Cheating . . . .

I'm guest blogging over at Terry Odell's place today, so I'm cheating this week (since it's still busy season at work).  Stop over and say hello!

http://terryodell.blogspot.com/2012/04/writing-as-therapy.html#more

Spring Fling

Yes, the title could relate to the beautiful weather we've had, although I have to say, I'm a little unsure of what to expect for the summer if spring is showing up a month early.  But that's another story . . .

Spring Fling is also the name of the Chicago Writer's Conference coming up at the end of the month.  In addition to crashing through the busiest time of year at the day job, I've been diligently trying to get Living Canvas ready to pitch to agents and publishers at the conference.  I'm pleased to say that it appears to be done, although it could use one last look over.  I'm always a little leery when I do a "last look" and find glaring errors.  In fixing those, oftentimes I make new ones that get overlooked; hence, one more time.  At this stage, though, its more mechanics and less storyline problems.  That's the good news!  That's easy.

The pitch?  No, it doesn't mean I'll be tossing the completed manuscript at them.  It means I need a good "tag line," something provocative that will invite someone to look a little deeper, and then a short summary that will entice them to want to read it.  I've had good success with pitch sessions in the past.  It seems I can present pretty well in person, but I haven't been as successful with the written presentation that follows.  We'll see if that can't change this year.

I'm also looking forward to hanging out with writer friends that I've met at prior conferences.  It's fun to spend time with people who completely understand the writing end of things-the good and the bad.  I always come away inspired and refreshed.  For all the times when you wonder why you waste the time writing such drivel that no one could possibly want to read (a.k.a. writer's angst), the conferences are like a pep rally that give you tools to keep the writing from being drivel.  It's also encouraging when you hear well-known, multiple-published authors tell you that they still get an occassional rejection.  We can't always get it right.

And so, as I struggle to stand back up after being crushed under the craziness of a seasonal day job, I'm looking forward to refreshing my muse and updating my writing skill set for the changes in the industry.

Vernal Equinox

I find the "fire feasts" fascinating. So many stories revolve around them. From the times of Druids, they have been revered as a mystical time of year. That being said, the vernal equinox is my favorite. I love spring-it is the renewal of life to me. Buds on trees. Grass turning green. Flowers blooming. This year, the weather has been incredible, to the point of skipping over spring and going right into summer. "Spring has sprung" early. I have a magnolia tree in my front yard that has bloomed and is now losing its flowers, and it's only March 23.

The vernal equinox is the first of the fire feasts, a thought the brings to mind the winter one. DH has friends that have a winter solstice party every year. This year, if you believe the Mayan calendar, that day will mark the end of the world. Would that be so bad? For me, I'm in the middle of March Madness at work (not the basketball kind), so I'm overwhelmed, and tired and over stressed. After 25 years of this, I think I've learned to handle the pressure with a little more grace, but that doesn't keep me from wishing for a little more peace. "Stop the world" I want to get off sort of mentality. Isn't that what the Mayans are proposing? Although right before Christmas does seem awkward timing - or maybe fortuitous timing.

Something to think about.

Steamy romance?

I'm seeing a lot of more established writers weighing in on how to write sex scenes over the past week, so thought I'd serve up my two cents, FWIW.

There is a perception that women want a little steam in their romances, but it has long been my contention that a well written story doesn't need to show a lot of body parts. I recently read a number of romances (my favorites are the historicals) where the story is about how the heroine strives to be a societal parriah by seeking out to "ruin" herself, these under the guise of "fractured fairy tales" (a number of authors seem to be jumping on this bandwagon). The focus of these stories isn't the story itself, it's how Jane Eyre loses her virginity.

Reading a romance can be a lot like buying a magazine, in these terms, a Playboy, or a Penthouse, or a Hustler. I'm not adverse to the Playboy versions - after all, there are some good stories to offset the pictures, aren't there? (that's what I'm told anyway.) There are erotica lines, which would fall into the Hustler category. But what I've seen lately is more of the Penthouse variety romance. Lots of gratuitous sex disguised as romance. I grew up reading Victoria Holt, and in all but one of her novels, there isn't even a reference to sex, and yet its easy to fall in love with the hero even without him taking his clothes off. These are novels we can hand to our teenage daughters, rather than the newer variety of sex-equals-love that I've been reading. When I was a teenager, you couldn't find these types of books in the library. There is very little plot development, and for a historical to be true to the time period, there are standards that should be observed. Yes, times have changed, but is this the message we want to send to our children? (okay, off my moral soapbox.)

I don't object to a little sex in my stories. You'll find it in my own novels. In fact, I had a friend of mine come up to me and say how much she enjoyed the steamier sections of  Intimate Distance.  Certainly, I'm not an authority, and likely I haven't always gotten it right myself.  There seems to be a market for sex inside the story.  My objection is sacrificing the story in favor of the sex. 

