography, not to my mind.

A Book On Writing

2007-03-11T17:22:00.000-07:00

In my writing career, I've had moments.....okay, weeks....of discouragement. Fear of failure. Fear of success. Depression when I see my sales numbers and frantic stress as I view my edits. What in the world can pull me out from under my own negative chatter?

Recently, a friend bought me a book that she said I "had to read". Whatever. Let's face it. It's not like I have a nice quiet corner to plant myself and read a book. She sent it on as a gift.

I'm very grateful to her.

Anne Lamott has written a book called "Bird by Bird" and it's lifted my writing spirits. She talks frankly about the writing experience and all it's lovely twists and turns. Her perspective has given me both hope and relief. I found myself nodding at this little gem.

"Then the book came out. I got some terrific reviews in important places, and a few bad one. There were a few booksigning parties, a few interviews and a number of important people claimed to love it. But overall it seemed that I was not in fact going to be taking early retirement. I had secretly believed that trumpets would blare, major reviewers would proclaim that not since "Moby Dick" had an American novel captured life in all of its dizzying complexity. And this is what I thought when my second book came out, and my third and my fourth and my fifth. And each time I was wrong." "Bird By Bird" by Anne Lamott p.xxv-xxvi

The truth is that I, too, had secretly hoped that I'd "wow" everyone with my releases. I didn't. It's a PROCESS. I'm still learning the craft. I'm humbled when another writer (Karen Erikson) reads and critiques my work and has a working knowledge of the English language that I don't yet have. I'm improving, but I have a long way to go.

The thing about "Bird By Bird" is that it gives me an insight into my own process. Up until now, Stephen King's book "On Writing" has been my favorite writing book. I've replaced it with this one.

What's your "inspirational" book that can pull you out of the writing doldrums or any doldrums?

Deadlines

2007-03-07T09:06:00.001-08:00

I have a love-hate relationship with deadlines. I hate them because they put a lot of pressure on me and getting crap done, but I also love them because I see it as a challenge. Racing to meet deadline is like locking horns with The Man and winning.

Yes, I'm crazy. I understand and accept that and have moved on with my life about it. Any one of the other Shades could attest to that one. Trust me on this.

I just put one deadlined project to bed. Finished and submitted a story, and now I'm on deadline for two more stories. I'm also fairly certain I'm going to have edits from a different publisher before the writing on my two stories is done. Oh. Holy. Jesus.

How do you guys deal with deadlines? I think I'm losing what's left of my marbles. They're circling the drain. Gaaaaaaaaaah.

Continuing Controversy.......

2007-03-04T15:09:00.000-08:00

It seems that "taboo" topics in literature seems to go through phases. There's the whole male/male/female scenes that make some people a little squirky. There's the debate going on about using the word "scrotum" in a Young Adult book (to describe a DOG body part). There's uses of certain words that turn a lot of us off. The funny thing is that my editor worried about the use of the word "violently" when describing the hero yanking the heroine to him. She was concerned that readers might be turned off by that.
It seems there was a time when a menage, or BDSM, or other things were considered "off limits". With the popularity of erotic literature, some of those taboos have changed. In honor of Dayna's religion workshop, what do you avoid in books? For me, politics are a big no no. There's no way I can write something involving politics without revealing my opinions and alienating readers.
This is important, since I'm writing a romantic suspense about the wilderness near my home that has been "ground zero" for some very divisive political battles. Do I leave it out? Do I put it in and hope it doesn't make some readers angry? I haven't decided. Would leaving it out change the whole flavor of the area I'm trying to convey with my words?
What do you think?

Choosing Your Religion

2007-03-02T06:02:00.000-08:00

You can thank my hero, Guy Gavriel Kay for this post.

I'm a fantasy writer. All of us 'shades' have done at least one paranormal, all of us have written a fantasy. These stories involve some variety of worldbuilding.

The one thing I haven't tackled (But Guy Gavriel Kay has) is the topic of religion. Even if religion is limitted purely to our human characters, it has to be dealt with at some point. A sudden invasion by aliens, shape shifters, vampires, or faery creatures isn't going to make the world suddenly agree on one and only one religion.

I'm looking to my next WIP, and realising Religion is going to play an integral part of the worldbuilding. So how to handle it?

Kay does a brilliant job. Three religions are established, those who worship the stars, those who worship the moon(s) and those who worship the sun. Members of each faction hate each other, with a zealouness that only seems to be inspired by religion. The relgions seem simplistic, their differences minimal--but they're an allegory for the real-world relgions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Similarities that become very apparent, even to this reader, who suspends disbelief with the best of them.

This sort of religious allegory, for the record, takes some real skill to pull off. Kay manages to not criticise any single religion, which is very important, dear writers. Don't offend potential readers! :)

Conveniently, three of my current "oh, I want to write that idea next!"s are historical fantasy's. Which means pilfering worldbuilding, and consequently, religion. (which is both easier and harder than creating your own religion from scratch) I'd like to be as smart as Kay about it. I've discovered he has a few 'rules', and I'll share them with you:

1. Keep it simple: don't make the religion a long and complicated faith it will take forever to understand. This isn't to say it should be uninteresting. ;)

2. Don't make it easy. Simple is good, but easy is not. Most of the world's population has been persecuted for their beliefs. Don't pretend otherwise! This is a great source for tension, from a writer's standpoint. It makes for a terrific reading experience, as well.

3. Don't make everyone believe the same thing. (see note #2)

4. Don't make religion the only focus of the book! Religion is only one aspect of a world. While important, it can't be the only source of tension, the only source of Story.

5. Don't...and this one is so important I've saved it for last so if you only remember one, it will be this one: Do not expect your book to be a source of conversion. (this is, of course, assuming you are writing a fiction book for mass audience, not a 'bible' or evangelical pamphlet.)
At best, you can hope to educate your readers about a religion, interest them in it enough to look it up on their own--but an attempt to sway them to any kind of conversion does both the reader and writer a disservice.
It's a fine line, but try to walk it!

That's all for now, though I'm sure I'll have thoughts and clarifications throughout the week.

How about the "religious allegory" in Frank Herbert's "Dune"? I don't know how that man did it, but he managed to keep the mystic qualities of religion interspersed with the human aspect. Often, his religious heroes were leaves in the wind, blown by the moment. He certainly didn't make it simple OR easy.
Jen

Change...

2007-03-02T05:17:00.000-08:00

I'm going to implement some change here at SoP. We'll see how it goes. I'm going to start posting a 'topic' on Saturdays...make it a conversation piece for the weekend. Commenters and bloggers both welcome, though our regularly scheduled bloggers can add to the body of my post, not just a new comment.

I'm going to start tomorrow with:

Choosing your Religion

Yeah, I'm starting off with a controversial one :)

Where Have All The Long Books Gone?

2007-02-27T21:47:00.000-08:00

Someone on my blog feed posted about a book they'd read recently and loved. I looked it up on Amazon and skimmed through the reviews, only to be very surprised by a comment someone left: "This dark and edgy superhero story was a long novel at 464 pages."

*blink*blink*

The novel in question is published as an urban fantasy. Traditionally, fantasy novels over the past couple decades have run about 500 pages in length; sometimes longer, sometimes shorter. But 460 pages is long? Huh?

I've been annoyed lately at the shortness of fantasy novels and paranormal romance. I don't always want a monster read, but a lot of the paranormal novels that run about 300 pages (or less) feel rushed and too short to me. I'm left wanting more. It's part of why I've been reading older historical romances and epic fantasies lately. It's especially annoying when the 300 page book is part of a series, and I have to wait 6-12 months to find out what happens next.

I think it's also part of why I adore J. R. Ward's novels so much. A lot of people complain about the subplots in her novels overwhelming the romance, but to me, it adds more "meat" to the story. And they're long. They're not books you sit down with and finish a couple hours later. (At least, not for me!)

I dunno. Sometimes, I'm in the mood for a short read, but it seems like almost everything that's published in urban fantasy and paranormal romance are 65-85k stories. I want more variety.

Anyone else frustrated by this?

Creativity vs. Editing

2007-02-26T03:47:00.000-08:00

Here's a question for you. Does it take more energy to create something new or edit something you've already written? Is editing a creative "right brain" process or a "left brain" process?

I find that it's a more creative process to edit than I previously believed. I was naive enough to think editing was about "fixing my mistakes". Au Contrare. It is about making the book better. That means that, not only do I have to create new ideas and new twists, but I also have to do it within the framework of the story.
Some editors make suggestions. Some make corrections. Some are all about the story and some are all about the grammar. Most editors are a combination of all of that. Their creativity is just as valuable as ours in some ways. They influence the final product. A good one will take a writers talent to the next level without changing their voice.

I have been so lucky. All of the editors I've had for my releases have been patient, creative, patient, encouraging and patient. I consider that my editor, Diana Carlile at The Wild Rose Press has also helped me improve my talent.

Could I ever be an editor? NO WAY. They manage to combine that necessary "left brain" attention to detail with the creativity from the "right brain" to bring a book to it's best state. Then, there's that whole "patient" thing.

So, here's to all those editors out there. The ones that "get" someone's work and gets behind it. The ones that catch the same mistake over and over and over and over again until they want to strangle the author. Here's to the editors that balance creativity and structure.

A good editor is gold.

I hate it when a plan falls through

2007-02-21T12:21:00.000-08:00

Several plans have fallen through for me in the past few days and I thought I should take this opportunity to stop and whine about it.

Plan 1: I wanted to finish writing a novella this weekend. Didn't happen. Why? Because My characters are horny buggers and decided sex was a stellar choice to go on and on with for a full chapter and land me in a place where at least another chapter (and probably more sex) will need to happen before I can wrap it up. Bugger.

Plan 2: I wanted to write all weekend and maybe push past the wicked sex-lurvin' character block. No such beast. Instead, I got to edit a bunch of others and run embarassing errands as featured on my blog.

Plan 3: I planned to have an awesome post for you today, and had the topic all decided, but then my day got crazy and I forgot what I was going to say and instead this is what you got.

Happy Wednesday!

How Many Is Too Many?

2007-02-18T10:04:00.000-08:00

In my last post, I mentioned Mrs. Giggles. One of the things she mentioned last week was about the number of books an author will put out. Then, there was the whole discussion about different publishing houses.
I'm wondering, now that I have two more contracts, how many releases is too many? Personally, I get a little overwhelmed by the promotional chats and other requirements when I have releases close together. It's all part of the job and I enjoy it, but I can forget what I'm doing so easily.
How many books can one publish in a year without flooding the reader? I noticed that Nora Roberts had a sudden spurt and she's released four books in the last six months. That's too many for me and she's HUGE. How many books can a writer come out with and not annoy the reading public?
Discuss.

SoP

2007-02-15T19:48:00.000-08:00

Who knew?

Tonight I'm watching CSI and one of them says they followed sop. Standard operating procedure.

I have to admit, that wasn't something I thought of when we were brainstorming the blogname. I've been wondering a lot lately, about standard blog-operating procedure. I canned my personal blog. It wasn't me. It wasn't interesting. It wasn't fun.

We've had a few rough weeks with SoP, too. Real life gets in the way of posting, and then...where are we? A blank page. So I'm hoping to shake things up. Make things operate a little less than the standard here.

Any suggestions? Thoughts on what you'd want to see in a blog? Cuz I'm not sure anymore.

Making Hard Choices

2007-02-13T15:15:00.001-08:00

The past month or so has been a wicked, wicked month. I've been in and out of doctor's offices, trying (and failing miserably) to promote two new e-books, and dealing with a lot of community and personal stress. I've had to take a look at certain things in my life very closely--and I've made some hard realizations and decisions. It wasn't easy to recognize that a dream of mine that I have loved and put a lot of energy and effort into these past few years has ended up detrimental to me.

I'd been beating my head against a brick wall for two years. That's bound to cause stress--and I can't handle stress these days without flaring my fibro and skyrocketing my blood pressure. So over the past month, I've been asking myself: "Is it really worth it to continue?"

It's possible things could turn around, but after two years, that's not a realistic expectation when it's dependent upon other people working together and paying it forward. Ultimately, I have to do what's right for me and my writing... so I walked away and left that dream for dead. It wasn't any easy choice to make, and part of me is still sad that it couldn't work. I guess you could call it a period of mourning.

