The Sanibel Divas

Divas Do NYC

2011-07-05T14:24:00.004-04:00

To read about the Divas' adventures at the 2011 RWA national conference in New York City, go to the Writers Gone Wild blog: http://writersgonewild.blogspot.com/

Divas On Parade

2010-08-19T19:27:00.005-04:00

Although the Divas have let *life* get in the way of this blog recently, never fear, we're still alive and kicking. Here are Liane Gentry Skye and Gail Hart all dolled up for the Golden Heart/Rita awards ceremony at the 2010 Romance Writers of America national conference in Orlando.

Next Best Celler Winner Available For Pre-Order

2010-06-19T17:15:00.000-04:00

HOW TO LOSE A DEMON IN 10 DAYS is now available for pre-order from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Borders!

Lies Writers Tell

2010-04-24T19:40:00.003-04:00

“Anyone who says he wants to be a writer and isn’t writing, doesn’t.”
– Ernest Hemingway

Okay, so Mr. H. knew a thing or two about writing, but sometimes when *life* gets into the act, it doesn’t seem quite that simple.

An RWA chapter I visited recently holds a monthly challenge to encourage productivity. Members put their writing goals for the coming four weeks and a dollar bill into an envelope. At the next meeting, the writers who achieved their goals have their names put in a hat, and one person’s name is drawn to win the whole pot.

At the meeting I attended, only six members had entered the challenge (though I’m told sometimes as much as $30 is on the line). The goals in question ranged from “write 8000 words” to “start writing again.” And only two people had done what they planned to do.

This led to a discussion among the women at my table. We cared enough about being writers to drag our butts to an evening meeting, yet we all had to admit we pretty much… weren’t writing.

We had a variety of excuses. We’re writers – of course we know how to come up with stories.

Member 1 – “I’m pregnant and I had morning sickness.” Only she acknowledged the morning sickness had ended after the first trimester. And she also allowed as how, once she stopped being pregnant, she’d have a new excuse – “I have a new baby.”

Me – “I just moved.” But I had to admit “just” had stretched out to over three months, I was all settled in at my new job, and everything I realistically expected to unpack was already unpacked. My excuse was sounding paper thin.

Guest No. 2 – “My job is sucking the soul out of me.” Okay, at one time or another, most of us have “been there, done that, got the T-shirt.” But when the day job is unsatisfying, isn’t that when we most need the creative outlet writing provides?

All right, maybe it really *is* as simple as Ernie boy said. There's no perfect time to write. Life is always happening and will always be happening. If we want to, we’ll always be able to find an excuse not to write. If, on the other hand, we want to be writers, then we have to write. Butt in chair, hands on keyboard. End of story. Or rather, beginning of story… lots of wonderful stories.

So, what are your excuses for not writing, and how do you talk yourself out of them?

Authors Behaving Badly: A Little Author-on-Author Crime

2010-04-20T07:34:00.003-04:00

We're getting into conference and convention season here and I recently listened to a panel of YA and MG authors talking about their books and their writing experiences--you know, stuff I subject my blog followers to on a semi-regular basis. ;-)

Everything was going along smoothly (a little discussion about how hard being an author can be--which I think is a good reality check from time to time) until one author turned to another and grinned, saying, "I guess we all could've made a bunch more money if we'd just written paranormals. Just add a vampire!" Everyone chuckled.

Except me.

My right eyebrow raised. But I kept my mouth shut. What the author's words didn't convey her tone and delivery did. That writing paranormals is somehow far easier and more lucrative than writing straight fiction or non-fiction.

It's the same attitude I've heard adult fiction and non-fiction authors use toward YA and MG authors (and picture book authors--oh, boy!). Like whatever they do is so much more difficult because they have adult readers (let's not dare point out that many adults never progress in reading level beyond eighth grade so it's not heavy vocabulary we fail to use that they're weilding). And, I'll be honest--condensing a story down to a picture book level that still conveys to an artist how they might best illustrate that kernel--that's skill.

But this is typical of every career path and job. Whatever I'm doing has got to be harder than what you're doing, right? Blech! And surely those paranormal authors are just tacking paranormal or supernatural aspects onto what could otherwise be a decent fiction read--just to make more money, right? Building worlds? Ha!

