I have reached the point where I've realized that I must give up on a long-held dream. It's time that I face the facts and accept that some things just aren't meant to be.
Yep, sad as it is to admit it, I will never win an Olympic gold medal in figure skating. Even in the alternate universe where I actually learned to ice skate, if I haven't won one by this age, it's not going to happen. When they awarded the medals last night, I knew it was over for me.
I've always been fascinated by ice skating. When I was little my parents took me to see the Holiday on Ice show. I guess there was some kind of licensing tie-in with Peanuts because Snoopy from the show visited my kindergarten classroom and we "skated" around by taking off our shoes and sliding around on the floor. I have vague memories of "skating" around the house, possibly while wearing my ballet recital outfits (Mom may have to verify this). I first became aware of the idea of figure skating competition during the 1976 Winter Olympics when Dorothy Hamill won the gold medal. I dressed my Barbie doll in her ballerina outfit and a pair of short boots, and she skated along with Dorothy. But we didn't have an ice rink anywhere nearby, so it was pointless to dream of skating. I kept up with ballet, then switched to gymnastics early that summer. Later that summer, Nadia got a perfect ten at the summer Olympics, so it was gymnastics for me for a while. I did watch skating when I got the chance, and I got my parents to take me to the Ice Capades when Tai and Randy were starring.
I didn't really start thinking seriously about skating until the 1984 Winter Games. That was when I caught myself choosing and even editing my music for my short and long programs, as well as drawing designs for my costumes. I'd been on ice skates once in my life, when I was at a shopping mall rink in Dallas a couple of years earlier, and since I'd managed to stay upright and even start building speed in that first time, I convinced myself that I was a natural. In my dreams, I decided that when I went to college in a city that actually had an ice rink in it, I would start taking lessons and then stun everyone with my prowess. I started exercising at home so I'd be in great shape for when that time came.
Of course, I soon got sidetracked by other things. I was in the band and the drama club. I went through a phase where I was going to lose weight and be a cheerleader (that didn't happen). Mostly, I wrote a lot. I filled a lot of spiral notebooks with the beginnings of stories and with story ideas. When I went off to college, I did go to the local ice rink a couple of times, but I used that time in my life to explore a lot of things. I took fencing, was involved in professional and service organizations, took voice lessons, got back into ballet, tried to get back into gymnastics (my body objected), and learned ballroom dancing. I was also writing, taking journalism classes, still filling spiral notebooks and later computer disks, and taking other classes I thought might come in handy for writing (I took fencing primarily so I could write about swordfights in fantasy books -- along with almost every other person in that class. We tended to throw a lot of bad fantasy cliche dialogue into all our bouts.). I used to criticize myself for being so scattered when it came to interests, but now I realize I was training myself to be a writer because you do need that variety of experience to bring to your work.
I guess I must not have wanted that gold medal enough, considering I've had an ice rink in my neighborhood for the past twelve years -- in walking distance! -- and for six of those years it was only a few blocks away, and I've never gone there. That hasn't stopped me from daydreaming and choreographing my programs every four years. I did reach the point where the dream was in that alternate universe where I'd actually carried through on all those grand plans (as well as not having bad knees that can't handle high impact anything or bending deeply with a lot of weight on them). I even mentally took up ice dancing for a while because I thought that was more suited to my abilities. But now, though, I have to accept that I won't even have that alternate universe gold medal. And I'm okay with that because in my universe, I think I've done the equivalent. I wouldn't trade the things I've done for a life spent doing the kind of training it takes to reach the top in a sport like that.
There are some lessons from this that can be applied to writing, or to any other dream:
1. Wanting it isn't enough.
You have to actually do something about it. If you want to be a figure skater, you have to actually get on the ice. If you want to be a writer, you have to write. Yeah, I know, duh, but you'd be surprised at the number of people who find out that someone is a writer and then say, "I've always wanted to write a book," but have never written a word. If you're not doing anything about it, then maybe you don't want it as much as you think you do. It makes a nice daydream, but if you're not willing to take the steps to get there, that's all it will ever be. If I can live within blocks of an ice rink and never go skating, I never honestly wanted to be a skater.
2. You have to do the right things to reach your goal.
All of my off-the-ice cross training, ballet classes and the like would have come in really handy if I had decided to take up skating, but those things did me no good toward the skating dream because I never actually learned to skate. Sadly, I see a number of would-be writers making the same mistakes. They write a lot of beginnings but don't finish books. They win a lot of contests, but they never submit to editors or agents. They go to a lot of conferences and workshops, but they never get around to really writing anything because they want to learn it all before they start. Contests, conferences and workshops can all be helpful, but they won't help you reach your goal until you write a book and submit it to someone who can help you get it published. Period.
3. Sometimes, hard work and desire aren't enough.
Writing groups are great for support and encouragement, but they're also bad about spreading what could be described as false hope. There's an often-repeated mythology in these groups that if you want it enough and work really hard, someday, you'll be published. I'm sorry, but that's not true. For one thing, talent really is a factor. So is luck. So is timing. There are a lot of people out there wanting the same thing, and the odds are against you, even if you are good. Look at Michelle Kwan. She's considered to have been at the top of her sport for about a decade. She's won numerous world championships. But she's never won an Olympic gold medal. There were 30 women who went to the Olympics for the figure skating event -- out of the ENTIRE WORLD. Think of the thousands of other women out there who had skills not far below that level, who were very, very good, but who didn't make the cut. Three women from the United States are competing, and it's a good bet that some of the women who didn't make the cut there could have beat some of the women from other countries who did get to go. But that's the way it works. Agents and publishers receive hundreds of submissions a week, and each publisher (aside from Harlequin) only puts out a few books a month. Do the math. It's all about getting the right manuscript on the right desk at the right time. Sometimes, someone less talented who hasn't worked as hard will sell just because of having the right material at the right time, just as a possibly less-talented, less-experienced skater will win the medal because she happened to be better on the night that counted.
4. You have to love it enough to do it for its own sake, not for the ultimate reward. Otherwise, you'll go nuts.
If your life as a skater is worthless without an Olympic gold medal, then you may as well give up now because they only give one of those per event every four years. You're not going to drag yourself to the rink day in and day out unless you enjoy it for its own sake, unless skating brings you some kind of pleasure. That's not to say you shouldn't aim high, just that you need to be able to appreciate the process along the way enough that if you never reach that lofty goal, you won't feel like you've wasted your life. It needs to bring something to your life beyond just that one medal. The same goes with writing. If you don't enjoy it enough that you'd do it even without the hope of publication, if you wouldn't be making up stories in your head no matter what, then you'll only make yourself miserable if you keep slogging away just because you want to make some money eventually. If you do luck out and get published, you're still going to have to keep writing, and you'll be writing to deadline, so you'd better find some pleasure in it because it only gets harder. There will be days that aren't fun, but if the only thing that will make you happy with writing is selling a book, then you're setting yourself up for misery.
I guess the bottom line is that focused work is what separates goals from daydreams, whether you're a writer or a figure skater.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Thursday, February 23, 2006
The shape of things to come
Remember a few years ago when the conversation was all about ebooks and whether or not they would change publishing forever?
Ebooks haven't become the rage many were predicting ten years ago, but they are definitely here to stay. And they have changed the way many people read. (I suspect it will continue to change things, slowly and subtly, for many years to come.)
Here's a new one: how about free books on the internet? HarperCollins is 'publishing' a non-fiction book, sponsored, not by sales but by advertising. No one is predicting that this is the wave of the future, but it is an interesting concept. And if it's successful? Well, you know publishers mostly worry about the bottom line. How could a trend like this affect the way people read or buy books?
Or how about this one? (If you're lucky) Stephen King may call your cell phone. This is mostly promo, but it's interesting. And this is where you make sure he has your number.
Do things like this have long term impact on the way readers chose or read books and how our industry does business ? Look into your crystal ball and tell me how technology is going to change reading and writing (for fun and profit) in the next 10, 20 years. What's next?
Ebooks haven't become the rage many were predicting ten years ago, but they are definitely here to stay. And they have changed the way many people read. (I suspect it will continue to change things, slowly and subtly, for many years to come.)
Here's a new one: how about free books on the internet? HarperCollins is 'publishing' a non-fiction book, sponsored, not by sales but by advertising. No one is predicting that this is the wave of the future, but it is an interesting concept. And if it's successful? Well, you know publishers mostly worry about the bottom line. How could a trend like this affect the way people read or buy books?
Or how about this one? (If you're lucky) Stephen King may call your cell phone. This is mostly promo, but it's interesting. And this is where you make sure he has your number.
Do things like this have long term impact on the way readers chose or read books and how our industry does business ? Look into your crystal ball and tell me how technology is going to change reading and writing (for fun and profit) in the next 10, 20 years. What's next?
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Champagne, confetti and congrats...
...to Pam Mellor whose book, Pleasure Beach, was shown in a USA Today article on the popularity of erotic romance, and to Eve Silver for her latest contract offer from Kensington for three more historical gothic romances.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Plot and Prejudice
I’ve got a contest running over on my site where I ask readers to tell me some of the things they like or don’t like in a romance novel. One reader said, somewhat sheepishly, that she liked secret baby stories. Another liked the marriage of convenience plot. Still another said she couldn’t stand heroines who were TSTL (Too Stupid To Live). Kick-ass heroines are popular, but in the regency period when my novels are set, a heroine who is too kick-ass is going to get her sweet little derriere booted out of Almack’s.
I confess as a romance reader I come to a book with certain expectations...well, prejudices, really. Like CJ’s judge, I’m not a fan of short heroes. I don’t care for regencies set in France. I like paranormal, but usually not in my historicals. As a writer, however, I want to push the envelope. I don’t want to tell the same story everyone else is telling--or the same story I wrote in my last book. Yet I do feel a need to stay within general expectations. If I go too far a field, not only won’t my editor like it, more importantly, my readers won’t. And really, once I get into a story, the characters take over and tell me what to write.
So, what are your plot prejudices? Any plots you love, plots that are almost an autobuy? (It's okay if you like secret baby amnesia cowboy stories!) Would you pick up a book with a Transylvanian hunchbacked dwarf as a hero or is tall, dark, and handsome the only way to go?
I need a Hero!
Who do you think of when someone asks you who your hero is? Is it a real person or a fictional character? Is he tall, handsome, smart, rich? Or are there other qualities that are more important?
I was doing my usual end of the year de-cluttering—which basically involves moving piles of junk into new piles—when I came across a judging sheet from a contest I entered when I first joined RWA. Now, I’ve only entered 3, maybe 4, contests so I don’t know if this judge was typical or not, but her response to my entry is something that I’ll never forget.
See, my hero wasn’t six feet tall. A fact that actually endeared him to the heroine but that caused this judge to deduct multiple points and to write in several areas of the score sheet comments along the lines that I was “obviously a novice and knew nothing about the conventions of the romance genre”, that my novel “although well-written will never make it past a first reader at any publishing house unless you change your hero”, and “no New York editor will ever buy a book featuring a hero less than six feet tall.” There was more of the like, but you get the drift—she loved the story, liked the characters, but in her mind the entire work failed because of one physical characteristic.
At first I laughed. Especially as these results came on the heels of my Golden Heart final, winning the Golden Gateway and receiving my first book contract—not for the novel she judged, that was a work-in-progress. But then I realized that I was very much indebted to this judge and her comments.
Why? Because she made me think. She made me take a good hard look at my characters and consciously decide what I wanted readers to see, feel and think about them.
To do that, I examined my own personal heroes. I have three men that I truly admire—two of whom that I’ve actually been fortunate enough to meet.
The first is Joe Paterno. If you don’t follow college football, you probably don’t know Joe Pa. He’s 79 and the long time coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions. This year he brought my Lions back from several heart-breaking losing seasons to a fantastic season that was only one second shy of perfect. But Coach Paterno’s mastery of the art of football isn’t why he’s my hero.
Joe Pa is my hero because in all his years, winning or losing, he’s never lost sight of the fact that football really is only a game. He’s always focused on the people playing the game, these young boys entrusted to his care and tutelage and who, for the most part, leave the program as men of principal and honor. His teams have had some of the highest graduation rates, highest GPA’s, and highest rates of post-graduate degrees of any in the nation. Joe (and his wife Sue) tutor “their kids”, have donated heavily to build a new library at Penn State, and have always opened their arms and their home to any player in need. Joe Pa is a gentleman in the true sense of the word.
My second hero is Gene Krantz. Yeah, you remember him from Ed Harris’ portrayal in Apollo 13. He’s the guy who coined the phrase “failure is not an option” and who literally saved lives by thinking outside the box. In this case, by configuring a square box, a carbon dioxide scrubber, to fit into a round hole. He’s also known for wearing vests that his wife made him during each Apollo mission he worked on. Cool under fire, knowing when to follow the rules and when to scrap the rule book, a guy you could depend on without hesitation.
My final hero is my Uncle Vinny. No laughing, that really is his name. On a school teacher’s salary, he and his wife raised five wonderful kids (I’ll never live it down if any of my cousins are reading this!) and created a home that was always filled with music, laughter, warm comfort, hot food and endless hugs. He taught me that any dream worth having is worth sacrificing for, that people come before money or reputation, that some principals you must defend or risk losing part of yourself by compromising them, and that when you look at the big picture, there just really isn’t a whole lot in this life worth getting too upset about. If you have your health, your family and a job you love, then you’ve got it all—so go, enjoy it already!
So those are my heroes. None of them are tall, dark or Hollywood handsome—I’m sure my judge would have given them all low scores. But I strive to include part of them into all of my fictional heroes. The best compliment any reader could give me is not when they tell me, “Ohhh, that Drake is soooo hunky and handsome, he made me melt!” Rather, it’s when someone says that they’ll never forget Drake (or any of my heros), that he inspired them or made them wish they could meet a man like him in real life.
When that happens, I thank Joe Pa, Gene and Uncle Vinny. I couldn’t have done it without you guys!
So, who are your heroes? What makes them stand out, become unforgettable, inspiring?
I’d love to know!
CJ
Cathryn J Lyons
No one is immune to danger….
BLINK OF AN EYE, “a perfect blend of romance and suspense.” --Sandra Brown
www.cjlyons.net
I was doing my usual end of the year de-cluttering—which basically involves moving piles of junk into new piles—when I came across a judging sheet from a contest I entered when I first joined RWA. Now, I’ve only entered 3, maybe 4, contests so I don’t know if this judge was typical or not, but her response to my entry is something that I’ll never forget.
See, my hero wasn’t six feet tall. A fact that actually endeared him to the heroine but that caused this judge to deduct multiple points and to write in several areas of the score sheet comments along the lines that I was “obviously a novice and knew nothing about the conventions of the romance genre”, that my novel “although well-written will never make it past a first reader at any publishing house unless you change your hero”, and “no New York editor will ever buy a book featuring a hero less than six feet tall.” There was more of the like, but you get the drift—she loved the story, liked the characters, but in her mind the entire work failed because of one physical characteristic.
At first I laughed. Especially as these results came on the heels of my Golden Heart final, winning the Golden Gateway and receiving my first book contract—not for the novel she judged, that was a work-in-progress. But then I realized that I was very much indebted to this judge and her comments.
Why? Because she made me think. She made me take a good hard look at my characters and consciously decide what I wanted readers to see, feel and think about them.
To do that, I examined my own personal heroes. I have three men that I truly admire—two of whom that I’ve actually been fortunate enough to meet.
The first is Joe Paterno. If you don’t follow college football, you probably don’t know Joe Pa. He’s 79 and the long time coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions. This year he brought my Lions back from several heart-breaking losing seasons to a fantastic season that was only one second shy of perfect. But Coach Paterno’s mastery of the art of football isn’t why he’s my hero.