Have any of you ever had to make a difficult choice that you knew, at heart, was the best thing? How did you deal with it?

Where The Heck Am I Going?

2007-02-11T09:25:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Giggles had a blog post that created a little doubt in my feeble brain. (Not the X Files one. The one below it on Febuary 11th on sex in Erotic Romances). As some of you know, I write erotic romance under a pen name. Her comments about sex scenes got me thinking.

That's not always a good thing.

At the beginning of the year, I made some decisions. I marched in the direction of my dreams and now I'm wondering if I know what I'm doing.
I decided that I was going to go for quality, not quantity of published work.
I decided that I was aiming for an agent, then a print publisher that was RWA approved.
I decided that I wanted to have a career that was based in romantic suspense.

I'm having a crisis of faith at the moment. Do I know what direction my talent will really take me? Do I have enough talent to sustain a long term career? It feels a little different than the usual "Isuckitis" that afflicts me on occasion. It's more doubt, than "I suck".

I'd rather look at my work and say "I suck" than "meh". It's all unreasonable fear that keeps me stuck and drives my word count into the ground.

What's the solution?

Keep writing. There is no magic bullet for what is saleable or what the "right" decisions may be. Building a career isn't about skyrocketing to fame. It's BUILDING a career, block by block, release by release, word by word.

Tools that help keep me going. Critique partners, writing forums, workshops and all the other things that keep me at it are all at hand and using them require my willingness to admit I can't do it all the time.

Tell me I'm not alone. *crickets singing*. Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Suspense or action?

2007-02-09T05:44:00.000-08:00

Just a quickie post today, but I have to wonder:

Which would you rather read, suspense, or action?

Me, I'm all about suspense. Action sequences make me crazy, both to read and write. I can't picture who is hitting what where, and I generally skim to the end to 'who won', and go from there. But that's just me.

I'm all about headspace, and not knowing what's coming next, or how the characters are going to react, or which character is the penultimate badguy. But that's me :)

so, readers and writers, action or suspense?

What do you know about it?

2007-02-07T11:03:00.000-08:00

So, I was writing a scene the other day about my characters in a gun fight. People get shot; there's blood, death, bad mojo, etc.

One of the things I describe is the smell and feel of firing a gun. I know these things because my dad, grandad, uncle, and brother are military. Or they were. Don't ask me how family reunions are since they were ALL IN DIFFERENT BRANCHES OF THE ARMED FORCES. And they all think their branch is the best one and the other ones suck. You can picture how this goes down, but I digress.

Anyway, dad insisted I learn how to use a weapon. A handgun and a rifle and a shotgun. All in different calibers. So, I've shot a lot of guns. Not as many as all of the military people have, but more than average. I KNOW what it feels like to hold one, shoot one. How your body reacts to the force of of the gun's recoil.

What do other people do who don't know that? I wonder...

It's Time for another Good Idea, Bad Idea.

2007-02-05T04:48:00.000-08:00

Good Idea: Taking a break from a difficult manuscript.
Bad Idea: Taking a baseball bat to a difficult manuscript.

Good Idea: Backing up all your work on a portable hardrive or disk.
Bad Idea: Backing your work into a landfill.

Good Idea: Researching possible agents.
Bad Idea: Stalking them.

Today I'd like to talk about new ideas. I brainstormed with a my favorite two writer friends yesterday and tried to come up with some new ideas. What hasn't been done? Even with completely different settings and gadgets galore, common themes don't change. It's always a quest. Get the bad guy, get the talisman, get the answer, get the girl (or guy), get away..and so on. The journey changes location, distance and helps a character grow. Whether it's an internal journey or an epic quest across the sands of time, the goal remains the same. To change.
Every story I've ever read that made an impression on me began with a character believing, feeling, thinking one way and growing to become something different, better, stronger. Writing these changes can be so frustrating. Just like going through major changes aren't real comfortable for me, the characters in my stories aren't always too comfortable. Sometimes, getting the right twist in the journey, or black moment down on paper doesn't go well.
Change is inevitable. But getting that change to hop off the page and get an emotional response from a reader? Not so simple.

Good Idea: Falling in love.
Bad Idea: Falling in a well

Feel free to add your own versions of "Good Idea Bad Idea".

Nightmares and Dreamscapes...not just a book by Stephen King

2007-02-01T10:43:00.000-08:00

I know, I shouldn't say bad things about blogger on one of their blogs, but could it be any pickier? This week has been a nightmare to get on. I'm here, though, with my usual rambly post.

Nightmares and Dreamscapes.

I'm one of those people who has always dreamed. Vividly. And I often remember my dreams. Vividly. Some of my best stories as a child came from those dreams and nightmares I didn't want to remember. Or ones I'd guided myself to dream, because reality so often sucked.

I have to say this still influences what I write...I like the ethereal feeling of things that happen in the 'half wake' stages of my brain. I like mixing the real and the imagined in weird mosaics so that what I write seems like it could happen, even if part of a reader's brain is well-aware it can't.

The weird thing is, since I started writing, my dreams have gotten less. Less vivid. Less often. Less memorable.

I'm curious to hear from other writers: do you dream?
And for readers, have you ever read a book that encapsulates that 'dreaming' kind of feel? Alice in Wonderland, for me, is close, but doesn't have the fuzzy edges a dream often has.

Usually I'm jealous

2007-01-25T05:14:00.000-08:00

Most authors I know have a File. If you're a writer, you'll know what I mean, and if you're a reader with an absolute fave-author, you've probably dreamt of it...A file of bits and pieces of the stories that didn't work at the time, or were headed nowhere...the detritus of a writer's mind.
(Often these lead to the release of posthumous work, when someone finds these nearly-finished pieces and polishes them up, or asks another writer to fill in the gaps. The Silmarillion, by Tolkien, for example)

Many writers I know have completed or near-completed works in their File. As in, "oh yeah, that contest is coming up. I have something in my File I could polish up and send in." Or..."oh, Dayna, you want a 10,000 word story by Monday for a special collection? Sure, I'm sure I can find something in the File that will work."

Normally, I hate people like this :) Our own Elisabeth Drake hears it on messenger--a lot--'I hate you and your 'stuff in mothballs'.' Because I don't have a File. At least, I didn't. And it was pretty depressing, really. I've known I wanted to be a writer since I was three years old...and I have no File!

Then yesterday it happened. I went poking at random .doc files on my computer, and pulled up ten or twelve abandoned projects. I went from no File to a fair-sized one, almost overnight.

Granted, the largest document only has about 2000 words. The smallest one 600. But it's a start. And reading through them, they may not have worked at the time I originally wrote them, but a few--I can do something with now.

So my question today is: If you could take pieces from your three favorite authors, what sort of story would you end up with?

I'll go first ;)

My fave authors are: Guy Gavriel Kaye, who writes historical fantasies, Charles DeLint, who writes urban fantasy mixed with folk legend, and there are a number of rom-susp authors, but I'll pick Kathy Reichs, who writes forensic-suspense. (the basis for the TV show Bones, but her books are so much better) So...my 'file puzzle' would result in a historical fantasy set in an ancient city where fairies lurk in the shadows, following a anthropologist of the time who's trying to solve mysteries. :)
Sound good? I think so, but I'm weird that way! So, what would yours look like?

Racing for the finish

2007-01-24T07:32:00.000-08:00

So I'm writing my first single title, right? I'm LESS THAN 10K from the finish.

Allow me to take a moment and say this: WOO-FREAKING-HOO!!

Ahem.

Yes, it's very exciting. I've been beating my head against the wall about it for almost a week, squeaking out the necessary pages to make my word count. Why? Because I couldn't figure out that one, last shining golden piece of the puzzle that would make the story work.

Villain motivation.

Yeah, you'll hear me preach about this because I think it's essential. Villains should not be flat. They need the same goals, motivation, and conflict as the hero and heroine. You may not develop it to the same extent for the reader, but you better know what it is as a writer. I expect this as a reader...aren't you glad I'm not a hypocrit and expect it of myself as a writer?

Anyway, I'm barreling towards the finish on this and think I'll be done this week. Woot! Then it's polish, polish, polish and send it off into the world.

Anybody Out there?

2007-01-22T05:09:00.000-08:00

Anyone who might've been reading this blog on a semi-regular basis may've noticed...I've been awol lately.
I've been busy. And not just in a 'I've got deadlines and real life stuff galore' kind of way, but in a 'I'm re-examining my life and I don't entirely like what I see' kind of way.

So what does this mean for you, the reader?

More of me, for one thing :)
And less of me, for another.

I'm closing my personal blog, at least for a while, and concentrating on my blogposts here and at one other group blog I'm on. I only blog twice a week, I might as well do it where it matters most.

I'm also taking more time away from the computer to hang out with my kids, my husband, and my house, which is in need of more than a little cleaning at this point. More writing, less forums. More water, less coffee. (You may not want to be around for the first week of that)

So, watch out world, here I am.

What Do You Do When.......

2007-01-18T08:17:00.000-08:00

....that feeling washes over you that luck is the only reason you're published? I remember the first thing I thought when I heard I won a place in the "Garden Bouquet" anthology at Wild Rose Press was "How many entries were there? Only two and I won?" *rolls eyes*.

I do have a little inferiority complex about my success. "The editor was in a good mood." Or "I have great critique partners" (which I do) are the reasons I tell myself I have contracts. The thing is that it doesn't matter. There's going to be people who completely agree with those reasons. I know I've read things and wondered how it got published. Why shouldn't someone read my stuff and wonder too? Does that mean I'm a "no talent" with a streak of luck?

No. It means that I have work to do to improve my writing. I have a voice now. It's all mine and I finally found it. I'm learning to stop repeating the words "felt", "had" and "moved". No author that I know beats their chest and howls that they're awesome. I mean, we all have to promote and get our names out there, but none of the writers I know have a huge ego around their work.

What I have to work on, for me, is not dissing myself for being a beginner. Crystal was mentioning New York. That's my goal. However, I am totally aware that my writing isn't ready for New York. I still have a lot to learn. It doesn't mean I won't get there. And it doesn't mean what I've written is rubbish. It just means I'm beginning a really great journey that I hope will end up with a great career.

What about you? What do you do?

P.S. Dayna's internet is down and she asked me to post today. Send her good thoughts so she doesn't strangle the internet guy when he comes out to fix it.

The List

2007-01-17T07:37:00.000-08:00

We all have one. A list of things we want to write, want to do in our fledgling careers. Get on a bestseller list, sell to New York, be in an anthology with La Nora.

Whatever.

Many of us roll our list into our New Year's resolutions and I'm no different in that respect. So here's my list for the year.

In no particular order:

1:: Submit to New York (done)

2:: Finish my first Single Title length novel and send it New York (next week or the week after)

3:: Meet all my deadlines for current publishers (5 short stories to go)

4:: Go to RWA (PLEASE let the tax return be good this year and it might happen for me)

5:: Submit to my favorite agents (One down, two to go)

It's only January, so I think I'm doing pretty good so far. What about you? What are you doing this year? Are you an OCD list maker like me?

Real Life And Writing

2007-01-14T19:55:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned on my blog that personal stuff has been interfering with my writing. I mean, it's a little difficult to write a scintillating tale with EVERYONE in the room making their usual noise. Two toddlers playing tag up and down the hall, redneck hubby raging at the news and best friend cursing her computer. Not to mention the five dogs flitting in and out barking and whining depending on their mood.

Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Just when everything is clicking for me professionally, my real life goes haywire. So, the best thing I can do is think about the sucess I am having in my writing and let the real life happen.

With seven contracts and two submitted, I think I'm able to call myself an "author". If I focus on the positive, it's all going well. AND I used some of my bitchiness to create a character that I joyfully kill off later in the story. Absolute heaven. It's always nice to be able to exorcise my snarkiness in my writing.

