Election Day

Surprise. I'm blogging a day early this week. Why? Because I want to emphasize how important it is to vote. 

I'll admit, when I was young(er), it was a privilege I didn't always take advantage of because I didn't have a horse in the race. With that being said, if I had strong feelings one way or the other, I made it a point to get to the polls. Now that I'm a "grown up," I make sure to vote, because I no longer feel like "one vote won't count." EVERY vote counts. So if you haven't already done so, get yourself off to the polling place and make your voice heard.

Happy Halloween!

Do you celebrate Halloween? When I walk around the neighborhood, there are several houses that are decorated with skeletons and spiders and all sorts of fun things. While I appreciate everyone's displays, I was never one to do that myself. Part of it is sheer laziness, part of it is conditioning from a previous life where someone went overboard with cheap-looking displays. Oh, who am I fooling. It's a knee-jerk response to someone who overdid everything, which inspired the opposite in me. 

I have nothing against Halloween. I used to trick-or-treat. Heck, I write scary books, for heaven's sake! I love scary movies (not the slasher type, but the ghouls and ghosts and goblins and witches type). I have to say I was surprised when the school I sent my kids to was anti-Halloween. The kids weren't allowed to dress up or celebrate in any way, shape or form. I understood the school's rationale, and it wasn't worth making a fuss over, but I can't say I agreed with them.

There's a lot of that sort of sentiment going around these days - the "my thinking is the right way" kind of thing. Wouldn't it be boring if we all conformed to the same way of thinking?

But I digress. My favorite scary movie is the original THE HAUNTING. (Yes, you'll note that I included a reference in DARK SHADOWS). When the walls breathe? Gets me every time. Or the pounding moving down the hallways. Another favorite is THE UNINVITED. I loved the way Mary Meredith comes strolling down the stairs, and I was inspired to find out what mimosa smelled like after watching that movie. Yes, these are OLD, Black and White movies (quote from the Big Guy, "Who watches black and white movies?") During the advent of the slasher movies, HALLOWEEN got me. Scary stuff, but that was the ONLY slasher movie I ever liked. You know what other movie I really liked? THE SIXTH SENSE. Nice twist.

Then there are scary books. I have to tell you, after reading THE AMITYVILLE HORROR, I couldn't have that book in the same room with me. Only book to ever get to me, and I read a LOT of Stephen King books. Speaking of, I love reading Stephen King. Oh! Oh! When I saw the movie CARRIE in the theater, there was a big, tough jock a couple of seats ahead of me, and in the end? (if you saw it, you know what I'm talking about), he jumped out of his seat and slapped at it with his hands to chase the spooks away. That was as entertaining as the "shock scene." 

Are you a fan of the holiday? Do you have a favorite scary movie? Scary book? Let's compare notes. I'd love to find a new favorite!

Since it's Halloween, I'm sharing the new trailer with you one more time. It IS kinda spooky, after all. Have you read DARK SHADOWS, yet?

A Day in the Life -- "I'm Okay."

This has been a fun (said with deep sarcasm) month and a half.

So here's the thing. Several years ago, I wrote a book called COOKIE THERAPY about a clumsy heroine. It seemed like the thing to do, and because they often say "write what you know," it was easy to draw from experience. I don't think some people fully appreciate how clumsy everyday life can make you. I even added a bit about "tripping on air" in DARK SHADOWS, because I'm not the only one with that skill.

Let me share with you a page out of my life. While I regularly appreciate the world around me, it can be said I'm not always fully attentive. I take pictures of fun little things that catch my eye while I'm out walking "out and about," but then I trip on the uneven sidewalk while taking a picture of the turkey vulture hanging out by the pond. Just call me Grace.