This, is obviously one of my literary peeves. I value all authors. We all struggle to dump the contents of our brains onto a page in some coherent form. We all delve into worlds other than our own to build interesting books. So a little respect? I think we've all earned it regardless of genre or target audience.

What do you all think? Have you also heard or read stuff like this? Have you heard any author say something nasty or belittling about any other genre? Am I the only one who thinks it hurts our entire profession?
~Shannon
PS--As a result of the panel's conversation I started wondering if I should leave one story I'm researching as straight non-fiction. I even argued it back and forth with my brother and my husband. I have since made up my mind about that particular tale's genre. Paranormal, baby!

A well lived life is a lot like a good man--hard and dirty, and over before you know it.

2010-04-15T19:44:00.000-04:00

I bet you thought we dropped off the earth, didn't ya? Well, I for one wish that a few circumstances could have just passed by without gobbling up my time, but life just doesn't work that way.

Which is why I write. So things can somehow, someway, just this once, turn out the way I'd like them to.

So, after wandering about aimlessly for the past few weeks (O.K., part of that wondering was actually me suffering on the couch with an inner ear infection. I couldn't even READ for two weeks! Gads, I'd never wish it on my worst enemy) and with the ever inspiring Liane Gentry Skye leading the way, I am back.

With an assignment.

Wait! Don't leave! I'm not talking a homework assignment, exactly, but I am just curious about what inspires you.

For me, it's hardship.

Suffering.

Near death experiences.

Sick puppy, huh?

Well, life is hard. I know this. I read horror because of this. I watch gory movies and Oprah. I don't mind Nicholas Sparks movies. Awash in desperate and foreboding circumstances, I find that the human condition is at it's most interesting.

Writer's will tell you over and over, when you are stuck, imagine the worst thing that could happen to your character, then have it happen. You thought you knew everything about your beloved characters? Tie them up on a stone and put a swinging scythe aove them. Then tell me what they are made of.

The Little Post that Almost Wasn't

2010-04-12T09:21:00.003-04:00

It's just a little blog post. But hey, it's a post nonetheless, and trust me when I say that for me, anything in the way of words on a page is a major event! With that said, that's my theme for today, starting over. That, and allowing myself to start over *small*. Baby steps!

Those who know me are aware that a major family meltdown has separated me from my muse. There have been days when the simple act of breathing in and out loomed before me, an insurmountable challenge. During this time, my word count wasn't all that. Not that there wasn't word count, there was, here and there, but most of it was less than stellar.

I'm working hard to let myself be ok with that. For now, because at least wordes comitted to a page can be pushed around and rearranged. If it's not written backly, it can never be written beautifully. Yeah, I know all the platitudes. So why the major hesitation on my part?

Because this feels dangerously like learning to write all over again. Worse, *gasp*, I'm published. Doesn't that imply that I must therefore be brilliant from here to Eternity?

As you can see, ball gagging my inner editor is an act easier said than done. So I'm turning to the divas for some tips to keep the old gal chained in the basement where she belongs.

Have at it. I really need your help! My muse will thank you in the morning!

I'm an Author, Jim!

2010-03-09T08:14:00.003-05:00

Anybody else remember Leonard H. "Bones" McCoy complaining to Kirk about what he was ("I'm a doctor, not a ____!") and trying to blow off anything that didn't fit his label in his own sort of way? Perhaps I've just outed myself as a total nerd (like you couldn't guess--I mean, Russian werewolves and Cold War conspiracies ;-).

I'm feeling a deep kinship with Bones right now. I'm an author. A writer. My taxes officially proclaim it. And yet... The time I currently spend writing stories feels minimal.

This week already has included heavy farm work as I constructed a new pen for a newborn ram lamb and his mother and began sugaring off maple sap for syrup, and there's been plenty of promotional stuff: an exclusive 3000 word prequel story for St. Martin's Press, helping get authors together for a special Spring Break post over at The Daily Dose, organizing photos and pieces of things for my series website (supposed to launch on the 15th); planning my son's 6th b-day party (Saturday!); helping out at a great forum that asked for me to do a Writing 101 with them (*very* flattering and it's only growing...); planning my travel to several events; catching up with blog posts; catching up with obligations related to a great event I was asked to help host (squeee!); filling out interviews, interviews, interviews!