On a fun note, I'm having a contest for my Valentine's Day release "Singled Out" with Cobblestone. My heroine is based on my best friend Michelle. I wrote her the happy ending she deserves. The contest is to send Michelle a Valentine's Day ecard to my email address, jenmckafg@hotmail.com. Make it funny, sweet, whatever. The one that she loves the most will be the winner of a $10 gift certificate from Cobblestone and a $10 gift certificate at the Wild Rose Press. Send Michelle a little love for this Hallmark holiday.

How do you exorcise your dark moods? Can you write and get them out?

Who do you love?

2007-01-10T09:14:00.000-08:00

I'm prepping my first manuscript for New York submission.

Now, the question is...who do I send it to? I thought I knew, but digging deeper, I'm not so sure now.

The problem is that most publishers don't allow for simultaneous submissions (submitting to more than one publisher at a time), so once you pick you're locked in a shame spiral of waiting for six months or more. Once they reject you (and you're hoping they don't) you can move on to your second pick.

The whole process could take for-freaking-ever. So you have the brass ring of print publication, but the ringer you go through to get it--and some people write for decades and never do, horror of horrors--might make you throw up your hands and give up. It's rather daunting for someone like me who is just dipping their toes in the New York ocean.

Part of the problem can be the conflicting advice you get from people. Who to sub to, who's looking for what, who hates what, what to put in your synopsis and cover letter, who's the best to work with, who pays the most, what genres are dead, what genres are hot. Gah!

Maybe It's Not How It Is but........

2007-01-07T07:39:00.000-08:00

.....it feels like romantic suspense requires more detail. In the last year, I've finished two romantic suspense, one fantasy, two romantic comedy and some straight romance (erotic or sensual). Of all of these stories, my romantic suspense has been the toughest.

It all has to tie together. The bad guy has to get his comeuppance and the hero and heroine have to discover each other in the midst of danger. There's the aspect of "mystery" and the aspect of "romance" AND the element of action/danger.

Not being a very organized soul, I find this hinders me quite a bit. I lose track of where my characters are and where they're going. They start running around like crazy people from scene to scene and it makes no sense. That's where I am now.

I'm writing "The Big One". This is the goal I set for myself this year. Write 100K romantic suspense and pitch it to an agent and a big publishing house. I'm at that point where details matter. And I'm having a difficult time making them work. *sigh*. Not being detail oriented, I tend to make howlers that my critique partners remind me about.

I know I can write romantic suspense. I've got "Heart of the Storm" coming out in September. I'm not complaining, just curious. Why does it seem different to do "world building" for a suspense than it does for fantasy? Or maybe it isn't different to you?

Let's Talk about Sex

2007-01-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I bet that title got your attention, but it's not what you think.

I'm not really talking about sex in books, or the amount of steamy in the sex scenes I, or any other romance author, writes.

I'm talking about the questions I occasionally get asked as a writer. Some people have treated me as something of a sex-pert/ sex therapist. Believe me, I am SO not. But, people get that impression because of what I write.

I have to say, I've been asked some pretty outrageous questions about what my--ahem--personal preferences are. Then there's the automatic assumption that I've done everything I write in the books. Um, no. Far from it. I can guarantee I've never done the nasty on a different planet in the future with a polar bear shape-shifter. Not once.

How is it that people get this impression though? I know that we're told to write from experience, but that only goes so far before some creativity has to take place. Thus, I am a writer.

So, there's my rant about weird questions. For me, it tends to be people either using me for advice or a confessional session about their exploits. Because, as an erotic romance writer, I must be a total hooker. On the one hand, it's funny and I AM very open about sex in general, just not MY sex life--see the difference? On the other hand, it's one of those things that make you go hmmmmmmmm.

What about you? Ever gotten or given any weird questions?

I Am An Addict

2007-01-02T22:32:00.000-08:00

Yeah. You read that right.

It's funny how "addiction" has become a ZOMG!EEKS! word for many Americans (I don't presume to speak for the rest of the world). By that, I mean that if anything could ever possibly become addictive, it is "bad" and it should be avoided. For instance:

Don't drink anything with caffeine in it; it's addictive.

Don't look at porn; it's addictive.

Don't play online computer games; they're addictive.

Don't drink alcohol; it's addictive.

Don't smoke cigarettes; they're addictive.

Don't take narcotic pain medication; it's addictive.

Don't.... I think you see my point. ;)

Seriously, I'm waiting for somebody to tell me, "Don't have sex; it's addictive." (I wonder what my husband would think of that! ... okay, thinking about it, he'd care less than me.)

Now, before the anti-addiction parade swoops down to bite my ass, yes, there are some things which have a danger of addiction. However, just because some people are doesn't mean that everyone would be. I smoke, but it takes me 2-3 months to go through a pack 'o cloves. I hardly call that "addicted."

But I do have a pervasive addiction... books.

Quit laughing. I'm serious. I cannot walk into a bookstore without spending at least $30. Normally, it averages around $80. (When you manage to do that in a used bookstore, though...) Do I read all the books I've bought before going and buying more? Of course not. If I stacked my TBR pile... well, I think it would reach the ceiling, and then some.

It's a compulsion, I tell you. Must... have... books...

Still, I have yet to hear someone tell me, "Don't read; it's addictive."

Revisiting the Past and Looking to the Future

2006-12-26T16:08:00.000-08:00

We near the end of 2006, and the New Year is on the horizon. It's almost cliché (who am I kidding? It is) to look back at the happenings of the year, and towards the next.

I've learned a lot about myself this year. I discovered the roots of my years-long writing block, and though I still struggle with it, knowing what it is I fight makes me all the stronger. I've been published with three different e-publishers, though my experiences have run the gamut. On the personal front, I've been betrayed by someone who I thought loved me as much as I loved her, I've lost someone as dear as a mother to me, and I've gotten married.

It's been one hell of a year.

I've made a lot of realisations, and I can't stop now. I have to keep moving. I don't make "resolutions" for the New Year, because those almost always fall flat. I have goals, but I don't know if I'll succeed in them. When dealing with almost disabling health issues, nothing is certain.

In 2007, I want to continue to pursue my writing career. My novel, Stronger than the Night, is half-rewritten. I want to finish it and start the agent hunt. I want to continue the Shadowguard series; I want to write the sequel to A Passion Draconic; I want to finish Wings of Steel; I want to finish The Reaper's Price.

Most of all, I want to keep moving forward. I'm still trying to find my "groove." Hopefully, I can find it in 2007.

What realisations have you made in '06? What do you hope to achieve in the coming year?

Merry Christmas

2006-12-25T14:45:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to you all.

May all your family visits be drama free.

May your vacation actually be a vacation.

May your upcoming edits be quick.

May all your writing flow.

May you discover new authors and new talents.

May the gifts under the tree be secondary to the gifts that aren't wrapped; friendship, love, support and, most of all, sleep.

Happy Holidays to all from all of us.

All I want for Christmas...

2006-12-22T08:38:00.000-08:00

Is easy edits...

I know, many of you are laughing, your tummies jiggling, as it's the season for it. But it's a personal pride issue for me. I HAVE to have the ABSOLUTE BEST work I can produce on that page before anyone will see it. Ask my CP's, they know I'm dead serious about this.

That usually means rereading a piece no less than a dozen or two dozen times to find dropped words, passive voice, and other evils that befall us as writers.

Why should the editor be responsible for cleaning up my mess? If I have to write something which requires THAT much work, then it shouldn't be going to a publisher. Any kind of publisher. I know some people believe that an editor is there to "cure all the errors" but honestly, that is the writer's job, and I take pride in it. I love it when I get work back with next to nothing done to it. That means my writing is growing, I'm learning the right way to WRITE, not just throw words on a page and let someone else fix the jumble into coherency.

So here's what I'm wondering as we go into the Christmas countdown -- How much is good enough for you to submit your work? Do you reread until your eyeballs threaten mutiny? I'm a closet perfectionist when it comes to this point, so I'm really curious if my standards are just personal, or if others have CP's (Critique Partners) or beta readers to go over their work?

Writing in the void

2006-12-20T08:23:00.000-08:00

I have nothing to say today.

Yeah. I know it sounds weird coming from the uber chatty, sometimes catty, hairy-scary me. But, there you go.

I got nothing.

Nada.

Zip.

Zilch.

Sigh. That's sort of how my writing has felt like lately. I'm just typing and hoping it turns out okay. Jen and Dayna have been reading my stuff over lately and they say it looks good, but I'm just blindly feeling my way along. I'm not certain what's going on. Maybe it's the lack of deadline. I don't have anything pressing to write right now. Nothing is DUE in 2-3 weeks, which is sort of how my last six months have gone.

"I'm done with this. Okay, next project. Due date: yesterday. Best get to work."

I've tried giving myself deadlines in hopes of flogging myself into motivation, but it ain't working. Maybe I should take the rest of the month off. It is the holidays, after all.

Last time I tried to take a week off, I made it three days before I was crawling the walls and broke down to start writing again. It was the thought that counted, right?

I Hate Winter

2006-12-19T18:55:00.000-08:00

(Given that most everyone is taken up with the holidays, I'll complete the Creating Effective Villain workshop in January. :)

I hate winter. Okay, to be more accurate, I hate fall and winter. Between my body's reaction to the seasonal change (pain! pain! more pain!) and the seemingly constant holidays (which require shopping, and planning, and dealing with other people), I'm a wreck.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not a total Grinch. I love the holidays. (Okay, let me requalify that. I love the holidays when I'm not stuck spending them with my crazy fundamentalist in-laws.) But I can't seem to juggle my time worth shit. Writing? What's that? *sigh* I think I'm just going to count on getting jack and shit done 'till January rolls around.

Anybody else have better luck juggling eggs than I do? :p

What's In A Length?

2006-12-17T09:38:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, (how could you not with my big mouth) my romantic suspense novel has been accepted by
Whiskey Creek Press/Torrid "Heart of the Storm" will be part of a "Men of Alaska" series, the first one tenatively set to be release in September of 2007. I've decided to go with the print option, so it will be a BOOK. Cool.

I was beginning to think I couldn't write anything over 20K. "Heart of the Storm" is 46K and I'm thrilled that it's been contracted.

Now, we come to my goal for 2007. I want to write 100K by the end of next year. That's my goal and it's going to be tough. I might actually have to write an (*gasp* *choke*) outline.

Scary.

This is my first romantic suspense to be contracted. I have the sequel started and I'm hoping to expand this part of my career a little further.

It's exciting. I've got two out this month ("Yule "Tied" and "A Taste Of Christmas"), two out in Febuary ("Singled Out" and "Naughty Notions"), the In The Garden anthology out in March and another contracted for later next year ("Perfect"). With this new contract, I'm well on my way to having the career I've always dreamed of.

Who knew? And you've gotten to see the whole thing, since I was unpubbed (and blogged about it here) when we started Shadows of Passion. Thanks for being there everyone.

So, on the topic, what's the longest book you've written? What's the longest book you've read? I have to say that the longest book I read was "Hawaii" by Mitchner. I'd like to have that year back please.

My turn

2006-12-14T11:58:00.000-08:00

I'm suffering from major mood swings lately. I'm not sure why, whether it's the holidays, or the rain, or just that I keep my emotions so controlled normally that they have to go haywire once in a while to break free....but it sucks.

The hardest part is that my characters are feeling the effects. I'm putting them through the ringer. I think I may've put one of them in a permanent depression. I'm tossing them overboard, blowing up buildings, stabbings, shootings...whatever it takes to get my agression out.

So my question for you is how does your mood affect your writing? And when you're in a BAD mood, what do you like to read?

Expectations

2006-12-13T07:17:00.000-08:00

Today, I'm talking about series.

If an author writes a book and it's the first in a series, it sets the mark for the rest of the books that follow. The author can slave and sculpt and hone the second, third, and fourth, etc books and still never satisfy anyone. Imagine the terror this imparts on the author. You go in knowing that even if everyone loved the first story, not everyone will love how you dealt with number two or three. Didn't like the direction a character took in your head and on to the paper.

Hyperventilation ensues.

We've all read those series, where the first book had so much potential in our mind. We really, really, really wanted to read number two and then the author, to our mind, dropped the ball.

I'm on the receiving end of that right now. Not the Oh God You Suck portion, but the scary hyperventilation part. The second installment in my first series is set to come out in January, and I'm terrified the people who read the first book won't like what I did with it. I love the story, I love the characters. but maybe other people envisioned a different story arc. Or a different character. Or a different...whatever.