Joe Pa is my hero because in all his years, winning or losing, he’s never lost sight of the fact that football really is only a game. He’s always focused on the people playing the game, these young boys entrusted to his care and tutelage and who, for the most part, leave the program as men of principal and honor. His teams have had some of the highest graduation rates, highest GPA’s, and highest rates of post-graduate degrees of any in the nation. Joe (and his wife Sue) tutor “their kids”, have donated heavily to build a new library at Penn State, and have always opened their arms and their home to any player in need. Joe Pa is a gentleman in the true sense of the word.
My second hero is Gene Krantz. Yeah, you remember him from Ed Harris’ portrayal in Apollo 13. He’s the guy who coined the phrase “failure is not an option” and who literally saved lives by thinking outside the box. In this case, by configuring a square box, a carbon dioxide scrubber, to fit into a round hole. He’s also known for wearing vests that his wife made him during each Apollo mission he worked on. Cool under fire, knowing when to follow the rules and when to scrap the rule book, a guy you could depend on without hesitation.
My final hero is my Uncle Vinny. No laughing, that really is his name. On a school teacher’s salary, he and his wife raised five wonderful kids (I’ll never live it down if any of my cousins are reading this!) and created a home that was always filled with music, laughter, warm comfort, hot food and endless hugs. He taught me that any dream worth having is worth sacrificing for, that people come before money or reputation, that some principals you must defend or risk losing part of yourself by compromising them, and that when you look at the big picture, there just really isn’t a whole lot in this life worth getting too upset about. If you have your health, your family and a job you love, then you’ve got it all—so go, enjoy it already!
So those are my heroes. None of them are tall, dark or Hollywood handsome—I’m sure my judge would have given them all low scores. But I strive to include part of them into all of my fictional heroes. The best compliment any reader could give me is not when they tell me, “Ohhh, that Drake is soooo hunky and handsome, he made me melt!” Rather, it’s when someone says that they’ll never forget Drake (or any of my heros), that he inspired them or made them wish they could meet a man like him in real life.
When that happens, I thank Joe Pa, Gene and Uncle Vinny. I couldn’t have done it without you guys!
So, who are your heroes? What makes them stand out, become unforgettable, inspiring?
I’d love to know!
CJ
Cathryn J Lyons
No one is immune to danger….
BLINK OF AN EYE, “a perfect blend of romance and suspense.” --Sandra Brown
www.cjlyons.net
Monday, February 20, 2006
Book Thoughts
Read a number of books last week. Got a second round of Rita books to read this week. (I read fast, so I figured I ought to do what I can--especially since that Book That Wouldn't End finally did.)
Anyway, last week, I read Catspell by Coleen Shannon; A Vision of Murder by Victoria Laurie; To The Brink by Cindy Gerard; My Lady Gamester by Cara King; Goddess of the Rose by P.C. Cast and Shadow Touch by Marjorie M. Liu
Hmm. Seems once again, I bounced through at least three different genres--maybe four, since the Laurie book is shelved with the mysteries in the store, not romance. (Her "detective" is a professional psychic with an FBI boyfriend--in this book, she invests in a house to "flip" that's haunted and gets in trouble while she's trying to resolve the haunting.) I liked all of these books, but two of them really punched my buttons.
I really loved the Gerard and the Liu books. Cindy Gerard also writes for Silhouette Desire--her bodyguard books must satisfy her inner need for suspense. This one is a very taut adventure suspense that travels from Florida to the Philippines and back, with a hot, believable reunion romance threaded through it. I even liked the flashbacks.
Marjorie M. Liu's book follows her debut Tiger Eye, but the books are so loosely connected, it doesn't matter if you've read the first one or not. The hero is a Russian with a paranormal talent--he can read history from everything he touches. The heroine has her own talent--healing. They're kidnapped by the same evil organization and encounter each other while being dragged through the corridors. This is another taut thriller with some very interesting additions and some great angst.
What have you read lately that you really loved? Why did you love it?
Anyway, last week, I read Catspell by Coleen Shannon; A Vision of Murder by Victoria Laurie; To The Brink by Cindy Gerard; My Lady Gamester by Cara King; Goddess of the Rose by P.C. Cast and Shadow Touch by Marjorie M. Liu
Hmm. Seems once again, I bounced through at least three different genres--maybe four, since the Laurie book is shelved with the mysteries in the store, not romance. (Her "detective" is a professional psychic with an FBI boyfriend--in this book, she invests in a house to "flip" that's haunted and gets in trouble while she's trying to resolve the haunting.) I liked all of these books, but two of them really punched my buttons.
I really loved the Gerard and the Liu books. Cindy Gerard also writes for Silhouette Desire--her bodyguard books must satisfy her inner need for suspense. This one is a very taut adventure suspense that travels from Florida to the Philippines and back, with a hot, believable reunion romance threaded through it. I even liked the flashbacks.
Marjorie M. Liu's book follows her debut Tiger Eye, but the books are so loosely connected, it doesn't matter if you've read the first one or not. The hero is a Russian with a paranormal talent--he can read history from everything he touches. The heroine has her own talent--healing. They're kidnapped by the same evil organization and encounter each other while being dragged through the corridors. This is another taut thriller with some very interesting additions and some great angst.
What have you read lately that you really loved? Why did you love it?
Saturday, February 18, 2006
The Other Obsession
Regular readers of this blog might have noted my post of a week or so ago in which I blogged about Binge Writing--the kind of writing that takes place as one is sliding into the end of a book.
Then there is the other sort of obsessive writing. The kind that takes place when one is beginning a new book. Most professional writers (whether published or not) tend to begin a new story almost as soon as they finish the old one. We might take a week or two, or a month, or a few days off. We might plunge in immediately upon sticking the previous book in the mail. (This is especially true for those with tight, back-to-back deadlines *cough*JoAnn Ross*cough*)
But I've found, no matter how long or short a time I take off between books (and I'm one of those that usually needs at least a day or two just to clear the brain), once the new book is launched, I become almost obsessive. The characters fill my mind. Plot points buzz around, possibilities crowd each other. I'm anxious to get started every day--even on the weekends, when I usually don't write--just to see what happens next.
Sometimes whole books can be written in this white heat of excitement. Most often, the obsession fades into the sort of day-to-day slog that can make writing sound no fun at all. But while I got it, I fully intend to enjoy it.
--Gail (happy with the sexy Victorian steam-punk blood magic fantasy she's started)
Then there is the other sort of obsessive writing. The kind that takes place when one is beginning a new book. Most professional writers (whether published or not) tend to begin a new story almost as soon as they finish the old one. We might take a week or two, or a month, or a few days off. We might plunge in immediately upon sticking the previous book in the mail. (This is especially true for those with tight, back-to-back deadlines *cough*JoAnn Ross*cough*)
But I've found, no matter how long or short a time I take off between books (and I'm one of those that usually needs at least a day or two just to clear the brain), once the new book is launched, I become almost obsessive. The characters fill my mind. Plot points buzz around, possibilities crowd each other. I'm anxious to get started every day--even on the weekends, when I usually don't write--just to see what happens next.
Sometimes whole books can be written in this white heat of excitement. Most often, the obsession fades into the sort of day-to-day slog that can make writing sound no fun at all. But while I got it, I fully intend to enjoy it.
--Gail (happy with the sexy Victorian steam-punk blood magic fantasy she's started)
Friday, February 17, 2006
From a Reliable Source
HarperCollins's Avon Books imprint is expanding its reach in one of the strongest genres of women's fiction, erotica, and launching its own line to produce trade paperbacks on the topic: Avon Red. Noting that the popularity of the genre is "increasing steadily," Avon's publisher, Liate Stehlik, said the imprint will look to "provide the best, most sophisticated erotic fiction available."
Following other romance publishers like Kensington, which announced its own erotica-dedicated line called Aphrodisia in October (PW Daily 10/28/05), Avon will also publish its new imprint's titles as e-books (a format which is particularly popular among readers of the genre). Avon Red will launch in June with two anthologies—Parlor Games and If This Bed Could Talk—with plans to release one title per month beginning in September. The imprint has already signed six titles in total, among them Toni Blake's Swept Away (September) and Cathryn Fox's Pleasure Control (December).
Following other romance publishers like Kensington, which announced its own erotica-dedicated line called Aphrodisia in October (PW Daily 10/28/05), Avon will also publish its new imprint's titles as e-books (a format which is particularly popular among readers of the genre). Avon Red will launch in June with two anthologies—Parlor Games and If This Bed Could Talk—with plans to release one title per month beginning in September. The imprint has already signed six titles in total, among them Toni Blake's Swept Away (September) and Cathryn Fox's Pleasure Control (December).
Thursday, February 16, 2006
The Call
The Call came last Tuesday, right after I drove away from school, my day job. I almost didn't answer the phone. I was in the car and figured it was probably one of my sons calling. Whatever they wanted, we could discuss it as soon as I made it home.
But I was still in the parking lot so I flipped open the phone. Maybe a ride hadn't come through.
"Terry, this is Paula, from Harlequin."
I pulled over.
The rest of the conversation is somewhat of a blur. Of course, I couldn't find the notebook that I always carry in the car (located it as soon as I pulled into the driveway and reached behind me for my purse!). I had to rely on my memory when I recounted the tale to my husband but the gist of the discussion came through loud and clear: "We want to buy your book!"
During my beginning writing years, I used to daydream about The Call. I wrote dialogue in my head for the editor and me, envisioning the kinds of things the editor would tell me. I wasn't sure what would be said, since I didn't have a writing group at that time and had never talked to a 'real author.' I had to rely on my imagination. I have to admit, some of my daydreams probably bore a strong resemblance to Ralphie's, from A Christmas Story, when he writes the greatest theme ever!
My first call came several years ago. Only certain aspects of that call are clear, also. Where I was standing when the phone rang. The fact that my mom was visiting and sitting just a few feet away from me. But just thinking about that afternoon can bring back the thrill of knowing that my words were going to be published, that my name was going to be on a book. Better than any daydream I ever had.
At one time, I wondered if the excitement of getting The Call would diminish. There would only be one first call, one first book. Would my heart race and my breath catch the next time?
For me, it does! I think it's because each book has been a new and exciting adventure. The Call last week was my first call from Harlequin and it's for a new line. The book is one that has been close to my heart since I first wrote it. It's a little different than my other books, longer in both words and time period, and not the type of book that was being published. But the story wouldn't leave me alone, I had to write it, and then I bided my time, writing other things. Once I heard about Harlequin's new line -- first called Epic, now Everlasting -- I knew where I was going to send my manuscript.
This week, I've been bombarded with congratulations from friends in town and online. The outpouring of good wishes have kept me smiling so much, I feel like I'm back at my wedding. When I'm in the midst of the revisions and business aspects of this new adventure, that's what I'll fall back on to keep going.
And, of course, the thrill that winged up my spine when I heard those first words: "Terry, this is Paula, from Harlequin."
So, how does/did The Call affect you? And, please, let me know the excitement never goes away!
But I was still in the parking lot so I flipped open the phone. Maybe a ride hadn't come through.
"Terry, this is Paula, from Harlequin."
I pulled over.
The rest of the conversation is somewhat of a blur. Of course, I couldn't find the notebook that I always carry in the car (located it as soon as I pulled into the driveway and reached behind me for my purse!). I had to rely on my memory when I recounted the tale to my husband but the gist of the discussion came through loud and clear: "We want to buy your book!"
During my beginning writing years, I used to daydream about The Call. I wrote dialogue in my head for the editor and me, envisioning the kinds of things the editor would tell me. I wasn't sure what would be said, since I didn't have a writing group at that time and had never talked to a 'real author.' I had to rely on my imagination. I have to admit, some of my daydreams probably bore a strong resemblance to Ralphie's, from A Christmas Story, when he writes the greatest theme ever!
My first call came several years ago. Only certain aspects of that call are clear, also. Where I was standing when the phone rang. The fact that my mom was visiting and sitting just a few feet away from me. But just thinking about that afternoon can bring back the thrill of knowing that my words were going to be published, that my name was going to be on a book. Better than any daydream I ever had.
At one time, I wondered if the excitement of getting The Call would diminish. There would only be one first call, one first book. Would my heart race and my breath catch the next time?
For me, it does! I think it's because each book has been a new and exciting adventure. The Call last week was my first call from Harlequin and it's for a new line. The book is one that has been close to my heart since I first wrote it. It's a little different than my other books, longer in both words and time period, and not the type of book that was being published. But the story wouldn't leave me alone, I had to write it, and then I bided my time, writing other things. Once I heard about Harlequin's new line -- first called Epic, now Everlasting -- I knew where I was going to send my manuscript.
This week, I've been bombarded with congratulations from friends in town and online. The outpouring of good wishes have kept me smiling so much, I feel like I'm back at my wedding. When I'm in the midst of the revisions and business aspects of this new adventure, that's what I'll fall back on to keep going.
And, of course, the thrill that winged up my spine when I heard those first words: "Terry, this is Paula, from Harlequin."
So, how does/did The Call affect you? And, please, let me know the excitement never goes away!
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Champagne, Confetti and Congrats...
to Stephanie Feagan for her sale to Natashya Wilson at Silhouette Bombshell. Tentative title is BLOWOUT and the book is about a petroleum engineer who fights well fires and searches for those responsible for a succession of blowouts that spark a worldwide oil crisis and the possibility of another World War.
A Valentine's Bouquet
Even though my backyard is filled with snow and ice, I have a vase of tulips on my desk. They remind me that spring is just around the corner, but they also have a special significance for my life as an author. They are a gift from my local Romance Writers of America chapter for my book sales for 2005. And the wonderful part is that I wasn't the only one to receive a bouquet.
Every year, on the Sunday closest to Valentine's Day, my chapter celebrates its achievements with a Valentine's Brunch. We've done it for 11 years, ever since Harlequin author Joyce Sullivan introduced the tradition. It's a chance to recognize all those accomplishments it's so easy to overlook in a busy life and career. A book sale. A good placement in a writing conference. Volunteer work for the chapter. We even have awards to take the sting out of dreaded rejection letters. And the highlight is the Jo Beverley First Book Award, named for one of the founding members of our chapter.
I received my first book award two years ago. There is my book cover on the wall, beautifully framed, to act as inspiration. This year, it was a delight to watch our latest winner glow as she accepted her award.
Now it is my chance to 'pay it forward'. Next month, I'm giving my first solo writing workshop. I've called it 'Burning Up the Page' and, surprise, it's about writing erotic romance and love scenes. Even though I write erotic romance, I'm one of those shy and retiring authors, so no doubt I'll blush the whole way through. But by giving a workshop, I will have challenged myself and will have met another goal.
And that's why my tulips make me smile. They remind me that good things blossom when you have support to reach for your dreams.
Every year, on the Sunday closest to Valentine's Day, my chapter celebrates its achievements with a Valentine's Brunch. We've done it for 11 years, ever since Harlequin author Joyce Sullivan introduced the tradition. It's a chance to recognize all those accomplishments it's so easy to overlook in a busy life and career. A book sale. A good placement in a writing conference. Volunteer work for the chapter. We even have awards to take the sting out of dreaded rejection letters. And the highlight is the Jo Beverley First Book Award, named for one of the founding members of our chapter.
I received my first book award two years ago. There is my book cover on the wall, beautifully framed, to act as inspiration. This year, it was a delight to watch our latest winner glow as she accepted her award.
Now it is my chance to 'pay it forward'. Next month, I'm giving my first solo writing workshop. I've called it 'Burning Up the Page' and, surprise, it's about writing erotic romance and love scenes. Even though I write erotic romance, I'm one of those shy and retiring authors, so no doubt I'll blush the whole way through. But by giving a workshop, I will have challenged myself and will have met another goal.
And that's why my tulips make me smile. They remind me that good things blossom when you have support to reach for your dreams.
Monday, February 13, 2006
If Not Now, When?
If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now -- when?"
-- Hillel
Recently my father-in-law passed away. Grief has hit me in unexpected ways. I think about how short the human lifespan really is.
My father-in-law lived nearly 91 years, which is but a blink in time. On the other hand, 91 years is along life span for human beings. A person can accomplish a great deal in 91 years. I suppose that’s why the above three questions have been on my mind.