Recently, I've been paying the price for a lifetime of these missteps. I get a required minimum of exercise every day, so I'm not altogether a lump on a log. With that being said, recently, I had some pain that refused to go away. So I checked in with the doctor. I spent more time than I should deciding on which orthopedic guy to visit because I have a history with several that I prefer not to engage again, and they tend to be highly specialized. Ultimately, I popped in to visit one and yes, I have issues. I've had orthopedic issues for years, but they generally don't rear their ugly heads because of said exercise every day. But I digress. Commence x-rays and MRIs and physical therapy and a treatment plan. Things are starting to improve! Just as I'm reaching the "what's your pain level today?" scale of "barely there," I fall a$$ over teakettle down the stairs one morning. Scratch that. I went down on my derriere. Sitting on the bottom step, I realized I've given myself a good scare. Ooops. The Big Guy heard me go down. Now he's scared, too. He tries to help, which isn't helpful (gotta love that guy, though). After an assessment, no bones sticking out where they shouldn't be, everything seems to be straight. Some bruises, some contusions, one nasty cut, and I decide I'm okay. I'm relegated to the recliner for the rest of the day.

Fast forward a couple of days to the weekend. I'm not feeling right. Can't call the doctor. It's the weekend. So off I go to Urgent Care, because who wants to spend Saturday in the ER? Urgent Care takes one look at me and "because of my age and because of the nature of my fall" (can I slap that guy? I mean, I know I'm getting older, but am I REALLY at "that age?") he sends me to the ER. Where I spend my Saturday. Oh well. So here's the thing. I checked out okay. "I'm okay!" Except for one vital sign which has stubbornly decided to throw a party. "Is this normal?" the ER nurse asks me. NO, It's not normal. They check me three times, but the band isn't going home, and the dancing goes on. The ER doc decides they don't need to keep me just for that and they send me home. "But keep an eye on it."

Okey dokey. Keeping an eye on it. Two days later and the rave is still going on. Am I going to fall back into being "that age?" Am I falling apart? Suddenly, everything is going to stop working? So, per my discharge instructions, I call my regular doc. Fill him in on my escapades and the ongoing rave my body has decided to throw. Bless him, he says he can't justify a case for this being a new problem because my history is so "pristine." (I knew I liked this guy) But now it's something I have to keep an eye on. Likely, the "rave" is part of all the other stuff, the pain, the treatment, the stress. Unfortunately, it means monitoring until the band and all the party goers taking up residence inside me go home just to make sure it doesn't BECOME a new problem.

I've learned a whole lot about my body in the last week. MRIs and CTs show you things you'd rather not know about. And as I told the guy in the ER, every day since the fall, I'm finding new bruises and abrasions I missed from that fateful event. The good news is the initial pain is gone. Now it's just the bruises and contusions.

The Big Guy is still following me around and telling me to be careful on the steps, a week later. It was a one-off. I'm a klutz. I told him if he wants to make sure I don't do it again, let's buy a house without so many steps! Fodder for a new book? Guess I've already been there, done that. It does keep me up to date on ER protocol, however! 

Back to our regularly scheduled program next week...

Is gothic romance dead?

Asking the question about gothic romance makes me feel old. 

I grew up reading Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney, among others. These books are written from a single point of view, usually the heroine, and the hero is something of a scoundrel. Can he be trusted? Is the heroine's life in danger?

When I attended my first (or it might have been my second) writers' conference, I met Erica Ridley, who had just released her very first novel - a gothic romance. I spent some time chatting with her, considering my appreciation for the genre. She wrote several books in that first series - Too Wicked, Too Brazen, Too something else. I think I read two of them. While I enjoyed them, and many other of her books, she lost her contract with the publisher. She went indie (not a bad thing!) and started writing more historical romance and less "gothic." When she lost me, however, was when she started writing to an outline. "And then this has to happen, and then that has to happen, and the obligatory XX scene has to be here..." While I don't mind formulaic novels, I do mind them when certain things start to feel forced. Don't get me wrong, she's an excellent author and I would recommend her. What I didn't like was certain things like "Oh, I forgot to include a sex scene, so I'll tack one on at the end." I'm sorry, but if I got all the way through the novel without it, it doesn't need to be there. 

My point is that I don't run across many gothic authors these days. I read an article that says they've rebranded the genre as something else (romantic suspense, perhaps? I don't recall). Sort of like those romance authors who don't write category romance are now said to write women's fiction. Same animal, different nameplate on the pen.