Hyperventilation ensues.

As an author, how do you deal with the expectations. As a reader, what do you do when an author doesn't meet your expectations?

The Newbie Promotion Outlook

2006-12-11T06:53:00.000-08:00

I'm a "Published Author". I have to remind myself everyday that two different publishers like my work. Cobblestone Press and Wild Rose Press have both contracted my stories and the promotional merry-go-round begins. On Saturday, I discovered that I double booked myself. Not only was I chatting at Ebook Love with Cobblestone, but I was supposed to be over at Joyfully Reviewed for WRP. I thought I got them all on the calendar, but being new at this, I didn't.

Then, I'm chatting over at Ebook Love and I'm freakin' clueless. I think I did okay, but I'm not used to promoting myself or my books. It got me thinking. Do you (who are much more professional than I am) have a "plan" when you go to a promotional chat? I had my blurb for "A Taste of Christmas" and my website address. I did have that overwhelming feeling of "What the heck am I doing?"

*sigh*

I know I'll get the hang of this. It's funny. I do so much better raving about other people's writing than my own. It's not that I'm shy (stop laughing you guys!). I'm just really green.

How did you guys overcome the promotional newbie hurdles?

Collections

2006-12-08T11:53:00.000-08:00

I fell asleep last night thinking about all the stuff I collect. Christmas bears, carousel horses-of all kinds. And of course, books. That one goes without saying. Craft books, hardcovers, paperbacks. Well, just about everything.

I'm also one of those insanely weird people that if I have a book out of a series, I HAVE to buy all the books in that series. Yep, more collecting. And I also like to have them all either paperback, or hardcover. That's my organizational analness speaking up, I know.

I also collect in certain genres, depending on what I'm doing at any given phase of the moon. Paranormals has been a big one lately, and of course that would mean anything with the name Feehan. Then there's my Romantic Suspense. I love those. I also have quite a few Fantasy.

Now, not all of these have been read. Hardly. Tons of books, begging to be read, but I think I like collecting them as much as I do reading them. And don't leave me alone with Amazon to surf. That's just dangerous territory.

So if you had collections of books, or even not of books, what do you collect? And if there was one thing that you really wanted to collect, cost not being a factor--like priceless oil paintings or something--what would be the one thing you really really want to collect and just don't? Mine.. Horses. But that's hard to do when living in an apartment.

Don't Be Stupid!

2006-12-07T09:10:00.001-08:00

Ok. Maybe I'm the only person here who knows someone, or has spoken to someone who's afraid their net-presence is going to bite them in the ass.
Because I have to say there are some authors who take stupid to a whole new level.

Print Author Unnamed wakes up one morning and posts to her blog a rant about:

Chain Bookstores. And how they suck. Indie bookstores are the only way to go.

Kinda like Hershey's going and ranting about those annoying places that buy their chocolate bars in bulk and then go sell them, innit? MUCH better to rely on all the little mom and pop stores I'm sure we all stop at for our chocolate instead of grabbing it at Walmart when we're there buying everything else we need, right?

I'm epublished, though. Maybe that accounts for my realisation that the pond we're in is incestuously small. Rumours pass quicker than Uncle Bud's chili. So I know enough that I try to keep a lid on my own stupidity. I got enough of that in my misspent youth, anyway.

I also know there are some epublishers that continue, in spite of what should be some obvious black marks against them. (Shady business practices, bad contracts, bad editting. Hey, there's one or two I can think of that even have crummy cover-art!) But, since the pond is so small, people are afraid to stir up any shit. (why poop where you swim!)

So I'm going to pimp Piers Anthony's resource for e-authors: www.hipiers.com where he lists epublishers and the rumours/reputations they have.

So I guess I'll open it up here. What do you think is the stupidest thing a writer could have on their website or blog?

Project Undone

2006-12-06T08:52:00.000-08:00

We all have one of those projects. The one that we always meant to finish but just...haven't gotten around to it. It could be that knitting, painting, drawing, sewing, quilting, woodworking project that is half-done and sitting in a box somewhere collecting dust or mold.

For writers, there's that one book that we started and always meant to finish, but just haven't quite figured out what's wrong with it or it's a bigger project that we anticipated or something was just not working at the time we were trying to write it. So it sits in a file on our desk or computer and glares at us, nagging us for giving up on it or never really finishing. The characters whine or whisper, reminding us their story remains untold.

Sounds crazy, right? Well...right now I'm in the midst of dipping my toes back into that nagging project. It's an urban fantasy romantic suspense (say that ten times fast). I love these characters, this story, the whole concept. Which is why I didn't delete the file when it frustrated me to the point of ripping my hair out (and Jen can tell you, I really, really love my hair) and pulling a freak-out meltdown worthy of Donald Duck.

What about you? What's your Project Undone? How does it turn out for you when you finally pick it back up again?

Creating Effective Villains, Pt. I

2006-12-05T15:39:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Creating an Effective Villain 101. Building an antagonist, if you want to be accurate, but same difference. ;)

Last time, I talked about villains and their goals/motivations. When developing any character, here's one of the most important questions you should ask:

What does [insert character] want more than anything else?

Note: "hot new Porsche" is not the correct answer.

This is the point at which you need to delve deep into your character's head. What do they want? Why do they want it? How are they going to go about getting it? Cause you can want all you like, but if you never do anything to get it... well, you're like a good portion of the human population, and not exactly fodder for an exciting novel. LOL.

Let me take an example from the novel I'm currently working on. (Worldbuilding note so this makes sense: The antagonist is a psychic vampire, and in this world, they are very often created through extreme abuse. This is not a widely known fact, even amongst the psi-vamps.) Eric White wants to prevent his people from going through the same kind of hell he has (goal and motivation). He knows that almost all of his people have been hurt by humans. Because of this, he wants to found a sanctuary where they can all be safe.

Noble goal, no?

Well, sure. But there are people who don't believe the same as him, and his goals are threatened. If he wants to succeed, he's going to need to make some hard choices (conflict). Ultimately, in order to achieve that goal, he will stop at nothing to get it. Over the course of the novel, he resorts to ends that many would say do not justify the means -- such as killing an innocent human woman. He believes it's necessary, and he does not see himself as a villain. He sees himself as a normal guy who's just doing what needs to be done to protect his own.

See what I'm getting at here?

Okay, let's apply this to YOUR villains. Here are the usual questions I ask when villain-building:

What is your villain's main goal?
What is his motivation? Eg, why does he want it?
What is his conflict? What would he have to do/give up/etc in order to reach his goal?

That's all for this week. If anyone feels so inclined, post your answers to this exercise sometime in the next week, and I'll toss you my critique. (For whatever that's worth. ;)

Music and Writing

2006-12-03T06:44:00.000-08:00

I was visiting one of my favorite blogs,
Paula Graves
and she was talking about using music as inspiration. When I wrote "Yule "Tied" (The Wild Rose Press) and "A Taste of Christmas" (Cobblestone), I played Christmas music to keep the mood for the stories. As I work on my romantic fantasy, I've been playing Evanescence's new CD to keep the mood dark and ethereal. I use music a lot to keep the creative juices flowing.
When writing love scenes, I will often put in something sexy to keep me in the right spirit to write.

I love that Loribelle Hunt
puts her "Current Playlist" on her blog, so we know what she's listening to as she writes her sexy paranormals. Of course, it helps that I'm a music junkie as well as a bibliophile. Even when I was young, I had music that I read to go with the book I was reading. The clearest example of this was when I read "Dune" by Frank Herbert. For some reason, Alan Parson's Project would be absolutely necessary to have playing in concert as I read all the Dune series. When I read Ngaio Marsh books, I'm usually in the mood for Diana Krall. When I read Jane Austen, I usually want to listen to Arvo Part or Mozart. Every story has a mood.

My stories usually require something hard and moody, like Crossfade, Seether or Linkin Park. But then the mood will change and I'm listening to Enya. So my question to you is does music inspire you? What do you use to set the mood? Does music give you ideas or do your ideas spark a need for "mood music". Which comes first? The music or the writing?

Even my MUSE is exhausted

2006-11-30T20:13:00.000-08:00

We've all been there, right? We're too tired to be creative. Too tired to think.

I was there at 2 this morning, when my youngest crawled into bed with me. I was still there at 330 when I took him back to his bed. Despite the fact my eyes were dry, my head was racing ahead. Mostly it was with my To Do List for today. (where blogging got put last, I might add.)

But it was also characters, nattering on in my head about 'make me do this, I wanna do that.' A witch named Brittany of all things showed up, insisting she is very interesting and I want to write about her.

After a day doing edits, writing emails for a project I'm working on, dealing with three children who don't seem too happy to have my attention when they have it, but want it when they don't...

Even my muse is tired. She's quiet as a family dinner after someone's announced they're pregnant.

So. I want to challenge everyone over the weekend to leave us comments:
post your short-short stories about WHY our muses have such sordid senses of humour.

Tipping the Balance

2006-11-29T08:16:00.000-08:00

Life is a juggling act. That's a fact and there isn't much to be done about it except try and keep all the balls in the air and maintain your balance so you don't fall flat on your face.

The same can be said for writing. Especially romantic suspense. The balls: romance, suspense, character development. It all has to balance, to work together, to create the kind of picture and story that you imagine in your head.

So, how do you make it all work. And when the action scenes pile one on top of the other, how do you squeeze in the romance and *ahem* sex scenes? How unrealistic is it to have your characters making it while being stalked by raging psycho-killer terrorists.

This means there has to be some down time too for the development of a physical relationship or more than just vague attraction. However the inability to make good on the attraction can build some awesome sexual tension.

When you write (or read) how do you maintain the balance. Do you notice if it goes too much one way or the other? Who are some of your favorite romantic suspense writers?

Mine: Suzanne Brockmann and Linda Howard.

What Stress?

2006-11-27T10:41:00.000-08:00

Let me preface this post with a disclaimer. I'm not whining. Okay, maybe a little bit, but sometimes whining is a necessary evil. I'm whining to you because I know you'll all understand.

After fourteen people had Thanksgiving in my home, I spent three days in Sacramento Christmas shopping and came home to a house torn apart by two children and a redneck and I was presented with extensive edits.

With a deadline of December fifteenth and my first release coming out December first, I'm beginning to wonder if my brain can handle the list of things I'm required to do.

I'm laughing right now because I'm the one who submitted two Christmas stories in the height of the holiday season. That means edits and family get togethers and shopping and promotion would all be happening at the same time. What the heck was I thinking?

I've decided to look at all of this as my Christmas present to me. After spending a lifetime "wishing" I could have a career in writing, I have it. It's my gift to me. When edits are hairy, or I struggle to find time to participate in all of the promotional opportunities, or I wonder if I'm going to lose my mind, I remind myself that I'm doing what I love.

Today, I'm remembering that my father spend his whole life dreaming of having what I'm beginning to have now. I talk to other authors. I spend time writing and I'm starting to have some success with it. He never did. He dreamed of being a published author, but never submitted his work.

Part of me feels guilty that I've been having success when I know other authors that have worked years to get published. Part of me wonders if I'll ever know what I'm doing.

Most of me is just grateful to have the chance to see my work published.

Here's my question to you. When the writing gets tough, how do you get going? What reminds you that it's all worth it?

Oh, what to do....

2006-11-24T08:09:00.000-08:00

To relax??

Huh?

Okay, let me back up here. A friend's post got me thinking about what we do when we aren't working. Personally, if I'm not working, the list is very short for what I may be doing.

Cooking, laundry, eating, sleeping, reading, or I'm not at home. Seriously. That's a short list! I know it isn't good for me, and I know I'm bordering on being a workaholic, but I love what I do. At least I CAN say that about writing.

Working, by the way, is a long spectrum of small chunks of responsibility, so while I may not be writing ALL the time, I am doing something toward my career.

I am curious about how others relax though, when they are trying to ignore the writing gremlins and pressures of this career. Like I said, I read, but if I am really too burned out to think or see straight, I might crochet. I've completed three afghans this year, and I hand-make a lot of my promo items, like cards and bookmarks, so while I'm doing nothing, it still leans toward doing something for my writing. See? Even when I'm relaxing, I'm working. *sigh* I even feel extremely guilty when I'm not at home, when I should be working.