Promotional stuff's cool, and I'm glad to help other authors with it right now (it's kind of like holding hands when facing a firing squad) but I want to be writing. I'm no longer naive enough (if I ever was) to think I could simply write a book and not need to do anything else.

But I'm also trying to keep Orson Scott Card's advice in mind. Card suggested limiting promo stuff (conventions and conferences and other events) because writers need time to write. Huh. Imagine that. So, I'm pushing through as much promo as I can now because I hope it snowballs in May, June and July (right around the book's release). But who knows what'll happen by then?

And yes, I'm still writing. My prequel story only made me more desperate to get back into it. And with my brother and husband pushing me to pursue my next project (we're all brainstorming together and I *LOVE* it) and my agent loving what I recently put ibn front of him... Well, it appears I'll keep the label of writer for a while at least. :-)

So, how much time writing are you writers getting?
~Shannon

Movie Madness

2010-03-02T14:13:00.004-05:00

I've been reading, writing and watching a lot of movies recently. Two nights ago (after a lengthy discussion) we decided we could introduce our son to Star Wars (he's been playing the Lego game and knows most of the "mythology" behind it already).

So I sat down to watch what's technically episode 4 (imagine explaining why we started with it instead of 1) and loved it. All over again (and I've seen it lots). I have a new appreciation for it, having gone through Campbell's The Hero's Journey and using it in ways in my own writing. Have I dealt with reluctant heroes? Yep. Put somebody in "the belly of the whale"? Sure. I think sometimes I could rename both Pietr and Jess as Jonah.

And it was AWESOME to see it all track out so neatly with the combined talents of Lucas and ILM.

Next time you're thinking about how your movie viewing can improve your writing, consider The Hero's Journey and how it fits in with your writing. There are three movies (off the top of my head) I think of when I think about The Hero's Journey: Star Wars: A New Hope, Star Trek (this most recent one), and The Lion King. So, pass the popcorn and tell me which movies you think of that follow The Hero's Journey in at least some way. Any pop to your mind?

Take care!
~Shannon

Authors Behaving Badly Redux

2010-02-24T10:07:00.006-05:00

Or the Amazon Goddess and Raging Big Sister Syndrome

It's like a car wreck. I know I should keep driving, but I couldn't look away. This takes the cake, it's not just an author upset at a reviewer, it's one author trashing another personally because she didn't like his book.

He attacks her personally and implies that if she lost weight, she'd get laid and that somehow has something to do with why she didn't like the book, even though it was filled with typos that the author was aware of and still sent it to be reviewed.

Some of the comments by the author were deleted, but you get the general idea. You can read here. Behaving Badly

What the hell is wrong with people? Seriously, I want an answer to this question. It's great to follow your dreams, but unemployment and a mass of word vomit on a page doesn't make you a writer. Especially if you can't be bothered to proofread your offering.

Neither does selling.

What? Did I just say that? I did. You know what makes you a writer? Loving your craft, holding it close to your heart, your soul, but knowing when it's ready to be kicked out of the nest. Always learning, striving, and honing your talent and weaving a story where the colors merge into each other in a seamlessly beautiful design. That's what makes a writer.

Of course, the selling part is great too, but you have to keep doing the other stuff.

Putting on your assbag hat and stapling it to your head with behavior like this doesn't fit the bill.

Color me disgusted.

This means war!

2010-02-20T13:19:00.006-05:00

Trying to find a way to keep the spirit of NaNoWriMo alive all year? One of my writing groups, Club 100, is doing this with virtual write-ins, a/k/a “Word Wars.”

Not to be outdone by the Olympics, we've gone international. Our war last weekend featured five writers in three time zones on two continents. We had three writers in the U.S. Central time zone (in St. Louis and San Antonio); one in Portland, Oregon in the Pacific time zone; and one in Canberra, Australia on their Eastern Summer Time.

The word wars are conducted on a Facebook page specifically set up for that purpose, using the chat feature (when there are only two of us) or a discussion board. The page is open to members of Club 100 and other writers who have a Club 100 member willing to vouch for them. We post on the wall of the page to let each other know when we’re available. Some wars are planned in advance, but unplanned skirmishes can occur any time two members happen to be logged on at the same time and are in the mood to create. Usually each war lasts for 15 minutes, then we report back with our word counts and to offer each other encouragement. Typically we'll do three wars in an hour before everyone goes back to their own business.