When I've met with agents and/or publishers at conference pitch sessions, I ask them if the market demands sex in romance novels.  The answer is almost categorically no.  If it has a place in the story, that's one thing - if it advances the plot - not as a gratuitous intrusion. 

Women enjoy sex, too.  Clearly there's a market for the erotica romances, but I've been seeing more of the "Penthouse" variety stories that are not marketed as erotica, they're marketed as romance novels. 

My favorite authors are the ones that can weave a story, not rush me into the bedroom and tell me that love is dependent upon sex.

Read an E-Book Week

While the day job is occupying most of my time, I'm taking time out to remind you that my books are available on all e-readers! This is Read an E-Book Week. I've included the most common links below, but if your e-reader isn't on the list, you can find my books in other formats at this link (i.e., click here).

Intimate Distance is available for the low, low price of just 99 cents, and Touched by the Sun is available for $1.99. Living Canvas is VERY CLOSE!

The kindle versions are up at Amazon, the iBooks versions are in the iBookstore and the Nook versions are available at Barnes and Noble.

• click here for Kindle versions

• click here for iPad

• click here for the Nook

Watch this space for more information about Living Canvas.

Winter

As a reminder, the subtitle of this blog is Ramblings of an Author in Progress, so ramble I will.


We have had an unseasonably mild winter in the Midwest.  I'm not complaining!  But this morning on the train it was COLD.  You'd think I would move to a warmer car, but I'm a creature of habit, so I didn't. I will admit that I'm generally hot by the time we reach the city, so I was willing to be a little cold on my ride in this morning.  El Nino or La Nina or global warming, whatever it is that's sparing us frigid temps and mountains of snow, I'm not going to complain. My sympathy for our European friends, who are getting what we're missing.

I watched part of the Grammys last night, and I saw the 60 Minutes interview with Adele beforehand.  I do love her voice, and I am a fan.  Wouldn't say devoted fan, but I do like her music.  Along those lines, she did inspire me to move ahead on one of the stories I outlined.

Every story an author writes contains snippets of themselves and the people they know.  I've been holding back on one of my stories, which was inspired by one of those "that doesn't happen in real life" moments when I was watching a movie.  I thought it was time to present a touch of reality and a "different" happily ever after type of ending.  In fairness, I've seen both version of the endings in question, but it was a moment that struck close to home and prompted me to outline my version of the story.  After an appropriate gestation period, I think it's time to begin the writing process. Naturally, I pick this time of the year to start - when my day job is the most hectic and challenging.  Maybe that's why I picked now.  I need the release that comes with writing!

In the meantime, I'm still shopping Living Canvas.  Epitaph is still sitting on the shelf but probably ready to go.  Maybe some tweaking and definitely some serious shopping effort, but it's time to move forward.

And so it goes . . .

Furry Friends

I thought I'd wax poetic on my cat today.  I mean, why not?  I always think about the Star Trek episode, "The Trouble with Tribbles."  Aren't cats tribbles, after all?

This is a picture "under the Christmas tree."  She's gorgeous, isn't she?  Funny thing about Ms. Cat.  She's a younger sibling, and when her big brother crossed the rainbow bridge last year, she went from shy, yet cuddly, to vocal and untouchable. This poor kitty was left for dead in a dumpster when she was six weeks old.  She's going to be 11 this year, and clearly suffers only psychological trauma from that event. When we adopted her, she was very sick. I didn't think she was going to make it, and yet she did.  She's a tough kitty.  I do believe that she continues to suffer chronic respiratory ailments as a result of those formative years, however.  She's a sneezer and a wheezer quite often, although she's been clear for a month now. She's done several regimens of antibiotics, and this last round made me realize just how sick she was prior.  I tend to take for granted that the sneezing and wheezing are chronic and don't always rush to the vet. After this last go round, the difference in before antiobiotics and after was tangible.  She can breathe again, so she's playing again and cuddling again. She doesn't run from The Big Guy as much, and although she continues to be shy, she is more outgoing as she ages - more so now that she's feeling better again. And I'm tripping all over her toys again.

Recently, I received an iPad to play with. While I was learning to use it, a friend suggested I try a game.  A game that requires you to swipe different directions and tilt the tablet to move your "guy."  So I was sitting on the couch, and Ms. Cat, who is still mildly untouchable (you can pet her when SHE says so), walks up to me and starts rubbing her chin on the corner of the iPad.  While I'm tilting it to keep my "guy" from dying.  Crash. Into a wall, or into the lake.  She made my character die!  And of course the minute I reach over to pet her to allay her need for affection, she walks away. "Don't touch me!"  Yeah, only when I'm playing with the iPad and then it's "pet me, play with me, pay attention to me."  Silly cat.  Lots of personality, Ms. Cat has.