Social and family issues aside (those would take a whole other blog ...), I’ve been thinking what I want to accomplish as a writer. Which brings me to three friends, all writers. I named us the Goal Girls because when we get together, setting and reviewing goals are our main purpose. We meet roughly every other month to review our goals and when necessary, tweak them. Most important, we hold each other to those goals. So they’d better be concrete, reachable, and measurable. We also drink coffee, eat lunch, laugh, cry, gossip and occasionally meet for something non-goal related, like have our Tarot cards read.
A few weeks ago we met to review our one and five-year professional goals. Putting this plan together was hard! But the Goal Girls know that in order for the Universe to provide, we must set concrete goals for ourselves. I like to set hard to reach (but not impossible) goals for myself. Looking at the three questions above) if I don’t push myself to excel, who will?
Helping my writer friends, in particular the Goal Girls, accomplish their goals and dreams is what I will do to answer the second question.
The third question, if not now, when? Applies to all of us. It is so easy to put off chores or hard work with excuses. How many of us have never said, “I’ll do it later?” I catch myself saying that more than I care to admit.
I guess what I’m saying is, despite the short time we are here (if you believe in reincarnation, and sometimes I do, I’m talking THIS life), we can accomplish a great deal, especially we have a concrete (though fluid and changeable) plan in place.
Happy goal-setting!
Wishing you your wildest dreams....
-- Hillel
Recently my father-in-law passed away. Grief has hit me in unexpected ways. I think about how short the human lifespan really is.
My father-in-law lived nearly 91 years, which is but a blink in time. On the other hand, 91 years is along life span for human beings. A person can accomplish a great deal in 91 years. I suppose that’s why the above three questions have been on my mind.
Social and family issues aside (those would take a whole other blog ...), I’ve been thinking what I want to accomplish as a writer. Which brings me to three friends, all writers. I named us the Goal Girls because when we get together, setting and reviewing goals are our main purpose. We meet roughly every other month to review our goals and when necessary, tweak them. Most important, we hold each other to those goals. So they’d better be concrete, reachable, and measurable. We also drink coffee, eat lunch, laugh, cry, gossip and occasionally meet for something non-goal related, like have our Tarot cards read.
A few weeks ago we met to review our one and five-year professional goals. Putting this plan together was hard! But the Goal Girls know that in order for the Universe to provide, we must set concrete goals for ourselves. I like to set hard to reach (but not impossible) goals for myself. Looking at the three questions above) if I don’t push myself to excel, who will?
Helping my writer friends, in particular the Goal Girls, accomplish their goals and dreams is what I will do to answer the second question.
The third question, if not now, when? Applies to all of us. It is so easy to put off chores or hard work with excuses. How many of us have never said, “I’ll do it later?” I catch myself saying that more than I care to admit.
I guess what I’m saying is, despite the short time we are here (if you believe in reincarnation, and sometimes I do, I’m talking THIS life), we can accomplish a great deal, especially we have a concrete (though fluid and changeable) plan in place.
Happy goal-setting!
Wishing you your wildest dreams....
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Sunday thoughts
It occurs to me that I don't actually have any Sunday thoughts. Sundays are for not-thinking. And church and naps and and working the NYT crossword puzzle (which I'm not sure qualifies as real thinking--and I didn't cheat today but a little tiny bit) and stuff like that. And for reading.
Is there anything better than curling up with a good book on a lazy Sunday afternoon? And now that I've finished the Book That Would Not End, I'm taking a few days off to read.
This past week, I read four really good books in four different genres/subgenres. Anne Stuart's The Devil's Waltz is a Regency era (I think--19th century British, anyway) historical romance with her patented so-bad boy. Rachel Gibson's Sex, Lies and Online Dating is a contemporary romantic comedy with a dash of suspense. To the Brink by Cindy Gerard is a hard-driving romantic suspense adventure-in-the-jungle, and The Destined Queen by Deborah Hale is a romantic fantasy about a war of liberation with magic. I enjoyed every one of them immensely. (Hmm--I read Cathie Linz's Good Girls Do, as well, but couldn't find it when I went looking for this week's books...it was great too--a really fun romantic comedy with depth, about a librarian and a bad boy.)
I think I read so many different types of books first, because it takes a lot of books to fill me up, and second, because I'm the type that likes a lot of variety. My dad has lived on the Breakfast of Champions--his bowl of Wheaties--as long as I can remember, and my mom's about the same. I want something different nearly every day. (Though I do occasionally binge on Honey Nut Cheerios several days in a row.) When I order fajitas in a restaurant and people ask whether I want beef or chicken, I usually say "Can I have both?" And I like my quesadillas with spinach and chicken. Same thing in my reading. I want it all.
Anyway, I acknowledge that I probably read in more romance subgenres than most but what are your favorites and why? Which subgenres do you read outside the one you write (if you're a writer)?
Is there anything better than curling up with a good book on a lazy Sunday afternoon? And now that I've finished the Book That Would Not End, I'm taking a few days off to read.
This past week, I read four really good books in four different genres/subgenres. Anne Stuart's The Devil's Waltz is a Regency era (I think--19th century British, anyway) historical romance with her patented so-bad boy. Rachel Gibson's Sex, Lies and Online Dating is a contemporary romantic comedy with a dash of suspense. To the Brink by Cindy Gerard is a hard-driving romantic suspense adventure-in-the-jungle, and The Destined Queen by Deborah Hale is a romantic fantasy about a war of liberation with magic. I enjoyed every one of them immensely. (Hmm--I read Cathie Linz's Good Girls Do, as well, but couldn't find it when I went looking for this week's books...it was great too--a really fun romantic comedy with depth, about a librarian and a bad boy.)
I think I read so many different types of books first, because it takes a lot of books to fill me up, and second, because I'm the type that likes a lot of variety. My dad has lived on the Breakfast of Champions--his bowl of Wheaties--as long as I can remember, and my mom's about the same. I want something different nearly every day. (Though I do occasionally binge on Honey Nut Cheerios several days in a row.) When I order fajitas in a restaurant and people ask whether I want beef or chicken, I usually say "Can I have both?" And I like my quesadillas with spinach and chicken. Same thing in my reading. I want it all.
Anyway, I acknowledge that I probably read in more romance subgenres than most but what are your favorites and why? Which subgenres do you read outside the one you write (if you're a writer)?
Friday, February 10, 2006
Making Gold out of Silver Amalgams
There's not much worse, in my opinion, than sitting for 4-1/2 hours (count them!) in your dentist's reclining version of Dante's 9th Level of Hell (Click here for a test to see which level of Dante's hell you'll be banished to). My dentist warned me that it might be a long visit and said I might be as long as 3 hours -- the big fibber.
So on Tuesday I went prepared with things to keep me busy. I brought two novels, C.S. Lewis's Literary Essays, my Alpha Smart, notebook paper, notes from my work in progress, and even a Land's End Overstock catalogue.
The first hour passed rather pleasantly. I finished reading the first novel and cracked open the second. It seemed familiar. By page 3 I realized I'd read it two years ago. The catalogue only held my attention for about 5 minutes until I realized that all the sizes were far too small for my soccer-mom body. Next I began reading C.S. Lewis and while I am fascinated by his essays, even in the best of times (and the dental office is way below worst of times) I have to do mental gymnastics to keep up with him. Wasn't gonna happen.
After 37 shots of novocaine (okay, it wasn't really 37, it just seemed like it), the second hour passed with hair-raising accoutrements being crammed inside my pea-sized mouth, then being forcibly evicted -- like a tenant who has overstayed his lease.
During the next break, my brain was in no condition to return to good ol' C.S., so I then opened my book notes. I'm writing a romp, but couldn't feel less romp-like, so I discarded that idea as the dentist returned and ripped my lips from my face (well, that's what it felt like).
I needed a different story. Perhaps I should write something involving a serial killer with a tooth-fetish? A Frankenstein-ish creature with a drill? A beach-bum hopped up on nitrous-oxide?
When I was given a break after the third hour of agony, I ran for the bathroom, locked the door and wondered what they'd do if I refused to come out and return to the torture recliner?
The cute dental assistant Intern tapped nervously on the door after about 15 minutes and asked if I was still conscious. I assured her I was (earlier I'd assured her that I wouldn't bite her but only kept that promise for the first 2-1/2 hours, so I'm not sure she believed me this time). She asked if I planned to come out. Now this Intern was really sweet, really young, and this was her first day ever working in a dental office after 8 months of schooling. Could my conscience handle the responsibility of scaring her off the job? Ohhhh, yeah. It could. I truly thought about opening the door and running for the exit.
The problem was that my tooth had been readied, but my temporary crown was not on it yet. Once the novocaine wore off, I'd regret skeddadling before the dentist finished with me. With a sigh, I agreed to return to the hot seat.
Another hour and a half later, I finally got to leave, but was hell-day over yet? Not by a long shot. At the desk on my way out, I was forced to pay big bucks for my anguish.
I plan for revenge, though, because I managed to plot a new story with oh-so-coincidentally a villain whose first name is identical to my dentist's. The last time I had a long visit like this one, I ended up plotting (and selling to a confessions magazine) a short story about an evil dentist. Pay back can be lucrative :D -- Kathy Carmichael
So on Tuesday I went prepared with things to keep me busy. I brought two novels, C.S. Lewis's Literary Essays, my Alpha Smart, notebook paper, notes from my work in progress, and even a Land's End Overstock catalogue.
The first hour passed rather pleasantly. I finished reading the first novel and cracked open the second. It seemed familiar. By page 3 I realized I'd read it two years ago. The catalogue only held my attention for about 5 minutes until I realized that all the sizes were far too small for my soccer-mom body. Next I began reading C.S. Lewis and while I am fascinated by his essays, even in the best of times (and the dental office is way below worst of times) I have to do mental gymnastics to keep up with him. Wasn't gonna happen.
After 37 shots of novocaine (okay, it wasn't really 37, it just seemed like it), the second hour passed with hair-raising accoutrements being crammed inside my pea-sized mouth, then being forcibly evicted -- like a tenant who has overstayed his lease.
During the next break, my brain was in no condition to return to good ol' C.S., so I then opened my book notes. I'm writing a romp, but couldn't feel less romp-like, so I discarded that idea as the dentist returned and ripped my lips from my face (well, that's what it felt like).
I needed a different story. Perhaps I should write something involving a serial killer with a tooth-fetish? A Frankenstein-ish creature with a drill? A beach-bum hopped up on nitrous-oxide?
When I was given a break after the third hour of agony, I ran for the bathroom, locked the door and wondered what they'd do if I refused to come out and return to the torture recliner?
The cute dental assistant Intern tapped nervously on the door after about 15 minutes and asked if I was still conscious. I assured her I was (earlier I'd assured her that I wouldn't bite her but only kept that promise for the first 2-1/2 hours, so I'm not sure she believed me this time). She asked if I planned to come out. Now this Intern was really sweet, really young, and this was her first day ever working in a dental office after 8 months of schooling. Could my conscience handle the responsibility of scaring her off the job? Ohhhh, yeah. It could. I truly thought about opening the door and running for the exit.
The problem was that my tooth had been readied, but my temporary crown was not on it yet. Once the novocaine wore off, I'd regret skeddadling before the dentist finished with me. With a sigh, I agreed to return to the hot seat.
Another hour and a half later, I finally got to leave, but was hell-day over yet? Not by a long shot. At the desk on my way out, I was forced to pay big bucks for my anguish.
I plan for revenge, though, because I managed to plot a new story with oh-so-coincidentally a villain whose first name is identical to my dentist's. The last time I had a long visit like this one, I ended up plotting (and selling to a confessions magazine) a short story about an evil dentist. Pay back can be lucrative :D -- Kathy Carmichael
Thursday, February 09, 2006
That's Amore!
Love is in the air, or so the song goes. February is the month when all the world celebrates love and romance. Valentine’s Day in the middle of the month brings it all to a peak with cards and flowers and gifts and romantic dates. But, heck, we’re romance writers--we celebrate love and romance every day of the year. Love flows through every part of our writing. Love is the most important element of the novels we write. We plan it, we feel it, and we allow our readers to experience the highs and lows of it in everything we create.
We know how important the relationship between men and women are. We build stories around, under and through relationships. We know how important it is to express our feelings of love. It those expressions and vows, or lack thereof, that give conflict and motivation to our characters. It is how we and our readers know that those characters are alive and worthy of a happy ending.
In February however, we allow ‘normal’ people to share in the wonderful world of love. During the rest of the year, we blend in (or try to!) with the rest of the world and tout the glories of being in love from behind the scenes. In February, we are no longer those somewhat strange outsiders who hear voices and see visions and write words that we are compelled to write by some internal force too strong to ignore - we are in the mainstream. Love is in the air for everyone and that includes us!
I urge to you sit back and enjoy this month because once it ends only writers of paranormal romance get to be ‘normal’ in March -- those who write of the ‘fae’ and ‘little people’ and ‘fairy circles’ will have their moment as we approach St. Patrick’s Day. For now, smile a bit smugly when someone wishes you a Happy Valentine’s Day because you know that they celebrate love and romance but once a year while romance writers enjoy it every day!
As in the past, romance authors have been asked for more interviews and invited to more events and activities during the two weeks leading up to Valentine's Day than any other time of the year and I'd like to mention two of them for anyone interested. This Thursday, February 9, 6 romance authors will be serving as 'romance experts' in a Pitney Bowes event at Grand Central Terminal in NYC! Pitney Bowes is providing Valentine's Day greeting cards and the postage to send them to anyone in world at their exhibit about the importance of communication in Vanderbilt Hall. Please stop by and say hello if you're in the area between 7am and 12noon.
The second one is the CBS Sunday Morning Show on Sunday, February 12th from 9:00-10:30am -- the program is scheduled to be about the romance industry and will feature some of the events from last year's RWA Conference in Reno, NV as well as interviews and film about romance readers' groups and authors. Take a peek and see how it turns out-- hopefully it will help us to share our enthusiasm about happily-ever- after with the rest of the world.
Happy Valentine's Day - enjoy our day!
Terri Brisbin
We know how important the relationship between men and women are. We build stories around, under and through relationships. We know how important it is to express our feelings of love. It those expressions and vows, or lack thereof, that give conflict and motivation to our characters. It is how we and our readers know that those characters are alive and worthy of a happy ending.
In February however, we allow ‘normal’ people to share in the wonderful world of love. During the rest of the year, we blend in (or try to!) with the rest of the world and tout the glories of being in love from behind the scenes. In February, we are no longer those somewhat strange outsiders who hear voices and see visions and write words that we are compelled to write by some internal force too strong to ignore - we are in the mainstream. Love is in the air for everyone and that includes us!
I urge to you sit back and enjoy this month because once it ends only writers of paranormal romance get to be ‘normal’ in March -- those who write of the ‘fae’ and ‘little people’ and ‘fairy circles’ will have their moment as we approach St. Patrick’s Day. For now, smile a bit smugly when someone wishes you a Happy Valentine’s Day because you know that they celebrate love and romance but once a year while romance writers enjoy it every day!
As in the past, romance authors have been asked for more interviews and invited to more events and activities during the two weeks leading up to Valentine's Day than any other time of the year and I'd like to mention two of them for anyone interested. This Thursday, February 9, 6 romance authors will be serving as 'romance experts' in a Pitney Bowes event at Grand Central Terminal in NYC! Pitney Bowes is providing Valentine's Day greeting cards and the postage to send them to anyone in world at their exhibit about the importance of communication in Vanderbilt Hall. Please stop by and say hello if you're in the area between 7am and 12noon.
The second one is the CBS Sunday Morning Show on Sunday, February 12th from 9:00-10:30am -- the program is scheduled to be about the romance industry and will feature some of the events from last year's RWA Conference in Reno, NV as well as interviews and film about romance readers' groups and authors. Take a peek and see how it turns out-- hopefully it will help us to share our enthusiasm about happily-ever- after with the rest of the world.