One member of the group suggested we should have "Word Peaces" instead wars, because there's already too much war in the world. However, we ended up deciding that war didn't have to have a negative connotation, because we aren't at war with each other. Instead, the "war" is with our procrastination, our Inner Critics, and other bad habits keeping us from being our best writerly selves.

Sometimes armed with Write or Die, Dr. Wicked's fabulous writing productivity tool (http://writeordie.drwicked.com), and/or websites featuring writing prompts, such as author C.M. Mayo’s (http://www.cmmayo.com/d5mwe.html), our group is soldiering on to turn our works in progress into full fledged manuscripts. Peer pressure, support, and companionship are helping each of us to overcome the inertia that can so easily prevent writers for achieving the "butt in chair, hands on keyboard" state necessary to move our visions from our imaginations to the printed page.

Do you participate in any group writing activities? Tell me about what works for you!

Your Book Contract and Hollywood

2010-02-16T18:25:00.000-05:00

Recently Divas Robin Wright and Shannon Delany started chatting about books and movies--specifically what happens when books become movies. This is a continuation of the trouble--erm--conversation Robin Wright started on Thursday of last week. ;-)

It's no big secret I signed a trilogy contract with St. Martin's Press (at least I hope it's not ;-). At the same time that contract was being looked over we (my agent and I) were dealing with interest from a movie producer. Please keep in mind a movie producer doesn't have to be anyone with amazing Hollywood know how. Generally producers bring one area of expertise to a show's production. And money.

You've probably noticed a good number of actors being named as producers. They bring their talent, their connections and their money to a production. So there are many producers in this world. Keep that in mind.

Signing with SMP as we did, we handed them film rights--not something an author has to do, but something somewhat expected in deals with newbies. I mean, let's be honest--what was I going to do with film rights--13 to Life: The Local Musical? *snort* And, although there were multiple parties interested, I had no idea what would be a dealbreaker. Contracts can make you twitch.

Here's how my contract reads (I know--*snore*):

(b) Grant of Rights. The following additional and subsidiary rights in the Work are hereby included in those granted and assigned to the Publisher by subparagraph 1(c):
(i) The sole and exclusive possession in the United States, its territories and dependencies of:

* (A) Selection Rights;

* (B) First Serial Rights;

* (C) Second Serial Rights;

* (D) Microfilm Rights; <==YES. Microfilm. LOL

* (E) Electronic Text Rights;

* (F) Translation Rights (note: in the United States, its territories and dependencies only);

(ii) The sole and exclusive possession in the rest of the Exclusive Territory of Print Rights and Translation Rights;

(iii) <===This one was struck through, so it was removed. Buh-bye!

(iv) The sole and exclusive possession throughout the world in all languages of:

* (A) Sound Reproduction Rights;

* (B) Multimedia Rights;

* (C) Movie and Television Rights;

* (D) Game Rights;

* (E) Live Theatrical Rights; <==Noooo! There goes my musical! ;-)

* (F) Cartoon strip, novelty, advertising and other commercial use of characters, fanciful places, situations, ideas, events and other material from the Work ("Merchandizing Rights").

Now, looking at that, it appears to royally suck. I mean, seriously, I gave them everything. However. I have a nifty-neat-o clause that says...

If the Publisher has not optioned or licensed Movie and Television Rights in a Book by the end of twelve (12) months from the date of publication of the Publisher's initial publication of such Book, the Author shall thereafter have the right to revoke such unoptioned or unlicensed rights in such Book, by giving written notice to the Publisher by registered and certified mail, return receipt requested, which notice shall not be effective unless received by the Publisher prior to the Publisher's agreeing to an option or license.

So. One calendar year after 13 to Life: A Werewolf's Tale is officially first published I can have my movie and tv rights revert back to me. This puts me in an interesting situation (because I really, really want a movie deal). Honestly, I'd like SMP to make the deal. They have lawyers and people to handle that sort of stuff and sure--I'd only get the lion's share of the licensing fee, but it's still potentially a chunk of change. If I have to try and make a deal yes, I may make more money and have more control but I'll also spend more time and money on lawyers. Blech.

If you think visually (and I sure did for this series) you'll probably want to think about your production rights and who would handle what if you get asked about a movie (or other) deal. I hope this helps with that a little bit.