Circling back around... I used Victoria Holt as a model when I wrote my first novel. I won't bore you with how many incarnations that poor book went through as first a quest novel, then an inspirational novel, then a romance novel (sweet, not spicy). In the end, it turned into a gothic romance. As I've been giving it another look, I realized something important. It has multiple points of view: the heroine, the hero, and the bad guy. FIRST, let me point out this was my first foray into "serious" writing, so it had MANY rookie mistakes. As a gothic romance, I should have stuck with one point of view. Okay, so even if I wanted to categorize it as "regular" romance, the multiple points of view I wrote were irregular. What the heck does that mean? 

In a romance novel, you generally do alternating points of view. He says, she says, he says, she says, and so on. In my poor excuse for a novel, the hero has something like five half-page scenes in 30 chapters. Ummm..... Just no. How did it take me twenty years to notice that? Easy, I haven't read it in more than ten years, and I've learned a heck of a lot in ten--twenty--years. 

Book #1
The original title/
cover
2002

Why does this matter? I've remaindered the book, so no one has to read my goofy mistakes anymore. Except a friend asked me recently what ever happened to...? And so I had to look and see if it was worth reviving this book. Hence, Exhibit A. Poorly written. But you know what? The story is still there. It's still good. So can I salvage the story using the tools I've learned lo, these many years? And this brings me to gothic romance.

Book #1
The updated cover/title

It makes the most sense to rewrite the "he says" scenes from her point of view. She sees something. She overhears something. That removes the clumsily inserted "he says" scenes. OR I can write it as straight romance and expand on the he says scenes. Option one is the most appealing to me at the moment. There's really only one chapter where his point of view directly impacts the story. That also means giving him redeeming qualities for the heroine to notice that might not be obvious from the way he treats her (he's deep into grief and acting out rather than dealing with his emotions). Going deep into a character's motivation is one of the lessons I've learned through the years. I've had several unlikeable characters that I've had to redeem (and some that weren't redeemable!). I can handle that. 

Which brings me back to the theme of this post. Is gothic romance dead? Are today's women interested in a slightly unnerving man (who can be redeemed) or have we lived this story too many times in real life and he isn't worth the energy? "Walk away. Walk away." What say you, people of my blog?

Audio Characterizations

DARK SHADOWS releases next week in all but the audio. 💀 Woo hoo! 

My editor was very kind to me this go round. Was it perfect? Heck, no. If it was, what would I need her for? (I need her!) After cleaning things up and doing my "listening proof," the book is on track for release next week. Now I have to concentrate on the audio.

I've used the same narrator for all the Elspeth Barclay novels, and one of her questions up front is always "do you have someone in mind for these characters?" I know there are authors who do idea boards with celebrities they draw from for their characters. I'm not one of those people. I have used an occasional photo, and that's not to say there haven't been celebrities I've thought about when writing certain characters. Case in point, I pictured Jackson Browne (in his MUCH younger days) when I wrote Matt for COOKIE THERAPY. But here's the thing. I know all these characters. They live in my head. How to I convey them to my narrator? I tend to let my narrators do their own interpretations, but that doesn't always work out so good.

When Jude Erin did Horned Owl Hollow, one of the celebrity models I gave her was Lily Tomlin for Abigail Barclay, Elle's mom. A little offbeat. She performed that character beautifully. Fast forward to now. When I told her the next book was on its way, she asked about new characters. I had to consider who she could associate the characters with. Not as easy as you might think when you consider these people are often bits and pieces of people I've met over the course of my life, or completely fabricated. I sent her the list of new characters, and then provided a clue about how they sound in my head. I'm sure she'll do a great job - she always does. 

While you're waiting, I thought I'd share the book trailer with you! What do you think?

Growing as a writer

Way back in 2002, I published my first book. I'd taken the classes. I'd learned everything I thought I needed to know. "Don't tell, show." So many things. I was so proud of myself for applying all the rules, learning all the lessons. I dived right into writing my second book all pumped up and ready to go.

Except I was a rookie. I got so many things wrong. 

