Clean, Dirty, Sweet or Steamy

In these days of political correctness, I'm going to share one of my pet peeves as an author. 

I've begun work on my next book, which will again be a romance. I'm adding to the Hoffman Grove series, which begs the question, what kind of romance will it be? Fun fact about COOKIE THERAPY, which is part of this series. When I wrote it, I wrote it with "the door closed." The intimate scenes were off the page. My editor said readers would feel cheated. I didn't ask her if that was because my previous books had left the door open or if she considered it industry standard but deferred to her wisdom as an editor and "opened the door." Does that make it dirty--or steamy?

I did a Christmas novel that I'd hoped to market to Hallmark, WHILE WE WERE SHOPPING, that fell into the "sweet" category (i.e., no sex). Does that make it "clean?"

When I first started writing the Hillendale novels, I'd considered writing to a different market and attended a writers group in that market to learn. FAMILY ALCHEMY was always meant to be more women's fiction than romance, showing Brynn's journey, so the "heat level" was never at issue. However, in that writing group, they talked about "clean romance," which immediately set my teeth on edge. I don't view intimacy as "dirty."

Bottom line, I left the writers group. I didn't pursue the avenue I was considering. Well, I did, but I ended up changing my mind after consulting with someone who writes the genre I was aiming for and she gave me some pointers. I realized I didn't have the right skill set to get it there, and although the group invited me to stick around, I had a hard time aligning what I wrote as "clean" or "dirty."

I'm a big proponent of "sweet" or "steamy." I do recognize that there are people out there who have a problem with reading about intimacy on the page, and I'm well aware of the boundaries some people set. I love reading Kristan Higgins romances, where she takes you right to the bedroom door, and then closes it. I also love reading Jill Shalvis novels that invite you right into the bedroom. I've heard from readers who don't want to "see that stuff in a book," say they skip over the "hot" sections, and other readers who savor them. 

Romance novels include intimacy of varying levels. Readers expect that. Whether its emotional intimacy, and that should be there regardless, and/or physical intimacy. Because some readers don't want to "see" the physical side of things, labels get applied to prepare them. Me? I use "steamy." If my readers expect me to call it "dirty," I'm going to say they probably shouldn't be reading romance unless they refer to it as a "guilty pleasure." Now, I'm not talking about erotica, where physical intimacy is the main focus. I'm talking about books that take the time to develop an emotional bond between the characters. Erotica is it's own label. I don't think "dirty" needs to be applied in any event, unless they're wallowing in a mudpit.

With all that being said, there are industry standards to physical intimacy. Different people like different things, or don't like certain things. One of my first exposures to physical intimacy in a book was a novel by Julie Garwood. She wrote scenes including things that I, personally, didn't like, so I tended to wrinkle my nose and skip over them. We all have our tipping points. Most romance novels you read will stick to "typical interaction" and leave the fetishism or extreme behavior to the erotic category. Do authors write about what happens in their own bedrooms? Heck, no! Most of what you see in a steamy novel is standard fare, adapted by a particular author to suit their characters. 

So here I go writing another in a series of "steamy" novels. Yes, I anticipate some foggy windows  ahead--Foggy, but not dirty. 😉

Do you have strong feelings on how you label romance? Or preferences on the heat level?

Release Day!

 Anyone else excited for the new Hillendale novel? Here's another sneak peek at ENCHANTED MEMORIES.

“I’m not going in there,” she repeated.

“Claustrophobic?” Becker asked.

Madeleine folded her arms. She didn’t need some cop she didn’t know psychoanalyzing her, and after the disaster with her brother, she’d developed a healthy skepticism where police officers were concerned. If he had a hidden agenda, she didn’t want to be part of it. “Deputy Jakes was right. I don’t want to help. I’ll just see myself out.”

His eyes flickered with surprise and his posture softened. “Wait.”

She raised her eyebrows, allowing him to continue.

“There’s a coffee shop a couple doors down. We could go there.”

She gave him a nod and followed him out, away from the memories, to the task at hand.

“Why did you decide to track me down?” she asked.

“You were recommended by the Woodrow PD.”

Pat answer. Too pat. “What did you think when the Woodrow PD suggested a psychic?”

He assessed her a moment longer, his eyes taking everything in from her half-moon earrings to her barely concealed tattoos to her ankle boots. Want a closer look? She took a step closer to judge his response.

No one was going to take what she wasn’t willing to give ever again. She’d learned how to deal with sleazeballs. Better to know where Becker stood before this went any further.