And, although I agree with Robin that most books can't be expressed very well on the big screen, I'm still a movie girl. Besides, I promised the Divas a while back that if I landed a movie deal we'd have our red carpet moment (and I doubt it counts if I roll a red carpet out at my house in the middle of nowhere and microwave popcorn ;-).

Off to watch something!
~Shannon

What makes a novel a romance?

2010-02-12T18:04:00.002-05:00

For the last week or so, I’ve spent most of my “spare time” (ha ha!) judging entries for the Romance Writers of America (RWA) Golden Heart® contest for unpublished writers. The Golden Heart® is my favorite contest to judge because, comparatively speaking, it’s an easy job. Sure, the entries are long (55 pages, usually in Times New Roman 12, which can be murder eyes that aren’t getting any younger). However, all you have to do is read the entire entry (granted, a couple of times getting all the way through an entry has been torture!) and rate it on a scale of 1 to 9, with 5 “specified as average for an unpublished manuscript.” Unlike most RWA chapter contests, there are no specific areas, such as plot, characters and mechanics, that must be rated separately. Furthermore, comments aren’t required or even allowed. In other words, there’s no heavy lifting.

The subjectivity and lack of feedback is one aspect of the Golden Heart® that some writers don’t like, but I don't mind, because to me, this reasonably approximates what happens when our babies land on the desk of an editor. Either she’s excited by our story or she isn’t. She doesn’t have to say why, and she certainly doesn’t have to offer us a contract just because our manuscript scores high on preselected technical criteria.

This year I’m judging the Novel with Strong Romantic Elements category. The Golden Heart® rules define this category as including “works of fiction in which a romance plays a significant part in the story, but other themes or elements take the plot beyond the traditional romance boundaries... A romance must be an integral part of the plot or subplot, and the resolution of the romance is emotionally satisfying and optimistic.” In contrast, the Contemporary Single Title Romance category includes “romance novels which focus primarily on the romantic relationship... The love story is the main focus of the novel, and the end of the book is emotionally satisfying and optimistic.”

What has struck me most this year is that at least four of my entries, in my opinion, are not novels with strong romantic elements – they are romance novels, damn it! The love story is the main focus of the manuscript, and there’s a “happily ever after” ending. Under the official definition, those are the only two criteria for a romance. (And by the way, all of these entries involve a man and a woman, so I don’t even need to wander into the minefield that is the subject of gay romances, and RWA’s reaction to same).

So, I can’t help wondering – why do these authors want deny that what they’ve written is a romance? My first thought was that they wanted to avoid the steep competition in the Single Title category, but a look at the statistics on 2009 Golden Heart® entries ruled that out as a valid conclusion. While both categories had the maximum of 8 finalists, Single Title only had 111 entries, while Romantic Elements had 152 – over a third more. In fact, Romantic Elements was the most competitive of all the Golden Heart® categories.

Another possibility is that these authors don’t want their stories stigmatized by being called a “romance” – but I’d certainly hope and expect that anyone savvy enough to understand the career value of winning or even finalling in the Golden Heart® wouldn’t think that way.

My best guess is that these writers believe their works would be perceived to “fall outside the traditional romance boundaries,” and penalized by judges in the Single Title category, even though the love relationship is the heart of the story (pun intended). This old school thinking would say, a romance heroine can’t be snarky; a romance hero can’t be battling addiction; romance authors can’t color outside the lines of the traditional.

Since I’m entered in the Single Title category, I suppose I should be glad that a number of potential competitors have gone elsewhere. But I can’t help thinking it would be better for the health of the genre if romance was seen as a “big tent” that could include many kinds of heroes, heroines and stories.

Beyond The Book--Adaptations

2010-02-11T09:33:00.000-05:00

Recently, Divas Shannon Delany and Robin Wright fell into a deep discussion about authors points of view and the technicalities of screen adaptations of novels. They decided to do a little series about the subject. Read on for the next two Thursdays and Tuesdays!

I have a soft spot in my heart for books that are translated onto film. You can blame it on SWEET VALLEY HIGH. Yeah, you read me right. Francine Pascal's super awesome(!) book series that came to life on my small, 13” black and white screen forever colored my view of screen translations. I never, not once, thought “What does this author think” when I watched each episode. The author must totally be stoked (I feel I must apologize here for the early 90's slang that will most likely be sprinkled throughout this blog post. Dude, I just can't help it)!