Happy Valentine's Day - enjoy our day!
Terri Brisbin
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Champagne, Confetti, and Congrats. . .
PASIC member Janice Maynard not only received a glowing review on WNBC.com for her January release, Suite Fantasy, in a terrific interview, she also -- to quote WNBC columnist Michelle Buonfiglio -- "shared intimate secrets about sexual fantasy, monogamous love, and the Carter administration."
When asked what had inspired her to write Suite Fantasy, Janice responded, "We see and hear so many sleazy sex stories on the news and in movies. But psychologists tell us that fantasy can be an important part of a healthy sex life. I wanted to write about something really exciting that happens in the context of monogamous love. I basically let my imagination run wild, and Suite Fantasy was the result."
When asked what had inspired her to write Suite Fantasy, Janice responded, "We see and hear so many sleazy sex stories on the news and in movies. But psychologists tell us that fantasy can be an important part of a healthy sex life. I wanted to write about something really exciting that happens in the context of monogamous love. I basically let my imagination run wild, and Suite Fantasy was the result."
Champagne, Confetti and Congrats...
to Terry McDermid on her sale to editor Paula Eckelhoff for the brand spanking new Harlequin Everlasting line. The epic's working title is Family Stories. It follows a couple through 75 years of marriage and is seen through the eyes of their 3 daughters, a granddaughter and a great-granddaughter.
Though the series will launch in February 2007 , they haven't told Terry her pub date yet.
P.S. With all the good news lately, the confetti is getting rather deep in here, JoAnn. Where's that Bayou Bad Boy hunk you promised to send to sweep up?
Though the series will launch in February 2007 , they haven't told Terry her pub date yet.
P.S. With all the good news lately, the confetti is getting rather deep in here, JoAnn. Where's that Bayou Bad Boy hunk you promised to send to sweep up?
2 B Watched!
Our very own Terri Brisbin will appear (in what she promises is her very best disguise as a glamorous romance author) on the CBS Sunday Morning show, this Sunday, February 12th from 9 to 10:30. (EST? CST? Check your local listings.) She and Eloisa James were filmed at a Romance Readers group for a segment the show is doing all about the romance industry. You won't want to miss it.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Judging a Book by its Cover
We’ve all done it, walked down the aisles of a book store in a desperate search for just the right thing to read. In the mood for something different, a new author to try. So we reach out and grab…
Wait. Stop right there. Why are you grabbing that book?
Most likely because of the cover. Which happens to be a bit of a sore point for me right now because my debut release, BLINK OF AN EYE, has been delayed because of problems with the cover. That’s right, not a single word in the book has changed, but since what’s on the cover can make or break a new author, BLINK is on hold.
As much as I was anticipating BLINK’s release (and those who know me were anxiously awaiting it so that I could shut up about it already, LOL!) I see this as an opportunity. A chance to get a really smashing, eye-grabbing, you must buy this book or die! cover.
But, hmmm….what to put on the new cover? One thing my editor did ask was that I send her a new head shot. The one they’d previously chosen made me look “too kind”. Kind is bad? I asked. For an author who writes dark, edgy suspense it is, she answered. That’s what we want, a picture of you that’s dark and edgy. After all, all your books are about how no one’s immune to danger.
Oooookay, I sigh. Despite the fact that having my photo taken ranks up there with root canal in my list of things to avoid, I sign up to have another photo taken by a professional. Although by then, I’ll probably be so dark and edgy after waiting for BLINK to be released, that I might pose with a scalpel pressed to my throat or clenched between my teeth!
BLINK has been blessed with fantastic cover quotes (Sandra Brown, Heather Graham, Susan Wiggs, and more). The short synopsis of the book on the back cover and inside flap were good, catchy and compelling without revealing too much of the plot. The main problem was the actual cover art—the one thing on the cover totally out of my control, of course.
So what makes for a good cover?
For a look at some fantastic ones, check out our own PASIC finalists in the Houston Bay Area RWA’s cover art contest. Now those are some eye-grabbing works of art!!
As for what I want, I told my editor the only things I was opposed to were a woman running away or an image of a woman being victimized. Isn’t anyone else out there sick to death of frightened women racing down dark alleys, the shadow of a menacing man following them? The women in my novels are strong, smart and stand their ground, a fact that can get them into trouble, but that’s another story. And I’ve worked with far too many real-life victims to have that kind of image broadcast on my book covers.
But how do you make a cover strong, smart, sexy, appealing and able to sell an unknown author? What kind of images grab you? Make you want to plunk down $25 of your hard earned cash and take a gamble on a new author?
Anyone with the answers, please share them! And who knows, your ideas might end up helping to create a new cover for BLINK OF AN EYE!
Thanks for reading!
CJ
Wait. Stop right there. Why are you grabbing that book?
Most likely because of the cover. Which happens to be a bit of a sore point for me right now because my debut release, BLINK OF AN EYE, has been delayed because of problems with the cover. That’s right, not a single word in the book has changed, but since what’s on the cover can make or break a new author, BLINK is on hold.
As much as I was anticipating BLINK’s release (and those who know me were anxiously awaiting it so that I could shut up about it already, LOL!) I see this as an opportunity. A chance to get a really smashing, eye-grabbing, you must buy this book or die! cover.
But, hmmm….what to put on the new cover? One thing my editor did ask was that I send her a new head shot. The one they’d previously chosen made me look “too kind”. Kind is bad? I asked. For an author who writes dark, edgy suspense it is, she answered. That’s what we want, a picture of you that’s dark and edgy. After all, all your books are about how no one’s immune to danger.
Oooookay, I sigh. Despite the fact that having my photo taken ranks up there with root canal in my list of things to avoid, I sign up to have another photo taken by a professional. Although by then, I’ll probably be so dark and edgy after waiting for BLINK to be released, that I might pose with a scalpel pressed to my throat or clenched between my teeth!
BLINK has been blessed with fantastic cover quotes (Sandra Brown, Heather Graham, Susan Wiggs, and more). The short synopsis of the book on the back cover and inside flap were good, catchy and compelling without revealing too much of the plot. The main problem was the actual cover art—the one thing on the cover totally out of my control, of course.
So what makes for a good cover?
For a look at some fantastic ones, check out our own PASIC finalists in the Houston Bay Area RWA’s cover art contest. Now those are some eye-grabbing works of art!!
As for what I want, I told my editor the only things I was opposed to were a woman running away or an image of a woman being victimized. Isn’t anyone else out there sick to death of frightened women racing down dark alleys, the shadow of a menacing man following them? The women in my novels are strong, smart and stand their ground, a fact that can get them into trouble, but that’s another story. And I’ve worked with far too many real-life victims to have that kind of image broadcast on my book covers.
But how do you make a cover strong, smart, sexy, appealing and able to sell an unknown author? What kind of images grab you? Make you want to plunk down $25 of your hard earned cash and take a gamble on a new author?
Anyone with the answers, please share them! And who knows, your ideas might end up helping to create a new cover for BLINK OF AN EYE!
Thanks for reading!
CJ
Monday, February 06, 2006
Confetti and Champagne!
Congratulations to our own JoAnn Ross (BLAZE) and Colleen Thompson (FADE THE HEAT) who finaled in romantic suspense in the new book cover contest sponsored by Houston Bay Area RWA!!! Our fabulous PASIC prez Kerrelyn Sparks (HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE VAMPIRE) finaled in paranormal!!! And last but not least, Teresa Bodwell (LOVING MERCY) finaled in historical!!! Check out their awesome covers.
AND one more! Geri Buckley (FOR PETE'S SAKE) finaled in the single title/mainstream category!
Woo hoo! Let's hear it for some awesome artists and the fine writers who gave them the inspiration!
AND one more! Geri Buckley (FOR PETE'S SAKE) finaled in the single title/mainstream category!
Woo hoo! Let's hear it for some awesome artists and the fine writers who gave them the inspiration!
Monday Musings...
The other day, one of my neighbors came over for a visit.
While we were sitting in my living room having coffee, I couldn’t help but notice all the furtive glances she was shooting at my TBR pile.
Okay. It’s not really one pile of books. It’s more like five piles. (And those are just the ones in my living room. I have more in my bedroom. And in my office.) I have the books sorted by their TBR order, though the order is constantly changing. Some new releases go to the top of the stack (because of great PR, for example) while others get moved down a little.
Anyway, there we were, sitting in my living room, making small talk when she suddenly turns to me.
“Why do you have so many books?”
She’d had this look of semi-horror on her face when she’d asked me the question, too. I’d seen that look before. It was the look of a non-reader. It was as if she’d just discovered one of her neighbors had a meth lab in their living room, instead of 20 odd books waiting to be read.
Anyway, as I sipped my coffee this morning, I started thinking about my TBR piles and how non-readers can’t understand the concept of buying more books to read when you haven’t finished reading the ones already stacked in your living room. But she did have a point, I suppose. It’s probably time I started making a dent in at least one of those piles.
So, my question for this soon-to-be-snowy February morning is this: How many books do you usually have in your TBR pile(s)? And how do you decide which books to read first?
While we were sitting in my living room having coffee, I couldn’t help but notice all the furtive glances she was shooting at my TBR pile.
Okay. It’s not really one pile of books. It’s more like five piles. (And those are just the ones in my living room. I have more in my bedroom. And in my office.) I have the books sorted by their TBR order, though the order is constantly changing. Some new releases go to the top of the stack (because of great PR, for example) while others get moved down a little.
Anyway, there we were, sitting in my living room, making small talk when she suddenly turns to me.
“Why do you have so many books?”
She’d had this look of semi-horror on her face when she’d asked me the question, too. I’d seen that look before. It was the look of a non-reader. It was as if she’d just discovered one of her neighbors had a meth lab in their living room, instead of 20 odd books waiting to be read.
Anyway, as I sipped my coffee this morning, I started thinking about my TBR piles and how non-readers can’t understand the concept of buying more books to read when you haven’t finished reading the ones already stacked in your living room. But she did have a point, I suppose. It’s probably time I started making a dent in at least one of those piles.
So, my question for this soon-to-be-snowy February morning is this: How many books do you usually have in your TBR pile(s)? And how do you decide which books to read first?
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Yeah, honey, I'm working...
Today, I'm supposed to be working on my book that's due March 1, as well as a proposal due Monday. Oh, and the one due the 13th. The deadlines are stacking up, fast and furious, and I am resolutely sitting in front of the computer...Playing FreeCell.
Hello, my name is Shirley and I'm a FreeCell addict.
It's the dang statistics that get me. I want to see my percentage of wins increase. If I lose a game, I have to play, and win, two to make up for the lost one. Otherwise, my stats will go down. I tell myself I'm keeping my mind sharp for old age (despite the fact that I haven't yet crested the hill). That I'm giving my overworked hands a rest. That I do it for relaxation.
Yep, I'm a true addict. I'm justifying, you see. Giving all these more or less plausible reasons why playing FreeCell (instead of working) is a good thing for me. Every time I try to quit, I start dreaming about putting red Jacks on black Queens. Replaying lost games, knowing if I had moved that five instead of the four, I would have won.
People have told me to delete, to expunge the FreeCell devil from my computer altogether. Being that it came pre-installed with Windows, I tell myself something dire and cosmic will happen if I mess with Windows.
Uh-huh. That's what I said about that donut I crammed in my face yesterday, too.
FreeCell does have its merits. It requires just a bit of skill and strategy and when I am stressed, it's an instant soother. Until I look up and realize I've spent a half an hour moving cards around. Then I panic again about work.
Starting today, I am not playing FreeCell anymore. Not until all my projects are done. But wait. I haven't finished game #28159. If I resign the game, it goes down as a loss. FreeCell doesn't understand noble intentions.
Okay, one more game and then I'll quit. I promise. :-)
Shirley Jump
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Why do you write erotic romance?
My latest book, BAD BOYS AHOY!, released this month and because of that I did a lot of interviews as part of my promotion plan for the book. One of the interview questions that came up with some regularity asked why I write erotic romance.
...the pivotal turning points of the romance happen during the unguarded intimacy of lovemaking.
Basically, the sex can't be removed without damaging the story. Yes, the sex is hot and graphic, but the reasons my characters are having sex with each other are emotional. It may not be love (at first). It may be fear of intimacy, or anger at unfamiliar vulnerability. The range of emotions is wide, and each unique character has their own motivations, but in my stories falling in love happens while falling into bed.
I love it. I love writing the angst, the emotion, the passion, the romance. One of my editors, Kate Duffy, said, "Erotic romance is sexual love and desire combined with deep emotional commitment. It is not erotica. It is, first and foremost, romance, exemplified by its sexual expression."
I love expressing romance through physical intimacy, and I'm grateful everyday that the market is embracing the genre so warmly.
Interviewer: Have all your books been erotic romance stories? Why do you think you're drawn to that genre?
Sylvia: Yes, I write exclusively erotic romance. In my stories, the pivotal turning points of the romance happen during the unguarded intimacy of lovemaking. Afterwards, the increased sexual tension between the characters as they struggle to stay emotionally distant while physically craving each other is powerful, and oftentimes heart wrenching.
That's where the joy of writing comes into play for me. Those moments in a love story are what make this job my dream career.
...the pivotal turning points of the romance happen during the unguarded intimacy of lovemaking.
Basically, the sex can't be removed without damaging the story. Yes, the sex is hot and graphic, but the reasons my characters are having sex with each other are emotional. It may not be love (at first). It may be fear of intimacy, or anger at unfamiliar vulnerability. The range of emotions is wide, and each unique character has their own motivations, but in my stories falling in love happens while falling into bed.
I love it. I love writing the angst, the emotion, the passion, the romance. One of my editors, Kate Duffy, said, "Erotic romance is sexual love and desire combined with deep emotional commitment. It is not erotica. It is, first and foremost, romance, exemplified by its sexual expression."
I love expressing romance through physical intimacy, and I'm grateful everyday that the market is embracing the genre so warmly.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Had I Known
This was the blog I intended to write until I forgot what I wanted to write about. Sigh.
Last week I received a questionnaire with the question, "What's the one thing you wish you had known before you began writing?"
In all honesty, I can't answer the question. I thought about it for days, but I can't say that there's anything I wish I had known.
If I had known that sometimes it takes a decade--or more--to sell a novel, I may never have tried.
If I had known that most unpublished writers never sell, I may have stopped after my ninety-seventh rejection.
If I had known about Brenda Hiatt's "Show Me The Money" page, I may never have dreamed I could quit my day job.
If I had known the second book was often harder to sell than the first, I may never have started that second book . . . or wrote the five it took to sell.
I learned so much through RWA which I will forever be grateful for. How to write a query. How to research agents. What POV actually meant. Writers--published authors--answered my questions with generosity of spirit and kindness.
But I take each of my failures and learn from them. I can't honestly say I'd be where I am today if I didn't stumble along the path. Had I known what POV was before I started writing, would I be as conscious of its importance today? Had I known that big agencies rarely take on unpublished, unknown authors, would I have even queried one of the biggest?
I've always learned by example, by mistakes, by successes.
Maybe there are some things I wish I had known . . . that every writer's path to publication is different, that some of the biggest writers today had been rejected in the past, and that there really are no shortcuts. We write because we have to. And if it had taken me ten years, I would still be writing. The one thing I have learned is that those who give up will never be published. So never give up. To paraphrase Tess Gerritsen, the fairies are out there sprinkling their magic dust . . . but if you give up, they'll never find you.
So forget the rules and write. Practice. Create that good book. And dream. Because for all of us, it begins with the dream.
Last week I received a questionnaire with the question, "What's the one thing you wish you had known before you began writing?"
In all honesty, I can't answer the question. I thought about it for days, but I can't say that there's anything I wish I had known.
If I had known that sometimes it takes a decade--or more--to sell a novel, I may never have tried.
If I had known that most unpublished writers never sell, I may have stopped after my ninety-seventh rejection.