Do you ever feel that way? Do you feel like you have to be working?

Happy Holiday #1

2006-11-23T05:24:00.000-08:00

This is the first holiday we've celebrated at Shadows of Passion, and it's my honour to be the one to wish all of our American friends:

Happy Thanksgiving.

Creating Effective Villains

2006-11-21T15:49:00.000-08:00

Crystal's post last week about villains made me think. I've read a lot of books crossing genre lines that have two-dimensional villains. They have no motivation whatsoever for their actions except for being "evil" or having some ridiculous vendetta against the hero/ine.

In other words, they aren't an effective villain.

You don't need an effective villain to have a good book--after all, some of my favorite novels have two-dimensional villains--but it definitely strengthens the story. A fully fleshed out and realised villain can work against your hero/ine more actively and provide further plot twists you might not otherwise have thought of.

On the flipside, if you explore your villain enough, s/he becomes more "real," and it can be harder to see him as the "big baddie." I've had two books now where the character I intended to be the baddie turned out to be the hero instead. Since I found this out in prewriting, it wasn't a huge deal, but it could've been if I'd been pantsing.

But I think my work is all the stronger for those changes. In both cases, it's made the story much more complex and dynamic. I like that. ^_^

So what's the point of all this?

After some thought, I'm going to run a mini-workshop here on creating effective villains. It should be a three-part workshop, including exercises. If people want to post their completed exercises in comments, I'll be more than happy to give my commentary.

Check in next week for the first workshop!

Promotions Part Deux

2006-11-20T10:51:00.000-08:00

It's interesting that Diana was talking about promotions on Friday, since I've been thinking about this too.

It seems that I expend all creativity on writing and nothing else. Games for birthday parties? Forget it. I can't plan them. Pretty little eatables for the holidays? Detailed instructions needed from a magazine. Contests? Uh uh. I'm hopeless.

So, when it comes to promoting my books, I'm stumped for ideas. I know what I like, but I'm not good at coming up with the "right" way to get the word out about my stuff.

Luckily for me, I have several other authors that are brilliant at this stuff. I rely on them for so many things. You've all heard me rave about the help I get from others.

Publishers are also helpful in this area. Cobblestone and The Wild Rose Press know how to get their authors out there on Yahoo groups and chats. Participating in those has been fairly simple for me.

My question for you all is where do you get those ideas? Naturally reticent about my writing, I realize a significant change in attitude is necessary. Has anyone else struggled with this? If so, how did you get out there and do what needs to be done?

Promotions

2006-11-17T15:43:00.000-08:00

Today, I thought I'd touch on promotions. There's a world of it out there, not only for us to do ourselves, but from others to catch our own scattered attentions. There's a lot of sites that range in preferences, wants and readers who lurk or participate. Some allow active drive-by promos, while others request or require active participation to promote. Honestly, I can easily see the reason for the second and recognize the ease of the first.

There's all levels of paid for promotion opportunities. I'm still not entirely sure that's the best route for me to go. In truth, I should probably be putting more money into visual promotion than just supportive promotion, like contests and being there for fellow writers and for my publisher. Doesn't it make more sense that the more sites you are "visible" on, the better following you would have?

This is why I'm not so sure.

A lot of sites are any heat level or strongly encourage erotic. I don't write it, so am I being noticed? I don't know. It's too soon to say. I've only purchased one promo slot on a high traffic, well known site. I'm researching more, and at the beginning of the year, I'm going to try for more, but how much is reasonable?

Do you notice the banners and covers on sites? Do they encourage you to visit the writer's sites?

Real life Smackdown

2006-11-16T05:15:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't know, I'm a hermit. I have three boys, a husband, and a big ole house that I never leave. This is for the best, for me, and the world in general. Left to my own devices, I can get into some serious trouble (Foot in mouth disease is the least of my problems)
This week, I actually had to interact with real life people, and deal with real life problems. And I panicked. Actually, I felt totally smacked-down (hence the post title)

It's all taken care of now...but I realised this morning, even while I was dealing with insanity, half the time I was thinking "how could I use this in a book?", "what would my character do?"
And I realised, too, that my real-life reactions might not be ones I'd want my characters to have.
Actually, I may want to smack a heroine who reacted the way I do in a tight spot. (Fight or flight? How 'bout hide under the nearest blanket (with a pint of ice cream if I remember to grab it before hiding) and wait for it to all go away on its own)

And that, of course, got me thinking:

What reaction(s) have you read of a character, or seen on a movie or TV that you thought "I wish I'd react like that"?

I did a bad, bad thing. And I liked it.

2006-11-15T18:03:00.000-08:00

Today, I'm talking about villains.

The villain is the equal and opposite antithesis of the heroine and/or heroine. What I hate about some suspense is that you might get a stooooopid villain. Where's the fun in that? If you know the hero/ine is going to win, where's the fun in that? Okay, okay. So you know the hero/ine is going to win anyway. Good triumphs over eeevil and all that. It's fiction. However, give the villain some hope! Even if it's a faint glimmer of cheery feel-good type evil triumph.

Why are we rooting for the hero/ine if we know they'll win? We need to doubt, if only for a moment, that it's all going to be okay. Will they win, but experience some serious personal loss? And I mean serious. Make us believe.

In conclusion: Villains need love too! So give us one that's worthy of your awesome hero/ine.

Are Taking Breaks A Good Thing?

2006-11-13T18:27:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday, in the midst of all the chaos that is my life, I took some time off. I spent the day doing non-writing, non-mommy things. On Friday, I left for a Convention for teenagers that I volunteer with every week. Picture it. Five girls ages twelve to twenty in a van with two adults, ages 38 and 50. Whew. I'm just glad I made it home alive.
Six hours of driving, several cups of coffee and late nights later, I managed to get myself a little "cold".
Now I'm kicking myself for taking a "break" from writing.
However, I know that taking a break is necessary for writers. Or Mommys for that matter.
Questions swirl around my head. "How long of a break? How much is too much? When do I know I'm not "taking a break" I'm stagnating?"
Maybe I'm the only one who worries about this stuff.
My question is this. Do you know how long to take a break?

Researching your work

2006-11-10T10:20:00.000-08:00

I was wondering who does what for research. Kind of vague, but let me see if I can do this...

One of my first completed manuscripts is about an artist who was born in Africa, trained in Paris and is a world traveler. Let me tell you, I had a BALL researching the African National Parks where as an artist she found her inspirations. As well as the museums and artistic world as a whole to make her character complete. I got great information on the Louvre in Paris too! Made my heart go pitty-pat.

Another story that I had to do research on was September Heat. Luckily enough, I've been to Las Vegas, one of my all time favorite cities in the country and know many of the casinos first hand. Plus I use to watch the Las Vegas shows on the Travel Channel to keep those memories alive, where I learned about the security and how it works, which is a big point in the story.

Granted, I don't research everything. A lot of my writing is pure creative fantasy. I do research, but if the amount of therapy needed for a recovery isn't part of the story, and would only bog it down, well, then I don't use it.

Believability is important to me. So is not losing the reader because of Slot A and Tab B instructions. Hate that kind of instructional reading right smack dab in the middle of a good action scene.

So how much do you need to believe? How much do you research? How indepth do you feel you need to be to keep the reader interested? Do you need the eighteen letter medical name for a drug used once in the book, or are you happy with "tranquilizer"? Does the wall of a building have to be granite, or rose and marble hewn granite? Once detailed or many times? How much detail rips you out of the story? I know my preferances. So cough it up....

How do I kill thee...let me count the ways...

2006-11-09T18:52:00.000-08:00

So I joined a new yahoo group this week. A bunch of crime writers who get to ask all kinds of questions, mostly about how best to kill off their characters. Absolute *heaven* lemme tell you! There's other stuff, too, but really, what's more fun than being able to send a character barrelling over Niagra Falls and know without a doubt that he'd die of a head injury before having a chance to drown?

Yeah, I know, it's completely morbid, isn't it?

I've sort of come to grips with my morbidity. My favorite shows on TV feature the dead or dying. (Dead like Me, CSI...) I'm actually okay with it. It weirds my friends and family out, but that's okay, too. sometimes even a little fun...

So my question for you? What's the most inventive way you've killed off a character? Or read about or seen in a movie, I'm not picky ;)

Contesting

2006-11-08T07:43:00.000-08:00

There are two kinds of contests I want to mention today. One for writers and one for readers. When it comes to contests for writers, I'm not a big fan. In fact, I despise them. Yeah, it's weird. Probably not the majority ruling on this issue. Here's my take. A contest costs money to enter and IF you win, you might have an editor or agent you want reading your manuscript. But that's a big, huge if. It's a heck of a lot cheaper to simply query the agent or editor and see if they're interested in your work. The upside is if you do manage to win the coveted editor or agent has to read your whole manuscript and won't toss it aside after the first paragraph to send you a form rejection. There are people who final in the Golden Heart (THE contest of contests) who never sell that manuscript. What does that tell you? The benfeits of contests are limited and totally uncertain. In my opinion, a waste of money. Yeah, I said it. It's my opinion and feel free to disagree.

On to the contests I like. Reader contests. These are contests that writers hold to reward their loyal readers (or to draw in new readers) for well...reading. Below are two contest giveaways that I'll be using in my upcoming contests. No these aren't up for grabs YET. (Keep an eye on my blog if you want them though, because the contests will be announced shortly.) The first is obviously a christmas giveaway because I have a holiday release coming out soon. I haven't decided what I'll make people do for the contest yet, feel free to make suggestions, but it will probably entail some kind of scavenger hunt or signing up for a newsletter. Thus I can keep a readers attention long after I've given up the goods.

The second is a valentine's day giveaway for a chick lit story I'm writing. See the upside down heart? I thought it appropriate. Why do I do these kinds of contests? It's a promotional gimmick, yeah. But it's also my way of saying THANKS to readers for showing up and taking a moment to play along with me. That's all folks!

NaNoWriMo Check-In

2006-11-07T10:20:00.000-08:00

We're officially one week into Nanowrimo. Since several readers here are attempting the ~~insanity~~ marathon... how's it going?

And since I'm asking the question, I might as well answer myself... *cough* A grand 5k here. Yeah, I suck. I have hope that I can ramp it up over the next few days, though! ;)

The Big Come Down

2006-11-06T08:16:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, I've managed to get not one but FOUR of my books published. I've got two coming out in December. Last week was a series of "Squeeeee" moments and then the "OMG, what do I do now?". After keeping that up for a while, I came down with a "bump" on Saturday.
In talking to other authors, I found out this isn't unusual. Entering this new universe of edits, contracts and covers, I've found that the initial pink clouds don't really go away, but I don't fly around in them as much.
I wasn't prepared.
So, on Saturday, I found myself a little......well, cranky. Luckily, I'm surrounded by people that, even if they don't understand, love me despite my occasional lapses into weirdness. One thing I've learned from reading threads on Romance Divas and chatting with other authors is TO WRITE. Don't let down. So I've started a new wip called "Deadly Mistake". It's a romantic suspense and I'm shooting for a higher word count. It's the only way I know to handle success, and, for that matter, failure. Keep writing.
With all the nano excitement flying around, emails, contracts and so on, writing has been my stability. It shows me one thing.
Writing is what I'm called to do. No matter what success I have or rejections I collect or sick kids or crabby husbands, I write. It's what I have to do. I can't allow the fear of what may happen next to stop me.
Eight thousand words later, I realize that it relaxes me. Everything else is crazy. Lost in my story, I can relax and let go. I don't know what that says about me, but I think I'll be at this for a long time.
The best thing about where I am right now is that I have people around me to keep me firmly rooted in the writing. Sales, covers, contracts and all the other stuff is important, but it's the writing that counts. So thank you Crystal, Dayna, Diana, Shelli, Lori and the many others that have SHOWN me as well as told me that it's the work that counts, not the number of sales or my name in print.
I'm off to kill off a few more people in my wip. Let me ask you this. What do you do when that come down happens? Whether it's something writing related or not, how do you deal with the high excitement of achievement and everything that follows?