Well, surprise, surprise. That is so not the case.

Stephen King, for one, has yet to find a way that makes him completely pleased with the outcome (about 70 of his works have been made). So, he gave up. In an interview with TIME magazine, he says

“I don't try to maintain quality control. Except I try to get good people involved. The thing is, when you put together a script, a director, and all the other variables, you never really know what's going to come out. And so you start with the idea that it's like a baseball game — you put the best team you can on the field, and you know that, more times than not, you're gonna win.”

Is that what most authors feel like? I have a feeling that we are going to find out.

I don't know exactly when the boom in making novels fit for life on the screen happened. Perhaps it was with the supersonic success of HARRY POTTER, or the Stephenie Meyer's dream come true (that almost didn't happen) of TWILIGHT.

Way back when, when I had no kids and worked as a Youth Coordinator at the local library, I was given an ARC (advanced reader's copy) of TWILIGHT. Little did I know my life would forever be changed. OK, so that wasn't the case, life stayed on course for me, but the phenomenon of what TWILIGHT would become was not lost on me. I was excited to read on her web page that MTV had picked up the rights to make it into a movie! This was in 2005.

I'd say about a year later, I read on her web page that MTV lapsed the right to have a movie made of her first novel, and she was bummed. Some smaller studios were interested, she had said. (Click here for her blog archives detailing what happened and who her original choices for the characters had been.)

The rest, as they say, is history.

Shannon Delany and I recently had a very interesting discussion about movie studios interest in soon-to-be published works and the variety of ways they can come to life. There is the:

Television Series (True Blood)
Made for T.V. Movie (Lifetime Movie Network has a deal with Nora Roberts)
Television Mini-series (Alex Haley's Roots)
Big Screen (Um, yeah. Pick one.)

Which do you prefer? For me, a book is too complex to be made into a big screen movie. Even GONE WITH THE WIND, as amazing an epic as it is, cannot compare to the sweeping drama in the novel. I would love to see it as a TV Mini-series. I feel it is only in that form a book can truly unravel the way an author intended.

Take TRUE BLOOD, for instance. That show is amazing to me. It's like a bunch of fanfic writers gained control and decided to create a season of shows from every book. In fact, that is exactly what happened. The author, Charlaine Harris, gave them permission to do what they will to her novels. Why? Because she'd like to be surprised, too.

Chances are, when you finally get your book deal, there will be some movie studios and production companies sniffing about, as well. What are your choices? What rights should you expect to keep control over? For the technical stuff, Shannon will fill us in. Meanwhile, I'm going to dig out my copy of Richie Tankersley Cusick's BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER. (Published in 1992 to go be released at the same time as the movie. 5 years later, it became the T.V. series. Talk about the best of all worlds!)

Ready for a break?

2010-02-10T11:46:00.004-05:00

So, I'm ankle deep in my third book of the 10 Days story arc. I have plans for three more.

I thought I would take a break after the first book. Then I said I would take a break after the second book. Now, I've jumped right in to the third book with plans to take about a week after that one is completed. I'm anticipating it will be done early April. Since that's RT month, I might actually take that break.

I've written three books since August and while I'm giddy, I'm still learning my own process. At least, a process that works. The first book I wrote took me years. YEARS. And I hated it.

I've had so many authors tell me that they feel so drained when they finish a book and me, I'm just excited to start the next one. What about you guys?

The Zombies of Writing: Ideas that Just Won't Die

2010-02-09T13:48:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I had absolutely no idea what to blog about today and although a pal suggested zombies, I'm just not that into them. BUT. Instead of people and animals that just won't die, what about ideas that won't quit either?

You know, that nagging little voice in the back of your head that sits in the Internal Editor's classroom, eager hand raised shouting "I have an idea! Oh! Oh! Pick me, pick me!" (I have a mental classroom filled with those little buggers.) They can be eager little zombies. They have only one thing on their minds (no, not braaaiinnss) and that's getting their idea in front of you. Oh, man. They're just like us and editors!

You have gobs of choices when dealing with an idea that just won't die.

Here's what I had to do recently...