If I had known about Brenda Hiatt's "Show Me The Money" page, I may never have dreamed I could quit my day job.
If I had known the second book was often harder to sell than the first, I may never have started that second book . . . or wrote the five it took to sell.
I learned so much through RWA which I will forever be grateful for. How to write a query. How to research agents. What POV actually meant. Writers--published authors--answered my questions with generosity of spirit and kindness.
But I take each of my failures and learn from them. I can't honestly say I'd be where I am today if I didn't stumble along the path. Had I known what POV was before I started writing, would I be as conscious of its importance today? Had I known that big agencies rarely take on unpublished, unknown authors, would I have even queried one of the biggest?
I've always learned by example, by mistakes, by successes.
Maybe there are some things I wish I had known . . . that every writer's path to publication is different, that some of the biggest writers today had been rejected in the past, and that there really are no shortcuts. We write because we have to. And if it had taken me ten years, I would still be writing. The one thing I have learned is that those who give up will never be published. So never give up. To paraphrase Tess Gerritsen, the fairies are out there sprinkling their magic dust . . . but if you give up, they'll never find you.
So forget the rules and write. Practice. Create that good book. And dream. Because for all of us, it begins with the dream.
The Hunt Is On
Okay, this is my one blatant self-promo for the day . . . The Hunt is out.
Now back to your regularly scheduled blog . . .
I've come across some fabulous blog entries over the last few days that I wanted to share with you. (Actually, I had a great idea for this article but sometime between midnight last night and 5 am this morning it disappeared in the mush that's sometimes known as my brain.)
Tess Gerritsen is one of my all-time favorite authors. I've never been disappointed in anything she's written, from HARVEST to VANISH. Every book has been not only a satisfying read, but has stuck with me.
Yesterday, her blog really resonated with me.Sometimes It Takes Fairy Dust talks about the luck factor, then segues into being nice. (I've never met Tess, but I can tell from her blog and word of mouth that she's one of the nicest people in the writing world.)
The whole blog is worth reading, but here is a excerpt:
Romance writers, in general, are the most generous writers of all. I have met many, on-line or in person, who exemplified that positive, can-do attitude Tess talks about, even (and perhaps most importantly) when things aren't going the right way in their career. I, for one, will never forget the help, advice, and generosity of certain writers who went above and beyond, even before I was published, before I had an agent, before I even knew what I was doing.
Next up is Miss Snark. Yes, I'm a snarkling. I love her posts, I agree with 90% of what she says, and she says it with style and, well, snark. I've been busy writing and with the kids so I haven't been by daily, but I think every unpublished author could learn a lot from her advice. I wish I knew some of it before I got started! (Oh, wait . . . I think I just remembered what my blog idea was for today. I might be posting something a little later . . . )
She got a letter the other day from a frustrated writer asking when she (the writer) should just give up trying to get published. I loved Miss Snark's answer:
She went on to give an inspirational pep talk that was so not snarky it was fabulous, and just what the writer ordered.
No one said it would be easy. Sometimes it is. Someone commented recently to me that I "had it easy" because I got published so fast. "Fast" doesn't mean "easy" . . . I (nicely--remembering Tess's rule) reminded this person that I wrote every night from 9-midnight or later, seven days a week, to produce five books, only the last of which sold. Fast? Maybe. Easy? No. Worth it? Absolutely.
I've often said that anything you value, anything that is worth having, is worth sacrificing for.
Now back to your regularly scheduled blog . . .
I've come across some fabulous blog entries over the last few days that I wanted to share with you. (Actually, I had a great idea for this article but sometime between midnight last night and 5 am this morning it disappeared in the mush that's sometimes known as my brain.)
Tess Gerritsen is one of my all-time favorite authors. I've never been disappointed in anything she's written, from HARVEST to VANISH. Every book has been not only a satisfying read, but has stuck with me.
Yesterday, her blog really resonated with me.Sometimes It Takes Fairy Dust talks about the luck factor, then segues into being nice. (I've never met Tess, but I can tell from her blog and word of mouth that she's one of the nicest people in the writing world.)
The whole blog is worth reading, but here is a excerpt:
But I've come to the conclusion that niceness isn't enough. Bitterness doesn't do it either, nor does being a nasty cutthroat.
What it comes down to is plain old good luck.
Yes, there are some things you as a writer can do to help along your success. You have to write a good book. Then you make sure you hook up with a great agent. . . . You insist on a great cover and a great title. You make yourself available for media. You plow into the publicity circuit with a can-do attitude.
Romance writers, in general, are the most generous writers of all. I have met many, on-line or in person, who exemplified that positive, can-do attitude Tess talks about, even (and perhaps most importantly) when things aren't going the right way in their career. I, for one, will never forget the help, advice, and generosity of certain writers who went above and beyond, even before I was published, before I had an agent, before I even knew what I was doing.
Next up is Miss Snark. Yes, I'm a snarkling. I love her posts, I agree with 90% of what she says, and she says it with style and, well, snark. I've been busy writing and with the kids so I haven't been by daily, but I think every unpublished author could learn a lot from her advice. I wish I knew some of it before I got started! (Oh, wait . . . I think I just remembered what my blog idea was for today. I might be posting something a little later . . . )
She got a letter the other day from a frustrated writer asking when she (the writer) should just give up trying to get published. I loved Miss Snark's answer:
When you're standing at the Pearly Gates and St. Peter is busy discussing his novel with Miss Snark.
She went on to give an inspirational pep talk that was so not snarky it was fabulous, and just what the writer ordered.
No one said it would be easy. Sometimes it is. Someone commented recently to me that I "had it easy" because I got published so fast. "Fast" doesn't mean "easy" . . . I (nicely--remembering Tess's rule) reminded this person that I wrote every night from 9-midnight or later, seven days a week, to produce five books, only the last of which sold. Fast? Maybe. Easy? No. Worth it? Absolutely.
I've often said that anything you value, anything that is worth having, is worth sacrificing for.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Let's Talk About...Mondays
Mondays.
I don’t know about you but I really have a thing about Mondays. ("Thing" not being something good in this instance.) I mean, on one hand, I embrace the whole, “It’s the start of a new week, a chance for a fresh start!” philosophy just fine.
(Okay, so it’s questionable about the “just fine” part. Honestly, my enthusiasm for Monday mostly depends on how late I was up on Sunday night and how much coffee I’ve consumed on Monday morning.)
On the other hand, when Monday dawns, I also want to groan, roll over and pull the covers over my head and sleep until, well, Tuesday sounds good.
I’ve been that way all of my life. I just can’t seem to bound out of bed with unbridled enthusiasm the first thing on Monday morning. (Shoot for a slow crawl out of bed to the coffeemaker and, yeah, that is probably doable.) Ask me to bound on a Tuesday? Sure. As me for unbridled enthusiasm immediately upon awakening on a Wednesday? Not a problem. On Mondays, you take your chances.
When I’m working on a book, I like to plan my writing agenda for the day over my morning coffee. Some days, my goals are straightforward: Write x number of pages today. Other days, my goals are murkier and open to interpretation: Finish the scene in the parking lot.
For some reason, on Mondays, my goals are always loftier than on any other day of the week. (I think it’s the whole “It’s the first day of a new week, a chance for a fresh start” thing that I referenced in the opening paragraph.) I think I should have "big" goals for Monday, so I usually set them. (Things like putting up a blog entry first thing on Monday morning, for example.)
So, as I was sipping my morning coffee this morning, I started to think about my goals for Monday. And then I got to wondering how other people handled Mondays.
And with that in mind, here’s my question for the day:
How do you deal with Mondays? Slow crawls to the coffeemaker? Boundless energy? Same as you deal with any other day? Please share.
Oh, and if you're heading to the coffeemaker, I'd really appreciate a refill.
I don’t know about you but I really have a thing about Mondays. ("Thing" not being something good in this instance.) I mean, on one hand, I embrace the whole, “It’s the start of a new week, a chance for a fresh start!” philosophy just fine.
(Okay, so it’s questionable about the “just fine” part. Honestly, my enthusiasm for Monday mostly depends on how late I was up on Sunday night and how much coffee I’ve consumed on Monday morning.)
On the other hand, when Monday dawns, I also want to groan, roll over and pull the covers over my head and sleep until, well, Tuesday sounds good.
I’ve been that way all of my life. I just can’t seem to bound out of bed with unbridled enthusiasm the first thing on Monday morning. (Shoot for a slow crawl out of bed to the coffeemaker and, yeah, that is probably doable.) Ask me to bound on a Tuesday? Sure. As me for unbridled enthusiasm immediately upon awakening on a Wednesday? Not a problem. On Mondays, you take your chances.
When I’m working on a book, I like to plan my writing agenda for the day over my morning coffee. Some days, my goals are straightforward: Write x number of pages today. Other days, my goals are murkier and open to interpretation: Finish the scene in the parking lot.
For some reason, on Mondays, my goals are always loftier than on any other day of the week. (I think it’s the whole “It’s the first day of a new week, a chance for a fresh start” thing that I referenced in the opening paragraph.) I think I should have "big" goals for Monday, so I usually set them. (Things like putting up a blog entry first thing on Monday morning, for example.)
So, as I was sipping my morning coffee this morning, I started to think about my goals for Monday. And then I got to wondering how other people handled Mondays.
And with that in mind, here’s my question for the day:
How do you deal with Mondays? Slow crawls to the coffeemaker? Boundless energy? Same as you deal with any other day? Please share.
Oh, and if you're heading to the coffeemaker, I'd really appreciate a refill.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Binge Writing, or The End of The Book
Some authors, when they approach the end of a book, tend to slow down. They become reluctant to end it because they love the characters and don't want to say goodbye.
I fall into the other category. I tend to speed up as I approach the end of a book. I write slightly longer hours, a few more pages--I want to get to the end and see what happens. (I'm not a pure seat-of-the-pants writer--just a hybrid. I know generally what happens, but I don't know. Not exactly.) I just this past week finished a book that grew out of all control to much longer than the very generous word count I was allowed, and because I'm one of those freakish throwbacks who write first drafts in longhand, once I finished it, I still had to get it all in the computer. For the last two weeks, I've had tunnel vision.
I forgot a haircut appointment. My hair's getting so out of control, it's beginning to resemble a mullet. (I did reschedule--and I really hope I don't forget a second time.) I forgot a doctor's appointment. Even though they called me the day before to remind me. (I'm afraid I'm really going to be in trouble with them when I try to reschedule that one.) I've been so totally focused on Finishing The Stinkin' Book That Would Not End that everything else has slid right out of my mind.
Do normal people do this? I feel semi-confident that amongst other writers, I'm surely not the only one who loses all control of ordinary life at one time or other in the process. But sometimes I wonder just how the rest of the world sees us...
I fall into the other category. I tend to speed up as I approach the end of a book. I write slightly longer hours, a few more pages--I want to get to the end and see what happens. (I'm not a pure seat-of-the-pants writer--just a hybrid. I know generally what happens, but I don't know. Not exactly.) I just this past week finished a book that grew out of all control to much longer than the very generous word count I was allowed, and because I'm one of those freakish throwbacks who write first drafts in longhand, once I finished it, I still had to get it all in the computer. For the last two weeks, I've had tunnel vision.
I forgot a haircut appointment. My hair's getting so out of control, it's beginning to resemble a mullet. (I did reschedule--and I really hope I don't forget a second time.) I forgot a doctor's appointment. Even though they called me the day before to remind me. (I'm afraid I'm really going to be in trouble with them when I try to reschedule that one.) I've been so totally focused on Finishing The Stinkin' Book That Would Not End that everything else has slid right out of my mind.
Do normal people do this? I feel semi-confident that amongst other writers, I'm surely not the only one who loses all control of ordinary life at one time or other in the process. But sometimes I wonder just how the rest of the world sees us...
Friday, January 27, 2006
From a Reliable Source
There's possible good news for Simon and Schuster/Pocket Books writers who spent last year wondering who'd end up owning the publisher if and when global media giant Viacom found a buyer. CEO Les Moonves (yes, the same guy who's Letterman's boss) sounds as if he intends to keep S&S as part of the newly formed CBS family. Calling the publisher a "world class leader in its sector," Moonves states S&S has "an opportunity for growth in the near term and an interesting bunch of opportunities going forward."
Another thing in S&S's favor is Moonves' feeling about the role of books in the digital future. "With everything else in our society going digital, how can books fail to benefit?," he said. "And when that happens, what's a backlist of 17,000 great titles going to be worth? Remains to be seen, but I'm optimistic."
Another thing in S&S's favor is Moonves' feeling about the role of books in the digital future. "With everything else in our society going digital, how can books fail to benefit?," he said. "And when that happens, what's a backlist of 17,000 great titles going to be worth? Remains to be seen, but I'm optimistic."
Champagne, Confetti and Congrats...
to Sylvia Day for an amazing week of new sales. Last week, Avon contracted with her for their new erotic romance imprint. This week, she's agreed to write three new historical single titles for Brava.
Champagne, Confetti and Congrats...
to Allison Brennan, whose first book, The Prey, made the NYT extended list for 02/05/06 at #33 !
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Binge Reading
It started with Nancy Drew. My father gave me that first book featuring the titian-haired sleuth and I had to read the next one and the next and the next until I had devoured all forty-two volumes (that’s all there were back then so now you know how old I am). Then Georgette Heyer satisfied my insatiable hunger. Thank goodness she wrote dozens of books!
I went through Dick Francis like a hot knife through butter and then salivated over each new release. I read seven J.D. Robb novels in two weeks while vacationing in the south of France (I love saying that; it sounds so jet-set. Of course, I had my husband, sister, brother-in-law, cousin, and five children with me.) Most recently, I went on a Lisa Kleypas binge, heading to Barnes and Noble, grabbing four of her books at a time off the shelf, and wolfing them down before scheduling the next trip to B and N.
I got to wondering what triggers these binges and whether other readers experience the same obsessive—but blessedly low calorie!--behavior.
Here’s my theory on the necessary conditions:
1) The author has to be a great storyteller.
2) The characters have to be so compelling that you can’t tear yourself away from their company.
3) The story has to suck you in so completely that you find the world of the book more real than the world surrounding you.
4) The author has to have a backlist of at least ten books either still in print or attainable from the local library.
5) You need to escape from your everyday life for a brief period. Or you simply have the time available to escape from your everyday life.
Are there any other binge readers out there? Have you got any ideas about what gets your obsession going? Most importantly, what authors do you binge on? (I’m always looking for new fodder.)
I went through Dick Francis like a hot knife through butter and then salivated over each new release. I read seven J.D. Robb novels in two weeks while vacationing in the south of France (I love saying that; it sounds so jet-set. Of course, I had my husband, sister, brother-in-law, cousin, and five children with me.) Most recently, I went on a Lisa Kleypas binge, heading to Barnes and Noble, grabbing four of her books at a time off the shelf, and wolfing them down before scheduling the next trip to B and N.
I got to wondering what triggers these binges and whether other readers experience the same obsessive—but blessedly low calorie!--behavior.
Here’s my theory on the necessary conditions:
1) The author has to be a great storyteller.
2) The characters have to be so compelling that you can’t tear yourself away from their company.
3) The story has to suck you in so completely that you find the world of the book more real than the world surrounding you.
4) The author has to have a backlist of at least ten books either still in print or attainable from the local library.
5) You need to escape from your everyday life for a brief period. Or you simply have the time available to escape from your everyday life.
Are there any other binge readers out there? Have you got any ideas about what gets your obsession going? Most importantly, what authors do you binge on? (I’m always looking for new fodder.)
Friday, January 20, 2006
The Best Ending I Ever Read...
If the beginning of a story is a promise to the reader, the end is its fulfillment. Once hooked on a story question, readers will keep turning pages. A skillful writer deepens characterization and escalates both stakes and conflict with each scene.
But the ending is what clinches it. A strong one leaves the reader with a sigh or such a sense of satisfaction that she immediately checks to see what other books the author has written. A weak ending is a promise broken, and if the reader feels sufficiently betrayed, there may be no second chance for that writer.