Just a cheer of good luck!

2006-11-03T08:37:00.000-08:00

I don't really have a post to make today. I'm a bad person. I'll admit it. So instead, what I wanted to do was just congratulate everyone who is attempting NaNo 2006.

I'm one of them, and I'm not sure this year I'll make it. I'm going to give it my best effort though. We all have our doubts about any story, and there's as many reasons to attempt NaNo as there are stories.

So to all who are trying, first timers, repeat offenders... :) Best of luck to all of you! Let the keyboards be heard around the world!

Nano Nano

2006-11-02T06:45:00.000-08:00

So those of you who are about to die, I salute you. I'm not doing Nano this year, but I wish all of you the best of luck.

Instead I'll be writing my first requested fantasy romance. Yeah, it's not the same as suspense, which is probably what I should be talking about over here, but you can shoot me later. Hey, that's suspense full. Guns, knives, drama. Right here on my post.

I'm also trying something different in this book. I totally pants the crap out of my books. I have a sorta clear storyline in my mind about how and when things should happen, but then it's fair game. Usually, I'm a way huge pantser and just write whatever comes to me. That means I could be doing Chapter 3 today and the Prologue tomorrow. This time, I'm going from beginning to end. Or at least I'm trying. We'll see how it goes after this one. So far, it's not bad, but I'm not holding my breath.

Wish me luck!

Reviews--for good or evil?

2006-11-01T21:01:00.000-08:00

This is something that's really been bothering me lately. What's the point of book reviews? There's almost as many opinions on this as there are religions.

1) You should always give a good review of a book because as the reviewer, you got it for free, and why would you dis someone who gave you free stuff!

2) Reviews should be your honest opinion of the book.
2b) reviews should be the honest opinion of any reviewer who liked the book.

3) Reviews should be all about whether or not a reader would like a book.

4) reviews should be about how well a book is written.

You get the idea. Sometimes the differences of opinion are so slight it's almost laughable.

And of course, the only thing more prevalent than opinions about reviews is *reactions* to reviews.

1) I got a bad review, Boo hoo. (genuine upset, crying, tantrum, preferably in private, but some idiots...er...people...like to rant about bad reviews on their blog or website. (I say idiots because this never ends well. They don't look good by doing so.)

2) I got a bad review, but the person reviewing it didn't
a) read my book
b) like shorts, which my book was.
c) like the genre, and admitted it.
d) spell a single word right in their review.

These are the toss-away reviews. They lack legitimacy, and authors discredit them.

3) I got a great review. But I know this person, so...what's the review mean? Anything?
b) I got a great review from some random review house, but they have a policy of only giving good reviews.

4) the oh-so-elusive: someone reviewed my book and actually *got* it.

With that in mind, I've come to the decision the only valid review for me personally is a recommended read from someone I know or who knows me. But how 'bout you? Do you cruise the really trash-talkin' review sites to find the most hacked books to buy? Do you only buy the ones that get 5-whatevers from a bunch of review sites? Or do the reviews just not matter at all?

'Twas the Night Before Nano...

2006-10-31T19:57:00.000-08:00

Nanowrimo starts in about, oh, an hour and ten minutes (as of this writing). Me? I'm huddled up with a box of kleenex and a hot mug of tea, trying not to sneeze my brains out. There seems to be some rule that I must get sick right before any writing marathon. *muttergrumble*

According to long-standing Nanowrimo Tradition, I ought be running around the room like a chicken with its head cut off, worrying about my lack of plot, 'till the clock chimes midnight, when I should set my hands to keyboard and start writing. Even if it's gibberish. (Especially if it's gibberish, some might say. LOL.)

Of course, I've been mulling over what I want to do for Nano the past several days. I'd originally intend to attempt a dual-WIP. That is, work on a Nano project as well as the urban fantasy I've been working on for several months. Except, I know from experience that doesn't work out for me. (Yet, I keep trying to do it anyway. >_<) Here's the problem. I don't have a Real Plot^TM for what I was intending to write for Nano. I have a premise. Prince Alvaro is captured on the battlefield by his sworn enemy, Tristan of [something-or-other], who seduces him in the dungeon and turns him into a vampire. Nice premise. I have no clue what happens after that. This has been driving me nuts for weeks.

So I've decided to cheat. Instead of starting something "new," which I'm supposed to, I'll try to finish Stronger over the course of November. Or at least a good portion of it, as I have somewhere around 75k to go, by scene length estimation. If I finish it with time to spare, then I may work on something else... but I don't know. However, this decision leaves me feeling quite a bit less stressed. ;)

Okay, now it's 40 minutes to Nano. Everyone geared up and ready? What are y'all doing for Nano?

The Familial Sacrifice

2006-10-29T18:23:00.000-08:00

So often I'm giving kudos to other authors and doing the things I do to further my writing career that I forget the sacrifices others make. Perhaps it was the "Dedication" section of the contract I received from The Wild Rose Press. It got me thinking.
There's my husband, who often goes to work even when he's dog tired so that I can be a stay-at-home mom and struggling author. He also has to listen to the different aspects of the business which is like another language. Most importantly, he was forced to read my first manuscript. That alone should get him the "long suffering" award.
Michelle is my best friend. More like a sister to me, she's listened to so much of the struggle, the ideas, the "stuff" that goes along with being a writer. Not once has she rolled her eyes or gone to sleep on me. She does get really mad at me when I tell her I'm not a good writer. She was also forced to read the first manuscript but she only had to read the first hundred pages. She gets the "most time spent keeping me sane award".
Then there's other members of my household. The kids, who are often wanting a little more attention than I'm able to give them. Then, there's the teenage brigade who have given me ideas and names and all sorts of stuff. They don't laugh at my writing and they try (not always successfully) to give me the quiet I need to do my work.
My author friends are the ones I turn to for all my writing woes. They've encouraged me. They understand the language I use. "Sub", "Editor", "Rejection" and "Writer's block" all have a totally different meaning to the non-writer. My first author friends were on the Harlequin boards and Romance Divas. When I got a form rejection from Harlequin Intrigue, Paula Graves sent me a one page email encouraging me to keep at it. When I get stuck or frustrated, Dayna, Crystal and Diana all talk to me and tell me to keep at it. They're my resource for industry help. They give their opinions freely and with no strings. Often, they have to listen to the same complaint over and over. "I suck." "I'll never be published" (yes, Crystal you were right) and the dreaded "I hate waiting!!!" They always lend an ear.
So, I'm giving the people in my life who do a lot to make my career happen, a little space here to get the attention they deserve.
Thank you.
Who helps you further your career?

Addictions

2006-10-27T09:57:00.000-07:00

*stands up*
Hello. My name is Diana. And I'm a book-a-holic.
*sits down*

~~This post in no way down plays the real addictions that are out there~~

I mean, there are far worse addictions that I could have. Even a fellow Diva is well known for her shoe addiction... er... Collection, that is.

I love to buy books. I love to write. The irony here is that now that I write with ambition, deadlines and purpose, my reading has gone kaputz. I have hundreds, yes you read that right, HUNDREDS of books waiting for me. I have a small collection of them on my TBR shelf--The window shelf nearest my bed. There's more than 30 there right now. It's a growing, mutating monster that glares at me every morning and every night for the lack of attention I have given it of late.

I have paranormal, fantasy, YA, romantic suspense... Just a ton of stuff waiting for me to read it and unlock the stories within. Stuff I want to read for research, others because of the author, or because it's recommended. Then there's the borrowed books. I do books swaps regularly with a close friend. ( I live in Texas and yes an hour and half to drive is close. )

But I guess the whole point of this is this: Do I really need help?

Granted the bottom line here is shopping. Spending money. But the whole idea of it being for books makes so much more sense to me than say, spending money on jewelry (lovely, but who am I going to show it off to?), fancy clothes (Don't go anywhere to need more than jeans. Sad but true.) So, you see my conumdrum here I hope.

If I do have a problem, it's one I will happily live with.

The long and short of it

2006-10-26T09:19:00.000-07:00

When it comes to reading action/suspense/mystery romance, I can't help but wonder if the best ones are always the long ones. I mean the full length novel type stories. Here you get the full development of a real story, suspense and romance. You have time to see the characters really grow, you can see the villain degenerate to the final showdown. It's all there and you can really dig into it.

However, the flip side of this argument is that writing short is an artform that not many can master. It takes a lot to write a really good, really tight romance. Especially considering you're adding a suspense sub-element and you have a very limited amount of space. Think about it, you may have to ask a reader to suspend a bit more reality to make it believeable that in 35 pages your people fall in love, conduct an investigation, and catch a bad bad man. BUT you also managed to tell the much story in 35 pages. Holy smokes. That's really amazing for those who can do it.

Hats off to you who write the shorts. And much love to everyone else, because a good story is tough to write no matter how long or short it is.

I'm burnt out on Serial Killers

2006-10-25T05:52:00.000-07:00

Seriously, I've read so many books lately, some of them by great writers, but I'm a wee-bit tired of the whole 'serial killer' angle. I read two Kay Hooper and an Iris Johanssen back to back, and although I love both writers, the storylines--a serial killer on the rampage, mentally linked to a psychic who will use her powers to track him down--well, they got a little tired.

And I know there is a lot more romantic suspense out there.

I know there's forensic-rom-susp: Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs kind of have that market cornered, I think. (Kathy Reichs is most-famous now for the TV show "Bones" which is based off her character Temperance Brennan, who is modelled after Reichs herself)

There's action? rom-susp: Suzanne Brockamann is the best example of this: explosions, gunfire, and sparks fly.

There's paranormal rom-susp: Iris Johansenn, Kay Hooper, and I'm thinking Laurell K. Hamilton's books might count, as could Gena Showalter's 'Enslave me Sweetly'.

This made me realise there are sub-genres I've never heard of, let alone read. And even within these sub-genres (as loosely 'defined' as I have them) there are probably some great authors I've never read.

So my question for you, dear readers, is what is the elusive quality that makes it all Romantic Suspense? What other sub-sub-genres are there? And what authors should I be reading who haven't made it on this list?

Chasing the Market

2006-10-24T16:25:00.000-07:00

Recently, I've been seeing posts around the blogosphere that go something like this: "OMG! I just heard from [such-and-such person, conference, whatever] that editors/agents are full of paranormal romance subs and it's sooooo hard to break in now and the market's going to DIIIIIE!!!"

Okay, slight exaggeration. But not by much.

I've seen this attitude a lot over the years. Somebody says something--it might not even be right--that indicates a certain market is getting oversaturated, and writers go freaking out.

Then what do they do? Jump on the next Big Bandwagon, of course. *sighs*

Anytime there's a big hit, like erotic or paranormal romance, there's going to be a lot of crap put out because the publishers aren't getting enough submissions to fit the demand. Also, to my understanding, it isn't uncommon for editors or agents to suggest to an already published writer, "Hey, why don't you try your hand at this new thing?"

Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. I've read a fair amount of paranormals from former contemporary / romantic comedy / historical romance writers that feel like all they did was take a stock plot and stick fangs on their hero. I'm sorry, but that's not paranormal.

But that's another rant entirely.

The point is, once the "first wave" is past, you're going to have a lot of people looking at this new fad--whether it be paranormal or gods know what else--and thinking, "Hey, I'll write that. It sells."

Except that doesn't usually work out. If your heart isn't in it, most of the time, the reader can tell. If you're bandwagon-hopping, you're also not likely to finish the work by the time the next Big Thing hits.

I'd really like to tell some of these people to quit bemoaning the "death" of their chosen subgenre and shut up and write. Ultimately, if you're writing what you love, you're going to have a much better shot at publication than if you're constantly chasing the market. There is no "Magic Key" to publication, and I think some people really need to be smacked upside the head with a clue-by-four.

But that's my opinion. ;)

What do you all think about chasing the market?