Recently, I had a friend ask me what happened to my first book. It's no longer on my website, no longer available for sale. This is a process known as remaindering. The second book was also remaindered as hopelessly outdated and probably filled with more of those rookie mistakes. I don't think that book is redeemable. I didn't get a "good" editor until my third book. She took me the next step in my writing (shoutout to Kelly!). 

However, with the question about THE TREASURE OF ST. PAUL, I went back to review that first book and cringed with nearly every word. First off, it was written 22 years ago, at a time when the world was a different place. It was written over a period of years (first books are like that) when I was a different person. I tried to update it about 10 or so years ago, but it was still outdated and the problem was I tried to edit it rather than rewrite it. MISTAKE.

I'm between books now, and have been considering my next step, but with my friend asking about that first book, I decided to take one more look at it. The decision: Rewrite. Not just edit. It's an exercise more than anything else, but I have always loved the story, just not the rookie mistakes and the outdated thinking. I have time before I get edits back, and I'm not inclined to start a new project, so it fits nicely into the "in between" space. Will I republish it for reader consumption? Maybe. As I said, I've always loved the story. I have a much more critical eye now that I know what to look for, now that I've trained to do this job for 22 years. I have better tools to work with. 

With that being said, some books should be allowed to fade into the past. We live in a world where books are available forever. That's a long time, and a lot of cultural change to overcome. How many books withstand the test of time? I grew up reading Victoria Holt. Pretty sure I've read every one of her books, and often when I feel the need for a comfort read, I'll pull one off the shelf. Guess what? Her books have NOT withstood the test of time. The last time I selected one of her titles, it was an eye opener. The premise would NOT fly in today's world. Reading that book was also helpful in highlighting the issues with THE TREASURE OF ST. PAUL (my first book). Looking in the face of Ms. Holt's time capsule, I'm hoping I can overcome my own societal changes. If the story can't be redeemed, well, at least I'll have stayed in practice writing while I wait for my edits to come back. I should know whether it's worth pursuing by the time my editor is done with the latest Elspeth Barclay novel.

This is where I tell you DARK SHADOWS will be coming out next month. Who else is looking forward to reading it?

Anticipating an October release

While I wait for final comments on DARK SHADOWS, I'm preparing for its launch. Trailers. Graphics. Blurbs. Things like:

While I'm waiting, I'm attempting to get out into the world and addressing all those things that fall by the wayside when I'm hunkered down writing. 

Dear Husband and I went to a festival this past weekend with the intent of sampling a barbecue vendor he has had his eye on for some time. The vendor is in high demand, as evidenced by the fact he was the last booth to open for business (by at least 45 minutes) and still had a very long line. Yes, it was worth the wait. While we were cooling our heels, a chiropractor took the main stage beside the picnic tent and serenaded (maybe I should say "Longfellow Serenaded") us with Neil Diamond songs. Karaoke style. He had the right tone, a decent copycat. We also meandered the Riverwalk where they had craft booths set up for several blocks. Lots of interesting arts and crafts. I passed one booth hawking bookish t-shirts - I was wearing one my daughter made for me, so they figured I might be an easy sale. (I didn't buy any.) There were dog treats and baked goods and farm fresh produce and several Etsy booths selling silver jewelry and monogramed dish towels - free association moment: my mother used to make me dishtowels with crocheted tops to hang from the drawer pulls/oven handles.  I almost bought a couple of those, but knowing I already have more than I will use in the next ten years, I passed. It was a beautiful day to walk along the river with lots of fun things to admire. 

When I came home, I did more research for orthopedic doctors. After years of misdiagnoses and frustration, when I asked my PCP for a recommendation for a chronic condition that is flaring again, he gave me a name that I have zero confidence in based on my past experiences. For that reason, I've been delaying seeking care. I'm happy to report I stumbled upon a doc from the beginning of my orthopedic journey that I would revisit, so that is this week's task - making an appointment/seeing him. Fingers crossed.

Hoping to have copies of the new Elspeth Barclay book, DARK SHADOWS (even as ARCs) for my next in-person appearance on October 6 in Elgin, Illinois at the Gail Borden Public Library. If you're in the area, stop in to say hello!