So what goes into a great ending? For certain, questions raised must all be answered. Nothing is more irritating that reaching the end of a story and turning to the next, blank page and asking, “But what happened about the boss who was blackmailing him with those compromising pictures?” Not every plot thread needs to be tied up neatly in a bow. There’s room for subtlety, even ambiguity, if the writer makes the reader believe that was the goal. Otherwise, the reader feels irritated – or worse yet, tricked - that the author made her care about something so unimportant it was later forgotten.
One of my requirements for a satisfying ending is that the main story problem be actively solved by the protagonist. Not a convenient earthquake which opens up a chasm to swallow up the bad guy in the crucial moment. This unlikely sort of conclusion, called the deus ex machina (or “god comes from the box”) ending harks back to a time when Greek playwrights wrote their characters into a corner, then had a deity handily show up to save the day. Today’s readers want their heroes and heroines to earn their happy endings because of strengths they have developed by surviving the story’s challenges.
We also like the protagonists to suffer in the process. In real life, change is difficult and its costs are high. We expect to see that dramatized in fiction, just as we hope the outcome reaffirms our belief that when someone suffers sufficiently, learns, and grows for a worthy cause, the effort will be rewarded in the end.
I’d like to finish this entry by asking what book or movie endings have left you most satisfied? Which particular stories left you desperate to read the author’s next work or see the next movie by the same screenwriter or director? Can you explain why the conclusion worked so well for you?
In March, I’ll be giving a workshop to the West Houston Romance Writers of America on writing satisfying endings, and I would love to add the opinions of both readers and writers. Thanks so much!
Thursday, January 19, 2006
the book that started it all
All right, I confess that this is a bit of a duplication from one of the posts on my personal blog (http://www.heidibetts.com/blog/), but you all got me so curious, I couldn't resist.
Since so many of you admitted to being just as addicted to romance novels as I am, I want to know what book truly began your love of the romance genre.
Can you remember a particular title that swept you away & made you realize you had to read more? Or the first book that created your need to buy, buy, buy, read, read, read...you know, the one that led to the towering TBR piles you now possess? :-)
For me, it was Rebecca Brandewyne's The Outlaw Hearts. I have three copies--one that's pristine & autographed & put away where no dust or air or moisture can reach it; one that I read until it nearly fell apart; and the one that I bought to replace that copy, even tho I haven't yet discarded the original. I love, love, love this story & remember just about every detail of it to this day.
This is the book that began my love of romance novels. And tho there are others I can look back on & think, "Yes, I read that one early on & loved it. It played a part in my romance novel addiction," The Outlaw Hearts is the story that really hooked me & whose characters feel like old friends. Every time I think of them, they make me smile. :-)
So how about you? What is the one book, for you, that started it all?
Heidi Betts
Seven-Year Seduction (Silhouette Desire #1709)--February 2006
And visit www.HeidiBetts.com for contests, excerpts, blogging, & more!
Since so many of you admitted to being just as addicted to romance novels as I am, I want to know what book truly began your love of the romance genre.
Can you remember a particular title that swept you away & made you realize you had to read more? Or the first book that created your need to buy, buy, buy, read, read, read...you know, the one that led to the towering TBR piles you now possess? :-)
For me, it was Rebecca Brandewyne's The Outlaw Hearts. I have three copies--one that's pristine & autographed & put away where no dust or air or moisture can reach it; one that I read until it nearly fell apart; and the one that I bought to replace that copy, even tho I haven't yet discarded the original. I love, love, love this story & remember just about every detail of it to this day.
This is the book that began my love of romance novels. And tho there are others I can look back on & think, "Yes, I read that one early on & loved it. It played a part in my romance novel addiction," The Outlaw Hearts is the story that really hooked me & whose characters feel like old friends. Every time I think of them, they make me smile. :-)
So how about you? What is the one book, for you, that started it all?
Heidi Betts
Seven-Year Seduction (Silhouette Desire #1709)--February 2006
And visit www.HeidiBetts.com for contests, excerpts, blogging, & more!
Monday, January 16, 2006
From a Reliable Source...
New Literary Agency Forming.
Although the official announcement is still pending, literary agents Scott Hoffman (PMA Lit and Film), Jeff Kleinman (Graybill and English) and Paige Wheeler (Creative Media Agency) have joined forces to create the Folio Literary Agency.
According to their new website, they intend to “provide regional and local publicity that can dramatically expand an author’s profile and increase sales.”
Read more about it here.
Although the official announcement is still pending, literary agents Scott Hoffman (PMA Lit and Film), Jeff Kleinman (Graybill and English) and Paige Wheeler (Creative Media Agency) have joined forces to create the Folio Literary Agency.
According to their new website, they intend to “provide regional and local publicity that can dramatically expand an author’s profile and increase sales.”
Read more about it here.
From a Reliable Source...
Harlequin Romances...Coming To A Comic Book Near You?
A recent article in the Toronto Star details Harlequin’s ambitious new manga imprint, Ginger Blossom, which will offer illustrated romances in conjunction with Oregon-based Dark Horse comics.
Harlequin has been offering its library of romances to a Japanese publisher since the late 1990s; Ginger Blossom will actually feature the artwork from these previously printed Japanese comics, along with the text of romances from their most popular authors.
Read more about it here.
A recent article in the Toronto Star details Harlequin’s ambitious new manga imprint, Ginger Blossom, which will offer illustrated romances in conjunction with Oregon-based Dark Horse comics.
Harlequin has been offering its library of romances to a Japanese publisher since the late 1990s; Ginger Blossom will actually feature the artwork from these previously printed Japanese comics, along with the text of romances from their most popular authors.
Read more about it here.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Somebodies & Nobodies
Okay, trying again since I have no idea why it posted before I was ready. Sorry that the poem posted 2x. Starting over:
I'm Nobody! Who are you?
Are you—Nobody—Too?
Then there's a pair of us!
Don't tell! they'd advertise—you know!
How dreary—to be—Somebody!
How public—like a Frog—
To tell one's name—the livelong June—
To an admiring Bog!
Emily Dickinson wrote the above poem in the mid-1800s and I've recently taught it to my high school students. Toby Keith just wrote a song about somebodies and nobodies with a line that talks about how he's going to go get drunk and be somebody. This theme has been constant throughout history.
A lot of us long to be somebodies. Even our characters in romance novels do. Most of us are somebodies to our small circle of families and friends. For most of us, and many of our characters, this is enough. But deep down a lot of us long to have everyone know our name. Why else do people try out for American Idol or reality TV? However, Emily describes these "celebrities" as being like frogs--they must constantly telling their name to the admiring bog (or fans) in order to be heard. Perfect commentary--just look to actors and actresses out doing PR for their latest movie or to rock or country stars trying to promote their latest CD.
I attended Sound and Speed 2006 in Nashville this weekend as background research for an upcoming book, The Wedding Secret. Basically it was an event with proceeds going to charity. People began to line up at 6 AM to get a wristband for Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s autograph. He drives the number 8 car on NASCAR's Nextel Cup circuit. The temperature was below freezing and many of his fans went away disappointed. My daughter and I ended up with wristbands for country singer Erika Jo and driver Jeff Green. We had little clue who either was. Perhaps few did, for we were able to go do a driving simulator and then walk up and get the bands, and later, their autographs.
PR takes a lot of work. It's not necesarily fun, and in the end, as authors, we don't get that celebrity feedback of having millions screaming your name. (Many of us wouldn't be comfortable with that anyway.) But some accolades are nice, as we all know. Whether it be that card from your special someone, or an award at work, for a moment, we all like some attention. I think Emily could handle a little bragging. It's that constant "look at me" she talks about in her poem. We all know who those celebs are.
As for me, I found a Harlequin fan outside of the CMT trailer where all of us were taking pictures with a cardboard Kenny Chesney cutout. (Closest I'll ever get.) I had my new book on me (Legally Tender), and I handed it to her. She took one look at the cover and said, "I've read you before."
That made my day, and I signed the book for her. Perhaps in a small sense, maybe I am a somebody after all.
Somebodies & Nobodies
I'm Nobody! Who are you?
Are you—Nobody—Too?
Then there's a pair of us!
Don't tell! they'd advertise—you know!
How dreary—to be—Somebody!
How public—like a Frog—
To tell one's name—the livelong June—
To an admiring Bog!
Emily Dickinson wrote the above poem
Are you—Nobody—Too?
Then there's a pair of us!
Don't tell! they'd advertise—you know!
How dreary—to be—Somebody!
How public—like a Frog—
To tell one's name—the livelong June—
To an admiring Bog!
Emily Dickinson wrote the above poem
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Reading Challenge
How many books do you read a year?
The eHarlequin community has issued a 100 books in a year reading challenge with coupons/vouchers as incentive. As I write this, there's still a discussion about whether they're wanting to count only Harlequin books--which of course includes Mira, HQN, Steeple Hill and Luna--or any books read. But still, it brings up the question--how many books do you read, on average, in a year?
I'm always shocked when I talk to writers (or aspiring writers) who say they don't read. For the most part, people decide they want to write because they love to read. I'm certainly one of those. I love to read. And I'm fortunate in that I am able to read fast.
A couple of years ago, I ran across a "Personal Reading Log" booklet my local library was giving away. I think I went through two of them, and when the pages started falling out and I had to hold them together with a rubber band, I converted to a computer file. For each book, there's a space to put down title, author, publisher and date, comments, and disposition--what you do with the book after you've read it.
I'm not very good at keeping up with my list, but I have it, and I make a new computer document for each year's books. Which means I have just created a new one for 2006, and I still have a big pile of books on the floor by my computer that I read in 2005 and still haven't put in the computer. I've often said that I average reading a book a day. Some days it's more, some days less. Right now, my count for 2005 is just over 200, and I seriously doubt I have another 100 books on the floor here, so I probably haven't read a book a day--but then, I'm not sure just how big a pile of 100 books is. Still, I ought to at least put the title, author, publisher and date in my list, even if I don't comment on each one of them. (That's what takes all the time.) Yet another thing to go on my to-do list. But who has time for making lists when there are all these books waiting to be read?
Anyway, I thought this 100-books-in-a-year challenge was interesting. I don't know that I'm going to sign up, since I'm one of Harlequin's authors and it doesn't seem quite fair--even though I buy an awful lot of Harlequin books...and I know I'll beat 100 books even if I don't sign up. Still, being the bookaholic I am, it just...sounded like a lot of fun. Doesn't it to you? How many books DO you read in a year? (If I ever get round to counting, I'll let you know my last year's total.)
Gail Dayton
The Compass Rose, Luna Books, RT Bookclub Reviewer's Choice nominee for Best Fantasy, 2005
The Barbed Rose, Luna Books, March 2005
The eHarlequin community has issued a 100 books in a year reading challenge with coupons/vouchers as incentive. As I write this, there's still a discussion about whether they're wanting to count only Harlequin books--which of course includes Mira, HQN, Steeple Hill and Luna--or any books read. But still, it brings up the question--how many books do you read, on average, in a year?
I'm always shocked when I talk to writers (or aspiring writers) who say they don't read. For the most part, people decide they want to write because they love to read. I'm certainly one of those. I love to read. And I'm fortunate in that I am able to read fast.
A couple of years ago, I ran across a "Personal Reading Log" booklet my local library was giving away. I think I went through two of them, and when the pages started falling out and I had to hold them together with a rubber band, I converted to a computer file. For each book, there's a space to put down title, author, publisher and date, comments, and disposition--what you do with the book after you've read it.
I'm not very good at keeping up with my list, but I have it, and I make a new computer document for each year's books. Which means I have just created a new one for 2006, and I still have a big pile of books on the floor by my computer that I read in 2005 and still haven't put in the computer. I've often said that I average reading a book a day. Some days it's more, some days less. Right now, my count for 2005 is just over 200, and I seriously doubt I have another 100 books on the floor here, so I probably haven't read a book a day--but then, I'm not sure just how big a pile of 100 books is. Still, I ought to at least put the title, author, publisher and date in my list, even if I don't comment on each one of them. (That's what takes all the time.) Yet another thing to go on my to-do list. But who has time for making lists when there are all these books waiting to be read?
Anyway, I thought this 100-books-in-a-year challenge was interesting. I don't know that I'm going to sign up, since I'm one of Harlequin's authors and it doesn't seem quite fair--even though I buy an awful lot of Harlequin books...and I know I'll beat 100 books even if I don't sign up. Still, being the bookaholic I am, it just...sounded like a lot of fun. Doesn't it to you? How many books DO you read in a year? (If I ever get round to counting, I'll let you know my last year's total.)
Gail Dayton
The Compass Rose, Luna Books, RT Bookclub Reviewer's Choice nominee for Best Fantasy, 2005
The Barbed Rose, Luna Books, March 2005
Friday, January 13, 2006
So what?
I love to learn new things. Don’t you? Recently, on New Year’s Eve, my 7 year old son taught me something. My family and I decided to spend the holidays in Orlando’s DisneyWorld, and to ring in the new year at the Epcot park. The multi-cultural aspect of it appealed to me.
So my family was enjoying some eggrolls and a drink in the land of China when all of a sudden super loud music explodes out of nearby speakers and strobe lights temporarily blind me. My husband and half-asleep daughter slip back, trying to hide from the crowds, but my son sort of shrugs and walks out onto an area they had obviously prepared for dancing. He gives me a mischievous grin and begins to DANCE. Now this kid has up until now been very shy – hasn’t wanted to participate in sports because he doesn’t want people watching him. Yet he willingly walked out in front of hundreds of people and performed some moves I’d never seen before. He danced for a minute or so, then cracking himself up, walked back to me. Then he repeated it a couple of times until the adults caught on and joined him on the dance floor. At this point, I fished him out and we moved on to quieter ground.
I can’t describe how shocked I was to see him out there dancing without any inhibitions! I kept thinking, "that’s not MY kid." Later I asked him about it, and he said he decided not think about being embarrassed anymore and to just have fun. That he knew he probably looked funny, but "so what". Wow. I was stunned again. I have to tell you that in my almost 40 years on this earth, I haven’t been able to resolve that same issue so easily. How many times have I NOT spoken in public because I was embarrassed? How many things have I NOT tried because I feared I wouldn’t be good enough or that I "might look funny".
Kids are great. They can say "so what". As we get older, we stop doing that. At least I have. I want to do things right or not at all. I want to be assured success before I try something new.
As writers, I think we could benefit from "so what". So what if we get a bad review – there will be good ones too. So what if the book of our heart doesn’t sell (when it’s the process of writing it that fulfills something inside of us). Much sadder if we don’t write it at all.
So this morning I joined a fitness bootcamp (scary name for dance/boxing to music) and made a complete fool of myself. LOL. I’ve stayed away from group lessons, because I have no rhythm and can never keep up with the way too young and fit girls that populate these classes. But today, I said, "so what" and went anyway. It felt great.
So if there’s something you’ve been wanting to try, go for it. Do it. Write it. Have fun!
So my family was enjoying some eggrolls and a drink in the land of China when all of a sudden super loud music explodes out of nearby speakers and strobe lights temporarily blind me. My husband and half-asleep daughter slip back, trying to hide from the crowds, but my son sort of shrugs and walks out onto an area they had obviously prepared for dancing. He gives me a mischievous grin and begins to DANCE. Now this kid has up until now been very shy – hasn’t wanted to participate in sports because he doesn’t want people watching him. Yet he willingly walked out in front of hundreds of people and performed some moves I’d never seen before. He danced for a minute or so, then cracking himself up, walked back to me. Then he repeated it a couple of times until the adults caught on and joined him on the dance floor. At this point, I fished him out and we moved on to quieter ground.
I can’t describe how shocked I was to see him out there dancing without any inhibitions! I kept thinking, "that’s not MY kid." Later I asked him about it, and he said he decided not think about being embarrassed anymore and to just have fun. That he knew he probably looked funny, but "so what". Wow. I was stunned again. I have to tell you that in my almost 40 years on this earth, I haven’t been able to resolve that same issue so easily. How many times have I NOT spoken in public because I was embarrassed? How many things have I NOT tried because I feared I wouldn’t be good enough or that I "might look funny".