A Whole New World

2006-10-23T06:02:00.000-07:00

I find myself in strange territory. I think there was a part of me that believed that I wouldn't be published for a "long time". It wasn't that I didn't work hard or keep being persistent. It's that I know being published is a matter of talent AND luck.
Now, with my short story coming out next March, I've actually filled out a *gasp* contract. I'm "published". That magic word. It's a whole new universe for me.
So, I have a story to go along with this. I filled in for a secretary for two weeks while she was on vacation. I ran out of time one morning and took my contract with me to mail it from work.
Ooops. My boss (a real nice man, by the way) sees "The Wild Rose Press" on the envelope. You guessed it. He asked me. "You're a writer?"
"Yes, I am. That's my contract. I didn't have time to mail it from home. So sorry."
"No that's fine. You're published then?"
"Yup."
"What is it? Maybe I'll read it."
At this point, my stomach hurts. I'm totally embarrassed and I want to sink into the floor. I mean, "Garden Of Sin" has "toys" in it. No way I want my boss to read THAT. What would he think of me?
"I don't think you'll like it." *Promotional no-no*
"What do you write?"
I'm in agony now. What do I do? I JUST found out I was going to be published. I'm not ready for this.
"I write romance."
"Oh, my wife will like that."
I just nod. Now, I change the subject. Much as I would love to crow from the hills that I'm going to be in print, I'm still awkward about revealing my work to those who know me. I just hope I get better at this. *sigh*.
My question for you all is this; What in the world do you say? If you write "love scenes", can you just promote to everyone even if they're your boss, your co-workers or *gasp* your mother? I would LOVE to hear what you have to say on that subject. The newbie needs a little help here.

Who is your inspiration?

2006-10-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

I ask because I have a hard time using anyone for inspiration, whether it's physical looks, character traits, or mannerisms. I've watched a few of those "How they made the movie" shows where they discussed the computer animation and mannerisms of the actors doing the voices themselves, and thought that was pretty neat. Hand motions, or facial expressions.

I envision those movements and tones, or reactions, but I can't put a real life face behind it as the basis. I know a lot of you use Orlando Bloom, Johnny Depp and a ton of others for their male inspiration. I can't see it. I've always been a bad one to ask if someone is good looking or hot, because I've never thought physical beauty was all that important. A swan on the outside can be a real ass on the inside. Been there, have the t-shirt in memory of it.

So, do you write from a purely creative stand point? Are your characters completely or fractionally fictional? When you read, do you put a star's face on the main character to make them more human? Does the character have to be someone you do recognize to connect to them? Egads, that's a whole 'nother can of worms... :)

Suspense, action, or mystery?

2006-10-19T07:45:00.000-07:00

I had the ever-talented (and patient) Dayna Hart read over my work in progress Revenant. Now this story was originally intended to be a romantic suspense. I hit a few glitches and a big brick wall along the way, but for the most part it's done. Here's the fun part. Dayna gave me some feedback that said it wasn't so much suspense as action with some suspense because we know who the villain is right from the start.

Here's my question: is suspense only suspense when it's a mystery as well? Or is suspenseful action good enough to count? How many forms can the suspense take?

I ask these things not because I mind being action with some suspense (no problems as long as it's a good read, in my humble opinion.) but how flexible is the genre? Basically what makes a romantic suspense a romantic suspense?

How do you judge?

Publishing crap

2006-10-18T14:19:00.000-07:00

We've all done it--tossed a book across the room in a fit of pique. The story doesn't make sense. The characters are unlikeable. Something about it just makes you squirm. Sometimes, it's not even that subtle. Things like 'cuz' in the middle of non-dialogue drives me up the wall. Or dialogue that makes you wonder if the characters should be renamed Pinnochio, they're so wooden.

For the most part, I'm willing to chalk it all up to 'diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks.' But lately, I've been realising some of it is just laziness.

Maybe I'm getting old, but I certainly recall hearing stories: someone sent a story to a publisher, and used the wrong type-font. It went, unread, into the garbage can. Mis-spelled the editor's name? Grounds right there to drop it into the trash. Granted, some of these might be the hyperbolic stories told to newbie authors in an attempt to keep us on the straight and narrow, but--wouldnt you rather err on the side of caution?

It seems to be a popular attitude that you can submit whatever you want. In whatever format you want. Edit it? Why bother? Publishers have editors on staff. No, apparently the writer's job is just to tell a story, and if it sounds like my four year old telling me about his day at school, well that'll be fixed in editting.

And in this day and age, how hard is it to hit select all, and change the font to match a publishers requested format? How hard is it to spellcheck? Granted, I might not always run every blogpost or email through my spellchecker, but I'm pretty careful as I type. Even with this post, I've removed any time I wrote things like...thing slike... And you better believe if I'm sending an email to a potential publisher, I'll run it through spellcheck. It might even go past my CP to make sure it's okay.

Maybe I was wrong earlier when I said it was laziness. Maybe it's egotism. I mean, if I really believed that what I had to say was so important, so completely unusual and brilliant that you'd all ignore tpoys and bad snetecnes, jsut raeding becuase you were so enthraelled in waht I had to say...well, I guess if my ego was that big, I wouldn't be so careful.

Or am I misreading it altogether? If it isn't lazines or egotism, what is it? Why is that writers would allow themselves to publish crap?

NaNoWriMo: For the "luv"?

2006-10-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

As November 1st draws closer, writers everywhere are busy tearing out their hair, screaming at their Muses, and beating their heads against the keyboard wondering why oh why did they decide to do something this crazy? (All I have to say to that last one: Be glad you don't have friends banding together to go for a "double Nano." ;)

Nano's a wild ride that gives a lot of people the motivation to attach their butts to the chair, fingers to the keyboard, and write. But there's an attitude I've seen surrounding Nano the past few years that I don't particularly like.

"Write crap." Basically, write whatever the hell comes to mind, pull things out of thin air, write useless words... just to hit 50k.

Err. WTF?

The intention of that, as I've always read it, is for people to kick their Inner Editor out the car door while they zoom off writing at high speeds. It's not to give people an excuse to write mindless garbage. Browsing the Nano forums, there seem to be a lot of people who do Nano, write crap... and don't write till next November. Sure, they're not hurting anyone, but I think they're missing the entire point of the challenge.

Or maybe I am. I don't know.

It raises an interesting question, though. How many people do Nano "for the luv," without any serious intentions to publish... and how many do it with the expectation of having a publishable manuscript at the end? I don't see any point in writing something that I'm just going to shove in a drawer because it sucks so bad. I want to have something that I can send to my crit partners, rewrite, and ship out. 50k is a reasonable length for an ebook; why not work towards that?

Then again, this is my career. It isn't for a lot of people.

Opinions, anyone? Are you planning on doing Nanowrimo? And if so, are you doing it "for the luv," or are you going to try for something submittable at the end?

Joining The Ranks

2006-10-16T06:31:00.000-07:00

When we began this adventure together, Dayna, Diana, Nonny and Crystal had to convince me that it was okay even though I was unpublished. I promised you that you would get to see the day I finally sold something.
Sure enough, I entered the "In The Garden" contest at The Wild Rose Press and came in first place in the Scarlet Rose miniature rose line. As well as adding a little bit more to those query letters, I also get to join several other great authors in an anthology to be published IN PRINT in Spring '07. Contracts and editing to follow.
So, as of this date, I have joined the rank of my fellow authors. The great thing is that one of the other winners is an author I love. I get to be in an anthology with Stacy Holmes. The only thing better would be getting published in an anthology with my fellow "Shadows of Passion" authors.
Needless to say, I'm doing a happy dance. The very first thing I did was tell Dayna Hart (we were instant messaging). Then, I woke Crystal Jordan up on her cell phone and bugged her. THEN, I called my best friend. I'm afraid my husband (who was working and couldn't take calls) didn't hear until that night.
I remember someone did a thread on Romance Divas "What's the first thing you do when you get the call?" Calling EVERYONE was not what I thought I would do.
Crystal was right. She said I would get a contract before the end of the year. I'm happy to join the ranks of the soon to be published authors.
So here's my question for you. Have you ever reacted to something important differently than you thought you would? Did you think you'd be better or worse at taking a rejection? Did you get excited or scared after "the call" or, in my case, "the email"?

Halloween is a-coming

2006-10-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

Are you a Halloween nut? Do you like to dress up, play the witch? Okay, that wouldn't exactly be playing for me... *GRIN* Depends on who you ask I guess...

I love Halloween myself, except it's harder when you've got a kiddo to make the rounds with. I love seeing the costumes, hearing the children squeal. A few more thank you's wouldn't kill any of them though... *wink*

I once had this incredible black satin gown. Could do royalty, a vampire or anything dark in it. I loved that dress. Went and walked Sixth Street ( our local bar run and freak hang out on the 31st). I miss those kinds of costumes, but I'm not a great seamstress. It could be used in a lot of different ways, with a removable train. *sigh* Nostalgic moment there...

I especially like it when it's cool. Have you ever done Halloween in costume in the high 80's or 90's? It's awful, just trust me on that. This year, we've had some early cool fronts, so it's looking promising to be a comfortable candy harvest.

So what is it about Halloween that gets to you? The candy of course is a huge one. Chocolate... Everywhere, if you're lucky. If not, steal it from your kids when they aren't looking.. ;) Not like they need to eat it all anyway... Do you like the costumes? To see the kids? Do you miss the freedom of knowing you could walk your ENTIRE neighborhood and not have any malintentioned pranks? I sure the heck do.

So what gets you going for Halloween?

Never introduced myself

2006-10-12T11:57:00.000-07:00

I just realized we've been blogging for a few weeks now and I never got around to introducing myself.

I'm Crystal Jordan, and I write a bit of everything romance. I just love a good love story and I hope I write them, too. My current work in progress is a paranormal romantic suspense called Revenant. It's also the darkest story I've written to date. At least, I think it's dark. I'm still writing it, so it may be fluffy clouads and bunnies by the time I'm done. That's the crappy part about writing by the seat of my pants and hoping it all turns out okay.

Ah, well. That's me. Hi all and welcome to the weirdness.

How do I make it dark?

2006-10-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to figure out Tone these days.

I read the book Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Leguin. I finished it, and then phoned the man who recommended it to me and reamed him out. "WHY did you want me to read that book?"

He chortled. (sidenote: men who actually chortle, outside of actors portraying comic book villains are rare. And to be avoided, especially when making book recommendations.)

When he finished chortling, he asked me what I didn't like about it.

I couldn't tell him. It was an interesting book. A neat book. Even (i'll admit it) a good book. But it left me feeling...like I'd curled into a warm, soft, but mildewy blanket. I got completely wrapped up in it, sure, but it left me feeling a little funky.

Why am I telling you this story? Because I want to know how to get that tone in my books. How can writers...well, DO that? Infuse a story with enough subliminal moodiness to make a reader feel something long after the book's been put down.

I was joking with Nonny earlier this week that I'm not sure I pull off 'dark' when writing. I don't even dress goth because I end up looking like some poor kid practicing for halloween. I have the clothes, the makeup, the jewellery (ooh gods the jewellery *drool*) But I'm just not 'dark'.

Aside from installing mood-lighting in the bookstores...how, please help me, do I make it dark?

Life's Interference

2006-10-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

It's an interesting puzzle to me that I want to write but life is coming at me fast and furious. However, without my life, I would have nothing to write about. It's my limited knowledge of people that gives me plots and ideas.
We laugh about that question that famous authors hear. "Where do you get your ideas?" The truth is I can sum it up in a nutshell. I get my ideas all around me. The idea for "Heart of the Storm" came from a story that my husband told about a fishing boat that went down and fifteen years later, one of the crew showed up wanted for a crime in another state. The idea sparked into an Alaskan crab fishing adventure (since I love that stuff) and I prodded and poked my hubby for information. (He's an ex-fisherman).
I often write people that I know (or parts of them) and it's usually to kill them off. People inspire me. All kinds of people. There's the old fisherman, Pogie, who is based on several older men I know. There's the "Goth girl" I wrote in "Perfect" that reminds me so much of my best friends' daughter. If it weren't for the people around me and the things that happen to them, I'd have no voice. So, when life comes at me at a fast pace, I just close my eyes and remember it's all fodder for a future best seller.
I joke that I write romantic suspense because I kept trying to write romance and dead bodies kept turning up. That's the truth. I love to add danger and tension to a story. My ideas come from people, from life. I look around and there's the man who wasn't loved by his parents, the woman who runs from relationships because they frighten her, the overprotective mother and the dominating father. I take bits and pieces and tada! There's my story.
This week, as life pounds on me, I'll be getting ideas for lots of books. After all, everything can be useful to a writer.
I'll bet you can't guess the question. Where do you get your ideas? Newspapers? Real life? Or just from your imagination?