Buy it today, in e-book and paperback: https://books2read.com/u/brPr1z

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Out and About - Pottawatomie Park

In need of a change of scenery, I took the Big Guy on a river cruise. Now don't get excited, it's a 45 minute ride in a paddle wheel boat half an hour from home in a mostly-shallow river. Still, it was something we hadn't done before, and it was a beautiful day to be on the river. No kitschy tour guides, just us a a couple dozen people sitting on benches watching the jet skis and power boats and kayaks and paddle boarders pass us by - yes, you heard that right. Since the river isn't very deep around here, the boat moves VERY slowly. There is a canned tour recording which occasionally fills you in on what you're passing which is all related to the local community. The local golf course. The local fen area. Boy Scout Island. The nature preserve named after a local philanthropist. Not sure we traveled five miles down (up?) the river, but it was something to do on a summer's day. 

The St. Charles Belle

Great Blue Heron

Paddle boats

The golf course

The watchtower

The pavilion

Pronouncing a book "done"

As much as some of us might like to analyze what we've written forever, there comes a point in time when we must pronounce it done. It doesn't help that every time we look at it, we find a new "perceived" error, and often an actual error. That only feeds the need to check it "one more time." At some point, we have to pronounce it "done."

I've done that with my next Hillendale novel, which will go on sale August 3 (but you can pre-order!). 

From my editor:

"You keep delivering the goods, I tell ya. Kudos on inventing a fresh new character for this familiar town of people. She fits right in."

Here's a snippet to whet your appetite:

Madeleine Stephens jogged around the park, past the backyards of the cinderstone houses. Her strides echoed on the wooden bridge and a minute later she was jogging in place where the path met the street. No cars. She continued to the other side of the road, where the woods backed up to her house. As she shuffled to her privacy fence, her running shoe caught in a tangle of vines that sent her to the ground.

“Clumsy,” she muttered. She pressed against the ground to push to her feet, and sensation burned through her hands.

Don’t you realize I can take anything I want?

Madeleine pulled away and sat up, staring at the ground. A trail of blood snaked through the dirt, making her back farther away. She looked to where the privacy fence should have been, a vision showing her house on fire. Brynn Taylor stood in the sunroom windows, palms against the glass.

Madeleine gritted her teeth, squeezed her eyes closed and pulled her knees to her chest to ward off the vision. “Leave me alone,” she whispered. When she looked again, the fence blocked her view of the house. The trail of blood on the ground was an earthworm slithering along.

She hadn’t had an unexpected vision in almost six months, and that one had nearly killed her.

It goes on sale August 3, but you can pre-order it so you don't forget 😁

Buy it here!

Give a Little Whistle

In addition to being exciting, writing comes with its share of down times. 

Many authors struggle with depression. Most notably, The Bloggess, Jenny Lawson, regularly talks about her bouts of depression and how she deals with it. Stephen King is another example. Most authors go through dark periods, myself included. Let me say right off the bat, if you’re struggling with depression, it’s okay to get help. When I hit my lowest point, I did, and it helped tremendously. My goal today is to provide some ideas for how to kickstart your brain when it wanders down those dark alleyways, before it reaches critical mass, a very high-level approach to get past the doldrums rather than a ladder to climb out of despair. As with all things, your mileage may vary.

During the course of writing a book, there are inevitably those times where writer's angst kicks in. The “I suck” feeling. The imposter syndrome where I'm sure nobody wants to read my drivel – including me. When the creative juices seem to dry up, or when sales slack off. The problem with those days is they can creep into other aspects of your life, like The Fog (Creature Features movie, for those of you who might not remember it) until you can’t see your hand in front of your face. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

So what do you do when the fog starts rolling in?

• Exercise.
• Yoga.
• Phone a friend.
• Get outside and look at the world around you. Really look at it, at all the beautiful things hiding in plain sight (#OutAndAbout).
• Volunteer. Nothing reminds you how small your problems are like seeing how good you have it when compared to someone who isn’t as fortunate.
• Go the Jiminy Cricket route and “Give a Little Whistle.” Or sing a song (#MyLifeIsAMusical).
• Learn something new.
• Listen to music that relaxes you.
• And one thing very author-specific: Read a book. I’ve found this can inspire you, either to be as good as your favorite author, or better than someone who might not write as well as you do. (This one is last because it doesn’t always work the way you expect!)

There is a trend these days toward mindfulness, which directs our attention toward how to deal with the disappointments and speedbumps that send us the wrong direction. One of my friends does a podcast called Mindfulness: Slow Living, Connection, and the Ordinary Life. 

In the end, falling into writers angst is a frame of mind. Maybe the writing does suck, but the important thing is not to let it pull you into a black hole. We all have bad days--some worse than others--and we will continue to experience disappointments. The key is to overcome them. 