Kids are great. They can say "so what". As we get older, we stop doing that. At least I have. I want to do things right or not at all. I want to be assured success before I try something new.
As writers, I think we could benefit from "so what". So what if we get a bad review – there will be good ones too. So what if the book of our heart doesn’t sell (when it’s the process of writing it that fulfills something inside of us). Much sadder if we don’t write it at all.
So this morning I joined a fitness bootcamp (scary name for dance/boxing to music) and made a complete fool of myself. LOL. I’ve stayed away from group lessons, because I have no rhythm and can never keep up with the way too young and fit girls that populate these classes. But today, I said, "so what" and went anyway. It felt great.
So if there’s something you’ve been wanting to try, go for it. Do it. Write it. Have fun!
Thoughts on Beauties & Geeks
I watch very little reality television (unless it involves paint & wallpaper, or topsoil and perennials), but I watched the "Beauty and the Geek" television show last night because I'm still fighting the Cold That Won't Go Away and didn't feel like doing anything but sitting in a chair and staring straight ahead, and one of the "geeks" (Wes) on the show is the friend of the son of a friend, and several thoughts occurred to me.
First, this show was the brainstorm of Ashton Kutcher, so of course it would be about gorgeous women and geeky guys, because Ashton is a guy and would obviously be interested in looking at gorgeous women.
Then I thought about the show "The Bachelor" where one guy picks from among a dozen or so women, and how they turned it around for "The Bachelorette" where one woman picks from among a bunch of hunky guys. And I wondered...
What if they did "Beauty and the Geek" with brilliant, geeky women and hot, not-so-bright men? My daughter is one of those brilliant, geeky women, with two degrees in mathematics and applications in for PhD programs in statistics--she's also gorgeous and married, but that's beside the point, which is that I know just as many geeks who are women as I do geeks who are men. (Wes on the show reminds me very much of my daughter's husband...) And I know an awful lot of attractive, but rather ditzy men as well. But would it work?
I think part of the appeal of the show is that the women have their insecurities as well. If the roles were reversed, though, how would the studly dumb guys react to being shown up by women who were smarter? Would they be able to handle it? Would they put the women down for being less attractive? Would anybody be willing to watch it?
What do you think? Would Ashton have the guts to reverse the roles? Should he? Or is this just a premise for someone's romance novel?
First, this show was the brainstorm of Ashton Kutcher, so of course it would be about gorgeous women and geeky guys, because Ashton is a guy and would obviously be interested in looking at gorgeous women.
Then I thought about the show "The Bachelor" where one guy picks from among a dozen or so women, and how they turned it around for "The Bachelorette" where one woman picks from among a bunch of hunky guys. And I wondered...
What if they did "Beauty and the Geek" with brilliant, geeky women and hot, not-so-bright men? My daughter is one of those brilliant, geeky women, with two degrees in mathematics and applications in for PhD programs in statistics--she's also gorgeous and married, but that's beside the point, which is that I know just as many geeks who are women as I do geeks who are men. (Wes on the show reminds me very much of my daughter's husband...) And I know an awful lot of attractive, but rather ditzy men as well. But would it work?
I think part of the appeal of the show is that the women have their insecurities as well. If the roles were reversed, though, how would the studly dumb guys react to being shown up by women who were smarter? Would they be able to handle it? Would they put the women down for being less attractive? Would anybody be willing to watch it?
What do you think? Would Ashton have the guts to reverse the roles? Should he? Or is this just a premise for someone's romance novel?
Thursday, January 12, 2006
hello, my name is Heidi & I'm a romance novel addict
I've suspected for some time now that this might be the case, but after today, I'm sure.
Weeks ago, I made arrangements to meet some people at the local library, then never gave it another thought. Until this morning when I was getting dressed & realized I was practically vibrating with eagerness.
Why? What was so special about today? Nothing much. Don't tell them I said this, but it wasn't meeting with this group of people that had me worked up. I wasn't loathing the trip, but I wasn't particularly looking forward to it, either. It was just one of those things that needed to be done.
And then it occurred to me: I was going to a library. I would be in a big room full of books. Yep, that was it. The minute I thought it, my stomach gave a jolt of excitement.
I didn't even check out any books while I was there, but still I made a point of arriving several minutes before the others in my party so I would have time to wander through the shelves, touching spines & looking to see what was new. What had I already read? What was I hoping to read soon? What had I not realized was out?
This, I believe, is a clear sign of book addiction. You know...if the piles & boxes of books cluttering my house almost to the point of having to move out wasn't enough of a clue.
I buy so many books, the people at my local bookstore set aside titles they think I'll like or new books by authors they know I love. I would rather spend money on books than clothes, shoes, movies, music... My day can suck, but if I come home with a new book or even have a chance to sit & read for a while, I consider it a success. When I'm in a bad mood, if I stop to read a chapter in a book I'm enjoying, it can actually put me in a better mood. A book "fix," if you will. And I need it, or I start to sweat & get the shakes.
So when did this addiction start? Many people who suffer from the same affliction may not know when their love of books went from a casual interest to a full-throttle physical need...it might have sneaked up on them, & before they realized it, they were the proud owners of thousands of books & a TBR (to be read) pile the size of the Eiffel Tower.
But I know exactly when & how my addiction began. It was the summer between graduating from high school & leaving for college. All through junior & senior high, I'd been reading romance novels, only I had to do it secretly because my mother didn't approve. (It should be noted that she didn't disapprove of romance novels, per se, but of her 13yo daughter reading them. And I'd gone straight for the good stuff--Catherine Coulter, Johanna Lindsay, etc. :-))
So for about 5yrs, I was sneaking around to get my romance fix. Then, when I turned 17 & was getting ready to start college, my mother suddenly informed me that she didn't care what I read. I was officially old enough to choose my own reading material.
Yippee! Whahoo! Glory be! From that moment on, every time we went shopping, I came home with at least one romance novel. By the time they packed me off, I had a nice size box of reading material to take along to college. And even tho I'd promised my mother it wouldn't happen, I often read romance novels instead of studying. On the night before my first year finals, I stayed up late to finish a historical romance...& that was the moment I decided I wanted to seriously pursue writing myself.
So that's how it began, this little addiction of mine. First, I wasn't allowed to read romance novels, then I was given free rein to buy & read as many as I liked, & now it's gotten completely out of control. There's this tiny spot in my brain that tells me I need to buy, buy, buy. I need to own every romance that comes out, even if the chances of reading them all in my lifetime are slim to none. I'm never without a book, never without the niggling thought of "What will I read next?" And for me, there's nothing in the world like seeing, touching, skimming, reading a good book.
If I'm addicted, so be it. But please don't send Dr. Phil to my house yet. I like my addiction & I'm definitely not ready to be rehabilitated anytime soon.
Heidi Betts
Seven-Year Seduction (Silhouette Desire #1709)--February 2006
And visit www.HeidiBetts.com for contests, excerpts, blogging, & more!
Weeks ago, I made arrangements to meet some people at the local library, then never gave it another thought. Until this morning when I was getting dressed & realized I was practically vibrating with eagerness.
Why? What was so special about today? Nothing much. Don't tell them I said this, but it wasn't meeting with this group of people that had me worked up. I wasn't loathing the trip, but I wasn't particularly looking forward to it, either. It was just one of those things that needed to be done.
And then it occurred to me: I was going to a library. I would be in a big room full of books. Yep, that was it. The minute I thought it, my stomach gave a jolt of excitement.
I didn't even check out any books while I was there, but still I made a point of arriving several minutes before the others in my party so I would have time to wander through the shelves, touching spines & looking to see what was new. What had I already read? What was I hoping to read soon? What had I not realized was out?
This, I believe, is a clear sign of book addiction. You know...if the piles & boxes of books cluttering my house almost to the point of having to move out wasn't enough of a clue.
I buy so many books, the people at my local bookstore set aside titles they think I'll like or new books by authors they know I love. I would rather spend money on books than clothes, shoes, movies, music... My day can suck, but if I come home with a new book or even have a chance to sit & read for a while, I consider it a success. When I'm in a bad mood, if I stop to read a chapter in a book I'm enjoying, it can actually put me in a better mood. A book "fix," if you will. And I need it, or I start to sweat & get the shakes.
So when did this addiction start? Many people who suffer from the same affliction may not know when their love of books went from a casual interest to a full-throttle physical need...it might have sneaked up on them, & before they realized it, they were the proud owners of thousands of books & a TBR (to be read) pile the size of the Eiffel Tower.
But I know exactly when & how my addiction began. It was the summer between graduating from high school & leaving for college. All through junior & senior high, I'd been reading romance novels, only I had to do it secretly because my mother didn't approve. (It should be noted that she didn't disapprove of romance novels, per se, but of her 13yo daughter reading them. And I'd gone straight for the good stuff--Catherine Coulter, Johanna Lindsay, etc. :-))
So for about 5yrs, I was sneaking around to get my romance fix. Then, when I turned 17 & was getting ready to start college, my mother suddenly informed me that she didn't care what I read. I was officially old enough to choose my own reading material.
Yippee! Whahoo! Glory be! From that moment on, every time we went shopping, I came home with at least one romance novel. By the time they packed me off, I had a nice size box of reading material to take along to college. And even tho I'd promised my mother it wouldn't happen, I often read romance novels instead of studying. On the night before my first year finals, I stayed up late to finish a historical romance...& that was the moment I decided I wanted to seriously pursue writing myself.
So that's how it began, this little addiction of mine. First, I wasn't allowed to read romance novels, then I was given free rein to buy & read as many as I liked, & now it's gotten completely out of control. There's this tiny spot in my brain that tells me I need to buy, buy, buy. I need to own every romance that comes out, even if the chances of reading them all in my lifetime are slim to none. I'm never without a book, never without the niggling thought of "What will I read next?" And for me, there's nothing in the world like seeing, touching, skimming, reading a good book.
If I'm addicted, so be it. But please don't send Dr. Phil to my house yet. I like my addiction & I'm definitely not ready to be rehabilitated anytime soon.
Heidi Betts
Seven-Year Seduction (Silhouette Desire #1709)--February 2006
And visit www.HeidiBetts.com for contests, excerpts, blogging, & more!
Sparks and Synchronicity
Sparks and Synchronicity
Ever wonder where writers get their ideas? For me it’s usually from very ordinary places—except that my mind seems to file things away and then retrieve them in wonderful new combinations.
It all starts with the ability to keep asking “what if.”
For instance, my current work in progress, a psychological thriller titled BLIND FAITH, began with a newspaper story. A woman traveling along I-80, searching for the graves of her two children. Her ex-husband had kidnapped the children and confessed to killing them but didn’t pinpoint the site where he buried them. Her need for closure, her quest to bring her babies home was clear even in the grainy photo that accompanied the story.
Wow. I couldn’t stop thinking about her and her odyssey. As a pediatrician I work with families dealing with death and near-death on a frequent basis, but this woman’s story really touched a chord in me. I have had a too-close association with violent death, so I understood first hand how grief could push a person into such a passionate pursuit for the truth.
I also wondered at the ultimate betrayal her ex-husband, a man who presumably once loved her and his children, had wrought. What could drive a person to do that, to destroy their family?
I followed her story in our local small town newspaper. Then Katrina hit. Another big wow. Yes, the death and destruction was devastating in its enormity. But after my initial shock and frustration at not being able to do much to help, what I couldn’t stop thinking about was the number of young children separated from their families, torn away from everyplace and everyone they knew.
At the time, I was working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (http://www.missingkids.org/) to set up my charity program, Buy a Book, Make a Difference (for more information go to my website, http://www.cjlyons.net/). I learned that there were over 4800 kids reported missing, a good portion of whom were identified and reunited with their families thanks to the good people at the NCMEC.
But then I heard about all the sexual predators who also fled from New Orleans—most of whom were still at large. Combine this with the images of over-crowded, under-policed shelters and the ideas began to coalesce.
What if….what if a woman is called upon to witness the execution of the serial killer who has confessed to killing her husband and son? What if he dies without telling her where he has buried them?
What if she vows to find their graves and instead finds that her husband is still alive?
What if she learns that everything she believes is a lie? What if the only person she can trust is the man who betrayed her…her husband?
That’s all I had when I began writing BLIND FAITH—quite frankly it’s more than I usually have! I knew it would be a dark, edgy novel, filled with betrayals and intrigues. A novel where nothing could be taken for granted, where no one was the person they appeared to be. Where dark secrets would be unearthed and the lives of every character would be forever changed. But also an uplifting novel of courage and strength and perseverance, and most of all, revealing that we each have the power to choose. To choose to have faith, to choose to love, to choose to forgive.
I’m now 300 pages into it—only another 100 or so more pages to go—and I finally know how it ends. The rest of it is still a surprise waiting to happen. I find this journey of discovery the most exciting part of writing, those days when every scene I write unveils another piece of the puzzle.
It all begins with a spark fueled by small intersections of serendipitous happenings. That and asking, “what if?”
Have you ever experienced this kind of synchronicity? Times when things found their way into your consciousness exactly when the time was right? People who appeared in your life just in time to spark inspiration?
Maybe the most important part of being a writer is learning to recognize and appreciate these everyday sparks that others neglect?
Thanks for reading!
CJ
Cathryn J Lyons, MD
No one is immune to danger…
BLINK OF AN EYE is “a perfect blend of romance and suspense. My kind of book.” –Sandra Brown
Available this summer from Tor
www.cjlyons.net
Ever wonder where writers get their ideas? For me it’s usually from very ordinary places—except that my mind seems to file things away and then retrieve them in wonderful new combinations.
It all starts with the ability to keep asking “what if.”
For instance, my current work in progress, a psychological thriller titled BLIND FAITH, began with a newspaper story. A woman traveling along I-80, searching for the graves of her two children. Her ex-husband had kidnapped the children and confessed to killing them but didn’t pinpoint the site where he buried them. Her need for closure, her quest to bring her babies home was clear even in the grainy photo that accompanied the story.
Wow. I couldn’t stop thinking about her and her odyssey. As a pediatrician I work with families dealing with death and near-death on a frequent basis, but this woman’s story really touched a chord in me. I have had a too-close association with violent death, so I understood first hand how grief could push a person into such a passionate pursuit for the truth.
I also wondered at the ultimate betrayal her ex-husband, a man who presumably once loved her and his children, had wrought. What could drive a person to do that, to destroy their family?
I followed her story in our local small town newspaper. Then Katrina hit. Another big wow. Yes, the death and destruction was devastating in its enormity. But after my initial shock and frustration at not being able to do much to help, what I couldn’t stop thinking about was the number of young children separated from their families, torn away from everyplace and everyone they knew.
At the time, I was working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (http://www.missingkids.org/) to set up my charity program, Buy a Book, Make a Difference (for more information go to my website, http://www.cjlyons.net/). I learned that there were over 4800 kids reported missing, a good portion of whom were identified and reunited with their families thanks to the good people at the NCMEC.
But then I heard about all the sexual predators who also fled from New Orleans—most of whom were still at large. Combine this with the images of over-crowded, under-policed shelters and the ideas began to coalesce.
What if….what if a woman is called upon to witness the execution of the serial killer who has confessed to killing her husband and son? What if he dies without telling her where he has buried them?
What if she vows to find their graves and instead finds that her husband is still alive?
What if she learns that everything she believes is a lie? What if the only person she can trust is the man who betrayed her…her husband?
That’s all I had when I began writing BLIND FAITH—quite frankly it’s more than I usually have! I knew it would be a dark, edgy novel, filled with betrayals and intrigues. A novel where nothing could be taken for granted, where no one was the person they appeared to be. Where dark secrets would be unearthed and the lives of every character would be forever changed. But also an uplifting novel of courage and strength and perseverance, and most of all, revealing that we each have the power to choose. To choose to have faith, to choose to love, to choose to forgive.