Emotion VS. Emotive

2006-10-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

Per Webster's ::

Emotion :

   A moving of the mind or soul; excitement of the feelings,
whether pleasing or painful; disturbance or agitation of mind
caused by a specific exciting cause and manifested by some
sensible effect on the body.

Emotive :

   Attended by, or having the character of, emotion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Okay, so what does that mean???

As writers, we all have to deal with emotion. In horror, it's fear. In romance, love (hopefully),
in drama, apprehension. We have to create it.

As readers, we want to experience those feelings. We want to know what the characters on the
page are feeling.

Does that mean that as writers we create the emotions, and as readers we are experiencing
the emotive product? Has an emotion ever fallen short, either in something you're writing,
or reading?

Just one of those "thinking too much" things that caught me earlier this week.

Paranormal action scenery

2006-10-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

So I like to kick a little butt in my books. Or at least my characters do. I'm more into a sedantary, writerly pasttime that involves more chair butt than kick butt. But I digress.

In addition to writing romantic suspense, I write paranormal and *cough* erotic romance. So, sometimes you have to throw some freaky stuff in your action scenes. Paranormal freaky, get your mind out of the gutter! Like if my heroine is a witch and she's cornered, should I get her out of a bad situation through her smarts or a well-timed flame ball?

Hmm...always something to ponder. You don't want the magic to make it too easy, but the paranormal should play a part in the whole book. So, it's a balancing act in every kind of paranormal action sequences. However, if it's paranormal creature on paranormal creature, it's SO on.

How do you like your paranormal action sequences? Lay on the paranormal or keep it light and have them use all their wits?

Fantasy Romantic Suspense...

2006-10-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

Funky new subgenre-or did I just forget a comma?

I was boxing up some slightly-loved books this week. Since these are books I bought, there are only two genres represented: Fantasy, and Romantic-Suspense.

The fact that these are my two favourite genres always seemed rather freakish to me. Like Peanut butter & applesauce, or chocolate & potato chips. They're my favourites, but I couldn't really imagine them together.

Only, now I'm starting to realise that they aren't, really, that disparate. I love romantic-suspense (or, suspense with romantic elements) because there's almost always that moment of "oooh, I did NOT see that coming." And I love that. That's the big hook for me in a book, movie or tv show. And, go figure, the fantasy I choose to read gives me that Moment, too. Some surprise that I didn't foresee that makes me sit up straighter and read a little faster.

And any of the fantasy books I really truly adore have romantic elements. My favourite fantasy book, in fact, has political uprising and spies in disguise...Until I mention that the king can do magic, I could summarise the book as a rom-susp.

This past month, I've been working on two manuscripts: you guessed it: one rom-susp, one fantasy with romantic elements.

Once I started meeting other writers, I began realising that a lot of them had the same two genres on their shelves as I have on mine. Fantasy and rom-susp. So, I've looked at the WIPs and ideas that have hit me in the last little while, and I've decided to take a gamble and try to write a Fantasy-Romantic-Suspense. (which will probably be billed as a 'romantic suspense with paranormal elements.') Only instead of shifters or witches, I'll be using Elves and goblins.

Has anyone seen that sort of thing before? Have I somehow missed out on a book that already combines my favorites? Please let me know if you've seen it! And let me know if you have two books in your collection that surprise you by sitting comfortably side by side, despite their disparities...

Comfort Reading

2006-10-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

Recently, my fiance and I lost power at our apartment in the late afternoon. He works graveyard and eventually went off to work, leaving me in a dark house. Alone. At first, I figured I'd try to sleep, but found myself unable to do so. Ultimately, I armed myself with a cigarette lighter, a bunch of candles, and my toppling to-be-read stack.

Several hours later, when I was nearly finished with the book I'd settled on reading (The Dragon Lord by Connie Mason), I realised something odd. Most every time I sit down to read something "comforting" (outside of beloved favorites), I usually end up reading something with the same opening premise: the heroine, a feisty young woman, is unwillingly entered into an arranged marriage. (Alternatively: feisty young heroine fleeing from her restrictive life.)

Which really made me think hard. A lot of my old favorites fit this theme, too. Hawkmistress! by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey. Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce. And a slew of others.

Most of these are fantasy because I didn't get into romance till a few years ago. Even still, my choice in "comfort" romance tends to have the same premise, although it's often handled differently than in fantasy. (For instance, often the woman's betrothed is often the hero, while I don't ever think I've seen this in fantasy.) I'm sure this must say something about my subconscious, though I'm not quite sure what. LOL.

Does anyone else notice recurring themes/premises in reading choice? Or am I just nuts here? ;)

Welcome To The Darkside

2006-10-02T13:09:00.000-07:00

Romantic Suspense has been going through some growing changes lately. Note the sudden changes at Harlequin with the loss of the line Bombshell and the restructuring of Sihouette and Intrigue. Then, there was this on Romancing The Blog. http://www.romancingtheblog.com/blog/?p=729
In the middle of a pretty sticky romantic suspense manuscript, I recognize the difficulty of coming up with a believeable and interesting plot. Making it all fit together and having characters still be alive at the end isn't as easy as Agatha Christie made it look.
Now wait. I'm not whining. I'm commiserating with my fellow mystery lovers out there. We're picky. Not only do we want a Happily Ever After for our hero and heroine, we want a Miserably Ever After for the bad guy. So what's the big struggle? Romance Writers always have a "bad guy" even if it's a minipulative ex-girlfriend or an overbearing father.
The trick is tension.
My biggest question while I'm writing is how in the world do I maintain the edge-of-my-seat tension while I'm writing the necessary "information"? Hospital scenes are the worst. Picture it. Your hero (or heroine) has been shot (stabbed, run over, beat up, whatever) and now, you have to deal with the difficulty of medical drama as well as continue to keep the reader interested in the original plot.
Whew.
That would be hard enough, but my characters usually start running rampant and twisting the plot into a million convoluted turns that go......nowhere. That's when I run to my crititque partner and say things like "This went really funky somewhere. Can you help me fix it?"
I'm sure more experienced writers can force their way out of this self-inflicted box, but I still need a little help.
Here's a question for you. Do you like your mystery with a little bit of romance? Or do you like your romance with a little bit of danger? Believe me. I think the industry has been trying to figure this question out for a long time.

Why do they keep me awake?

2006-09-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

You know who... Those voices. The names without faces that pop up at midnight and won't leave me alone until two a.m.

Like Rory. He popped up last night and then wouldn't say another word. I kept trying to picture him, provided it was a he, but couldn't. I have no idea what he's trying to tell me about himself.

Then there's the stories I've been working on that have been swirling through the gray matter too. Like with Diego. How far can I run with that? I'd love to see a series out of it. Or Angie, who I've left alone to let bake and want to see finished. Or Aran, or Jordan... Or... Or... Well you see what I'm dealing with!!! Ugh!

It's really kind of funny. In any other person, this is considered pschitzophrania. In a writer's mind, it's just another day at the office. A very crowded office.

I have to admit though, since I started writing, I've really enjoyed it. Since I'm a SAHM, if I didn't have something other than a now 4-year-old child to keep me company... Insanity was really looking good there for a while. Now, I'm only half way there. I have my child to keep me company along with the voices in my head. One provides laughter and the others give me adult conversation.

Okay, now comes the fun. I KNOW I'm not the only one out there who hears voices, pictures people as detailed as if I'd met them personally. Who has been the most enigmatic character for you? Who was the one that grabbed and shook you until you groveled at his knees to write his story?

And if you're not a writer, what character have you read that just seemed so real, so visible to you, you still can name him, or her, and the traits that drew you to their story?

Asking the experts

2006-09-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

My older brother is an ex-Marine (no such thing as EX, he says) and now a cop. Why do I mention this? Because when I need to know what kind of gun, knife, bomb, bullet, vulcan death grip, etc I should use to kill a baddie, he's the one I call. I'm sure he's tired of phone calls that go

Me: Okay, if a psychotic druggie has my guy cornered in a dark alley in New York, what kind of gun should he have? Oh...and the druggie is a werewolf FYI.

Bro: Hello to you too, sis. Your niece is well. So am I. Thanks for asking...so why is the dumb ass cornered in an alley? He deserves to get ripped up by a vampire.

Me: Werewolf

Bro: Whatever. Don't let him get cornered in an alley, that's stupid.

Me: It's imprtant to character development.

Bro: Do I care what that is?

Me: No, but I do. So...gun.

Bro: If he's supposed to be some kind of weapons or security expert, he would not be in an alley. And give him a beretta. With silver bullets or whatever, for the werwolf.

Me: Spell beretta for me?

Bro: Look it up.

Me: You suck.

Bro: Call someone who cares.

Me: Love you, bro. Thanks.

When it comes to writing a convincing action or fight scene, who do you ask, if anyone? Are there particular websites you go to, or books you've read, or people you ask, or Jackie Chan movies you watch?

all about ME :)

2006-09-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

Each of us at SoP got to choose our own avatars. Something we liked, something we'd want here to represent us, in lieu of actual photos of ourselves (how dull!)

This one was my choice, and my reasons for doing so really only became apparant during a conversation today with Jen. Jen said my writing is: lighter, more emotional with a very "nice" touch. Even when you're writing about Goblin ghosts.

And damned if she isn't right. Even when I'm writing about goblins, (or in this case, their ghosts) I just can't pull off a completely 'dark' feeling. I like humour with my suspense. I like those wry heroines who, in the midst of something truly horrific, have a flash of insight that leaves me laughing.

My poor avatar seems to be suffering the same fate. Isn't she cute? It's pretty hard to be dark, scary, kickass, and cute, all at once. I like to think, however, that she pulls it off.

Because if she can, then I can.

Introduction of the Perpetually Late

2006-09-26T21:10:00.001-07:00

Technically, I was supposed to post earlier Tuesday, but my power went out on Monday and I didn't get it back on till late Tuesday afternoon. Happy happy joy joy joy. I swear to gods, Fate's got it in for me. *sigh*

Anyway, introducing moi:

I'm Elisabeth Drake, though some of y'all may know me around the net as Nonny. I'm just your average kinky poly mostly lesbian non-theistic pagan weirdass goth writer chick. ^_^

What do I write? A plethora of things. I've written something in almost every genre at this point. But my primary focus is on fantasy and romance. Currently, I'm writing a paranormal romantic suspense series about Arielle, a witch working for the FBI, and her vampire partner, Jackson. I have two short stories about the characters out through Freya's Bower, and the first novella, The Twilight Deception, is forthcoming from Cobblestone Press.

I hate trying to introduce myself, so I hope this'll do. If anyone's got questions, however nosy, feel free to ask. :)

Introduction of The Unpubbed

2006-09-25T07:53:00.000-07:00

I'm lucky to be here. Surrounded by stellar authors, I am the only one of the group still (as of this date) unpublished.
In a way, I feel priviledged. I still remember when I got to help Jennifer Bianco at Romance Divas to moderate a chat with Allison Brennan, the author of "The Hunt", "The Prey" and "The Kill". I was in reader heaven. I was talking to an honest-to-God-saw-her-books-at-Walmart author. I still feel the same way. As an unpublished author, I still have rosy view of the shining mountaintop that is "Published".
As a writer coming in contact with other writers, I'm learning about the published author's aftermath. Promotion, deadlines, contracts, edits, and other scary stuff.
What does that tell you about me? Well, probably not very much. I write romantic suspense and erotic romance under a pen name. I'm terrified my mother will find out the pen name. I love being on the computer and I love being with other authors.
I write because my characters won't leave me in peace until I do. It's in me. Whether I get published or not, I won't ever silence that throng of people that stand up and start talking. They're funny, sad, broken, loving and brave. And they picked me to write their stories.
Hopefully, you'll get to read about how that happens.
Jennifer McKenzie
aka Jennifer Leeland