On those days I doubt my ability, I remind myself why I write (because I love creating new and different worlds to escape to) and ultimately, putting in the effort shines like the sun on the encroaching fog. It helps to have a couple of awards (and five-star reviews!) to provide some validation. Even if I'm only writing for myself, it brings me joy. 

How do you overcome self-doubt?

via GIPHY

Why Hire an Editor?

There are times I get all cocky and tell people I used to be an editor, so what do I need to hire one for? I have a firm grasp of the English language. I know how to put sentences together. I have programs that help point out usage that I might have overlooked. And did I mention I have a stellar critique group? Well, here's the thing.

Nobody's Perfect

This is especially true when it comes to reviewing your own work. Humans are flawed, and as such, mistakes will be made. Even with top-notch skills and a strong support group. Things get overlooked. Threads get dropped. 

As I prepare my next Hillendale novel for publication, I'm addressing comments I got back from my editor. The one I hired. Because she sees all the things I miss. Is she perfect? No, but her input elevates my work. As an example...

• I have a thread in the current novel that isn't neatly tied up. "What happened to that one person?" Truth be told, I knew it was hanging out there, but I'd sort of thought maybe no one would care. That was mistake number one. If I don't care, that means my character doesn't care, and that makes her uncaring. Forget the fact this is a made-up person in a made-up world. People should care what happens, especially people we are willing to take the time to invest our energy and emotions into. "That one person" has now been taken care of.
  
  
• Wasn't this different in the last book? See, that's the thing. I keep a series bible. In fact, I wrote a program to make it easier, but in order to keep the facts straight, I have to refer to them. Often. Example #1 is the backstory I presented at the end of Interrupted Magic which "magically" isn't the same as what's presented in this next installment. Well, heck. That isn't going to work, and thinking my readers won't pick up on it? That's just careless. My editor, who has been with me through 17 books now, keeps track of all that stuff. And speaking of continuity...
  
  
• What was the name of that place? Yes, this is also in my series bible, and I KNOW I've referred back to it more than once, but wouldn't you know I STILL wrote the wrong name? Rock Falls/Rock's Edge. And speaking of series bible, here's something you might not know. When I was writing Brian Benson's book for the Epitaph series, I misspelled his name. For 6 books, his name was Brian. Now that he's taking center stage, he's suddenly Bryan. How does that happen?? Well, my editor was on top of it.

As an editor in business, we were often told that internal controls meant you didn't edit your own work. You handed it off to someone with fresh eyes. The three examples I cited are prime reasons that this is good practice. It doesn't matter how good you (think you) are. The main problem with checking your own work is that you become blind to the mistakes. The value of an industry professional with specialized knowledge is well worth the investment. 

I'm expecting ENCHANTED MEMORIES (Hillendale 5) to release on August 3. It should be hitting the stores for preorder this week. Here's the first look at the cover.

Buy it here

The "In Between"

I just finished watching a video of a haunted house in England that gives the phrase "in between" a whole different meaning! The people have lived in their house for three years and have documented poltergeist activity. Whether or not you believe them is another matter. I was reading the comments and as with most things, there are opinions all over the board. I think the one that resonated with me is "how come they're not surprised when these things happen suddenly?" I will say the video is well done, real or not.

But that's not the kind of in between I'm living right now. I have just received edits back from my editor on Hillendale 5, which I hope includes her opinion on the title. Enchanted Memories is a front-runner, but I'm vacillating with Hypnotic Charm. Tune in next week to find out which one wins (feel free to weigh in in the comments), and by then pre-orders should be available to those of you who want to keep up with what's going on in Hillendale.

Generally, in the "in between," I start the next book. This time, I've been taking a break. Learning new things. Have I mentioned my podcast? The second episode is up! And since I'm talking about the podcast, keep an eye out for my interview with author Maggie Toussaint coming July 14.

After I finished my first book (Holy cow! That was 20 years ago!) I read articles on how people celebrate the "birth" of a book, what to do in the "in between," and some of the ideas were loads of fun. To this day, one of the suggestions that stuck with me was about someone who browsed the classified ads and found something they wanted to buy. When they went to pick it up, they sat and talked with the seller for hours! That conversation spurred them on to write the next book. The article likened finishing a book to childbirth, where the author needs time to recover from the process. I totally get that. The process is exhausting, and also miraculous. I grew that?

My "in between" is just about over and it will be time to commit to a new story, but for now, I'm excited to polish Hillendale 5 and prepare it for distribution. I hope you'll love it, too!