I’m now 300 pages into it—only another 100 or so more pages to go—and I finally know how it ends. The rest of it is still a surprise waiting to happen. I find this journey of discovery the most exciting part of writing, those days when every scene I write unveils another piece of the puzzle.
It all begins with a spark fueled by small intersections of serendipitous happenings. That and asking, “what if?”
Have you ever experienced this kind of synchronicity? Times when things found their way into your consciousness exactly when the time was right? People who appeared in your life just in time to spark inspiration?
Maybe the most important part of being a writer is learning to recognize and appreciate these everyday sparks that others neglect?
Thanks for reading!
CJ
Cathryn J Lyons, MD
No one is immune to danger…
BLINK OF AN EYE is “a perfect blend of romance and suspense. My kind of book.” –Sandra Brown
Available this summer from Tor
www.cjlyons.net
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Pride & Prejudice Worth a Second Look
I went to see Pride & Prejudice again last night. To appreciate that statement you must understand something about the Wilma Theater. This is the downtown art movie theater near my home in Missoula, Montana. The Wilma is generally referred to as "the historic Wilma". Translated this means that the seats are covered with red velvet, worn smooth with time and pocked with holes. The term "cushion" long ago lost any power to describe the seat bottoms. And don't get me started on the antiquated bathroom facility. To be honest, I usually spend my movie dollars at the multi-plex across town.
But I had to see Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFadyen again to try and figure out exactly how they made the magic happen. Here are my thoughts. First--I did not give nearly enough credit to the screenwriter--Deborah Maggoch. I hope we see more of her work in future. She had an impossible task--bringing P&P to life in 2 hours. She made some interesting choices. Almost all of the sub-plots are gone. We see the bare minimum of Wickham and almost nothing of Lydia. Yet we still feel the impact of their scandalous affair. Even Jane and Bingley have very little time to fall hopelessly in love, but it doesn't matter because we see it at that first dance when they can hardly take their eyes off of one another. We don't need much more. I'm sure there are many Austen purists who will miss some of the exchanges between Darcy and Elizabeth. Those are some of the best scenes in the book and in the Colin Firth mini-series. In this short version we see instead smoldering looks and electric touches that tell us everything we need to know. These two are meant to be together.
My companion for the evening was a good friend who also happens to be a costumer. She was quick to point out Elizabeth's lack of gloves at the dance. And I know that Bingley had no business popping in to see Jane when she is sick in bed. Despite these faux pas, the film captured enough of the social atmosphere to convey the story. We see very clearly the urgency of the situation for the Bennet girls and the contrast between their simple country life and the more formal world of Pemberley. Tom Hollander is the definitive Mr. Collins. Donald Sutherland achieved a perfect balance between heart and foolishness as Mr. Bennet. And Keira Knightley is Elizabeth Bennet. The energy and expressiveness that she brings to this role make this interpretation of Pride & Prejudice one for the ages. This movie really captures the spirit of the love story between Darcy and Elizabeth.
I do wish it had a better ending, but otherwise I loved this film. This movie is a great example of how a film can bring a new dimension to a beloved story. (And now I'm going to sign off and read the last chapter of P&P).
What do you think about this film or movie adaptations in general? Do you still think Colin Firth is the definitive Darcy?
But I had to see Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFadyen again to try and figure out exactly how they made the magic happen. Here are my thoughts. First--I did not give nearly enough credit to the screenwriter--Deborah Maggoch. I hope we see more of her work in future. She had an impossible task--bringing P&P to life in 2 hours. She made some interesting choices. Almost all of the sub-plots are gone. We see the bare minimum of Wickham and almost nothing of Lydia. Yet we still feel the impact of their scandalous affair. Even Jane and Bingley have very little time to fall hopelessly in love, but it doesn't matter because we see it at that first dance when they can hardly take their eyes off of one another. We don't need much more. I'm sure there are many Austen purists who will miss some of the exchanges between Darcy and Elizabeth. Those are some of the best scenes in the book and in the Colin Firth mini-series. In this short version we see instead smoldering looks and electric touches that tell us everything we need to know. These two are meant to be together.
My companion for the evening was a good friend who also happens to be a costumer. She was quick to point out Elizabeth's lack of gloves at the dance. And I know that Bingley had no business popping in to see Jane when she is sick in bed. Despite these faux pas, the film captured enough of the social atmosphere to convey the story. We see very clearly the urgency of the situation for the Bennet girls and the contrast between their simple country life and the more formal world of Pemberley. Tom Hollander is the definitive Mr. Collins. Donald Sutherland achieved a perfect balance between heart and foolishness as Mr. Bennet. And Keira Knightley is Elizabeth Bennet. The energy and expressiveness that she brings to this role make this interpretation of Pride & Prejudice one for the ages. This movie really captures the spirit of the love story between Darcy and Elizabeth.
I do wish it had a better ending, but otherwise I loved this film. This movie is a great example of how a film can bring a new dimension to a beloved story. (And now I'm going to sign off and read the last chapter of P&P).
What do you think about this film or movie adaptations in general? Do you still think Colin Firth is the definitive Darcy?
Monday, January 09, 2006
Okay, Somebody Explain This To Me
Okay. So here I sit, staring at a blank screen, 75 pages away from typing, “The End” to my latest WIP and without a single coherent thought in my head about what I should type next. Oh, sure. I know *generally* what is supposed to happen in the scene. I even know *specifically* the number of pages the scene should have. Honestly, the problem isn’t that I don’t know what I’m supposed to write.
(I wish it could be that simple!)
Nope. My problem is the actual writing of it.
Without producing a sizeable suckage factor, I mean.
First page, middle page, last page. It doesn’t matter. I agonize over all of them. I really only do one draft of the book as a whole, although each chapter usually undergoes several rewrites before I move on to the next.
Hey. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me. I know a lot of writers who talk about how “the book just wrote itself,” especially once they start that rapid slide toward the conclusion. Lucky them, I say. All I know is that every time that’s ever happened to me, I ended up having to delete the chapter in question and start over because of the high levels of suckage it contained.
So, here’s my question for writers on this snowy Monday: Do you find that the book gets easier to write as you go along? Or is the battle against the suckage factor just as intense for each chapter?
(I wish it could be that simple!)
Nope. My problem is the actual writing of it.
Without producing a sizeable suckage factor, I mean.
First page, middle page, last page. It doesn’t matter. I agonize over all of them. I really only do one draft of the book as a whole, although each chapter usually undergoes several rewrites before I move on to the next.
Hey. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me. I know a lot of writers who talk about how “the book just wrote itself,” especially once they start that rapid slide toward the conclusion. Lucky them, I say. All I know is that every time that’s ever happened to me, I ended up having to delete the chapter in question and start over because of the high levels of suckage it contained.
So, here’s my question for writers on this snowy Monday: Do you find that the book gets easier to write as you go along? Or is the battle against the suckage factor just as intense for each chapter?
Saturday, January 07, 2006
So, THAT Explains My Royalty Statement!
There are hot books, and then there are hot books.
Bookstores report that the shoplifting of popular book titles is on the rise...and the culprits aren’t the usual suspects, either. What’s more, many of these stolen titles are ending up for sale on the Internet.
Read about it here.
Bookstores report that the shoplifting of popular book titles is on the rise...and the culprits aren’t the usual suspects, either. What’s more, many of these stolen titles are ending up for sale on the Internet.
Read about it here.
Friday, January 06, 2006
Champagne, Confetti and Congrats!
A big round of applause to Allison Brennan.
Her debut novel, The Prey, hit #88 on USA Today's Top 150 during its first week of release.
Her debut novel, The Prey, hit #88 on USA Today's Top 150 during its first week of release.
Congrats, Allison!!
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Rites of Passage
My daughter—the little girl whom I just taught to walk and talk—turned sixteen yesterday. I’m still reeling. Yes, I know she’s five inches taller than I am, and has been for about three years, but I’m vertically challenged so that’s insignificant. Yes, she’s discussing what colleges to apply to, and I’m thrilled that one of them is my own alma mater. Yes, she notices cute boys now and even comments on them when her father isn’t listening. But how did this happen so fast and without my noticing the passage of time?
Of course, she’s become a charming, funny, lovely young woman who warms the cockles of her mother’s heart by reading voraciously and getting straight A pluses in all her creative writing courses. Her talent on the trumpet far surpasses mine on the flute when I was her age. Amazingly, she’s also a skilled basketball player, genes she clearly got entirely from her father. I suppose all this developed right before my eyes but it seemed gradual until yesterday when it hit me over the head that she wasn’t just growing up…she had grown up!
Granted there’s a way to go before she’s an independent adult. We still have the nail-biting task of teaching her to drive. Slogging through those college applications won’t be easy. And explaining how to balance a checking account? I shudder to contemplate it. She and numbers do not mix well.
But sixteen is a biggie. She has firmly crossed the boundary of childhood, never to return. The tears welling up in my eyes come from a wrenching combination of pride and regret. I’m proud of what she’s become, and the fact that I helped her get there, but I’m sorry that I’m going to lose her to the outside world sooner than I want to.
Parents always tell you to enjoy every minute with your children, and this was one piece of advice I did my best to follow. But enjoying the minutes doesn’t slow them down, and the rites of passage come upon us before we’re entirely ready for them.
My solution is to take pictures: lots of them. I try to put them in albums every year (I’m up to 2004 now—yippee!). When I need to turn back the clock, I go through my old photographs. That way I can recapture the moments leading up to this latest shock of recognition that time has passed too swiftly for me to keep up with it. As soon as I finish writing this, I’m getting out my daughter’s baby album.
How do you handle the big events in life that you aren’t quite prepared for?
Of course, she’s become a charming, funny, lovely young woman who warms the cockles of her mother’s heart by reading voraciously and getting straight A pluses in all her creative writing courses. Her talent on the trumpet far surpasses mine on the flute when I was her age. Amazingly, she’s also a skilled basketball player, genes she clearly got entirely from her father. I suppose all this developed right before my eyes but it seemed gradual until yesterday when it hit me over the head that she wasn’t just growing up…she had grown up!
Granted there’s a way to go before she’s an independent adult. We still have the nail-biting task of teaching her to drive. Slogging through those college applications won’t be easy. And explaining how to balance a checking account? I shudder to contemplate it. She and numbers do not mix well.
But sixteen is a biggie. She has firmly crossed the boundary of childhood, never to return. The tears welling up in my eyes come from a wrenching combination of pride and regret. I’m proud of what she’s become, and the fact that I helped her get there, but I’m sorry that I’m going to lose her to the outside world sooner than I want to.
Parents always tell you to enjoy every minute with your children, and this was one piece of advice I did my best to follow. But enjoying the minutes doesn’t slow them down, and the rites of passage come upon us before we’re entirely ready for them.
My solution is to take pictures: lots of them. I try to put them in albums every year (I’m up to 2004 now—yippee!). When I need to turn back the clock, I go through my old photographs. That way I can recapture the moments leading up to this latest shock of recognition that time has passed too swiftly for me to keep up with it. As soon as I finish writing this, I’m getting out my daughter’s baby album.
How do you handle the big events in life that you aren’t quite prepared for?
Monday, January 02, 2006
What I *think* I learned in 2005
Every once in awhile I look back on 2005 and feel like a truck ran me over. The morning of Dec. 14, 2004 I was an aspiring author. By that afternoon, I was contracted with Brava. Now, just a smidge over twelve months later, I can't believe how different my life is.
I released 6 stories/books in 2005 with 4 different publishers. A reader forwarded me a post from a loop where another reader had said she enjoyed one of my stories so much she bought my entire backlist. I grinned like an idiot. A backlist of published works. Wow. A year ago, I wouldn't have thought that would be possible now.
In 2005, I hired an agent, fired an agent, hired another agent. I've signed 9 publishing contracts, and rejected three. I've learned to put together a proposal, but can't write a synopsis to save my life. I'm still learning about craft every day, mostly due to the studious patience of my critique partners, without whom I doubt I'd get by.
I'll finish my final contracted work by Jan. 15th and then, unless something happens in the next few weeks, I'll have some time off. I'm going to take that time to figure out what the heck I'm doing. I don't have a career plan yet. I've just been writing whatever I feel like, but pretty much, I need to narrow my focus. (And *pray* I get picked up for more contracts. *grin* )
In 2006, I have 5 trade paperbacks coming out (so far)--three of them are all mine, two are anthologies with other authors. I fully intend to release at least 6 e-books, hopefully I'll manage more than that by fitting in some shorts. Some of the e-titles will come out in trades, usually by the 6-month mark so that will be more books on the shelves in 2006. My third Brava is scheduled for release in 2007.
What have I learned (or at least think I've learned) in my first year as a published author:
Happy New Year!!! *party* I hope 2006 is the year when some of your really big dreams come true. *hugs*
I released 6 stories/books in 2005 with 4 different publishers. A reader forwarded me a post from a loop where another reader had said she enjoyed one of my stories so much she bought my entire backlist. I grinned like an idiot. A backlist of published works. Wow. A year ago, I wouldn't have thought that would be possible now.
In 2005, I hired an agent, fired an agent, hired another agent. I've signed 9 publishing contracts, and rejected three. I've learned to put together a proposal, but can't write a synopsis to save my life. I'm still learning about craft every day, mostly due to the studious patience of my critique partners, without whom I doubt I'd get by.
I'll finish my final contracted work by Jan. 15th and then, unless something happens in the next few weeks, I'll have some time off. I'm going to take that time to figure out what the heck I'm doing. I don't have a career plan yet. I've just been writing whatever I feel like, but pretty much, I need to narrow my focus. (And *pray* I get picked up for more contracts. *grin* )
In 2006, I have 5 trade paperbacks coming out (so far)--three of them are all mine, two are anthologies with other authors. I fully intend to release at least 6 e-books, hopefully I'll manage more than that by fitting in some shorts. Some of the e-titles will come out in trades, usually by the 6-month mark so that will be more books on the shelves in 2006. My third Brava is scheduled for release in 2007.
What have I learned (or at least think I've learned) in my first year as a published author:
- 1.) Listen to the advice of authors who have been published longer. You don't have to heed that advice, but listen to it and absorb it. They usually know what they're talking about.
- 2.) What works for one writer will probably not work for another.
- 3.) Don't torture yourself with deadlines in Dec., Jan., or Feb. This is the second year in a row that I've signed on for deadlines over the holidays. I don't intend to do it again. I've realized that I just can't get into the holiday spirit when I'm not involved in the process of preparing for it.
- 4.) Take the rose-colored glasses off. (I knew this from the get-go, but I'm sharing it with you) Publishing your book is your dream, not your publisher's. You have to make the extras happen.
- 5.) Editors only answer the questions they want to and ignore the rest. They learn this in Editor Behavior 101 and they all got "A"s. It's okay. It doesn't mean they don't like you.
- 6.) Don't be afraid to break the rules or assert yourself.
- 7.) Don't take a bad deal just because it's a deal. Just like with dating, why buy the cow if you're getting the milk for free? Trust me, the publisher is thinking the same thing.
- 8.) Writers are afraid to say what their strengths are. They worry that if they don't appear humble, they'll appear vain. Thing is, you've got to be good at something to do with writing, right? You wouldn't try to get published if you truly thought your work was crap. You'll need to have a core of strong confidence in this business or you'll get squashed like a bug. Find something about your work that inspires confidence in you and keep it close to your heart.
- 9.) Reviews aren't that important. Great ones are awesome to get, but the bad ones won't kill you. I'm still learning this, but at least I'm now able to acknowledge that this is true.
- 10.) Don't put too much effort into your title choices and don't get attached to your titles. In fact, it's probably best to just write "historical manuscript #3" or "paranormal vamp in space #2" in the header. Your editor is most likely going to make you change the title, whatever it is.
Happy New Year!!! *party* I hope 2006 is the year when some of your really big dreams come true. *hugs*
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