Pause with your other writing to quickly zip the zombie idea down on paper or notecards (this helps shut 'em up--errm--appease them). Seriously. Write it down even if it seems lame or incomplete.
Give yourself a full day of just mentally poking at that zombie idea (I've found that if I don't give it some attention it'll try to grow and wiggle its way into my other stuff regardless of if I jotted the bare bones down).
Write a scene or snippet of the idea that helps demonstrate the voice or mood you feel it needs so you have that as a reference later.
Try and figure out why that zombie voice is so insistent NOW. Has it figured out that this idea could actually jigsaw into your current project? Is there a date or event that your subconscious realizes is coming up and this might be perfect for if you pursue it now? Be open-minded. Zombies can surprise you.
Decide if there is a legitimate reason to switch gears entirely from your current project to the zombie suggestion. If there is (like the idea has emerged fully formed from your skull like Athena poppin' outta Zeus's thick skull), pursue it. If you aren't sure, run its general appeal and the reason you think it's the one to pursue past a CP or beta.
Then get back to planning, imagining and writing.

You never know when you'll want to thank that zombie for that idea. So go ahead--hug a zombie today (and then take a shower and launder--or burn--those clothes). ;-)

UUUnnnnGGGGhhHHH! Umm... Take care!
~Shannon

What Now?

2010-02-06T07:59:00.008-05:00

I admit it. For the last few months I've been horribly derelict in my duties as a Diva. While I was buying a home, selling a home, moving 1600 miles, and starting a new job, as well as recovering from the emotional hangover that came with the end of the America's Next Best Celler contest, I kept letting the blog fall to the bottom of my priority list.

Hell, I kept letting everything about writing fall to the bottom of my priority list. My muse stopped talking to me.

Now I've been in my new city for three weeks. I'm getting settled in. My condo is in a brand-spanking-new building right downtown. I'm within walking distance of the Alamo and the riverwalk, where the fiesta attitude and energy pulse nonstop. The neighborhood's filled with a colorful variety of people from tourists to Air Force basic trainees out on passes to panhandlers. There's plenty to get the creative juices flowing.

And my office is in a wonderful old building with a carved wood ceiling in the lobby (see pic) and rumor has it, a ghost or two -- not your typical Federal box. From 1937 to 1996 it was a hospital, and I'm told the area where my office is located used to be the nursery. That has to be good juju, don't you think?

I thought I'd have to hit the ground running, as the Army puts it, at the new day job. I had two hearings scheduled within my first month. But things didn't go as planned -- in a good way. One case settled, the other was dismissed by the judge at the last minute. For the moment anyway, things are under control.

In short, I've run out of excuses. It's time to get back to writing. Past time, I hear my muse grumble. Point taken.

So, now what? Do I go back to either of the light paranormals I started over the last couple of years? I started both with boatloads of enthusiasm and ideas I thought were unique, or at least not totally done to death. Somehow I ran out of steam both times. I need to decide if either manuscript is salvageable, or if I should start something new.

And what do I do with my fourth place-finishing Next Best Celler entry, Confessions of the World's Oldest Shotgun Bride? Rewrite it as erotica? Submit it to some e-publishers? Feed it to the paper shredder? (Just checking to see if you were paying attention with that last part - I wouldn't disrespect my work that way).

I have all kinds of options. But one of them isn't to keep pushing my writing to the margins of my life. I'm a writer. Writers write, everyone else makes excuses. It's time to get back to work.

Writing contests and submission calls!

2010-02-05T10:10:00.000-05:00

Before the world finally sits up to take notice of our greatness, we have to make money somehow. So while waiting for that amazing editor or agent to get through the slush pile to find our gems, here are some places asking for our creative genius. As always, be careful and do research before you submit to ANY website. It takes five minutes to do a background check, and will forever protect your work and your pocket. Best bet: Twitter the publisher you are thinking of using to see what other authors' experiences have been.

Textnovel: Their annual contest is up and running! Prize is $1000.

The Enchanted Conversation: Looking for rewrites on popular fairy tales they've selected. Payment if selected=$.04 a word.

Samhain Publishing: Actively seeking three submission categories right now, including Steampunk.

Erotic Readers Submission page: A very comprehensive list of erotic-themed magazines, e-zines, traditional publishers and e-publishers looking for your work.

LL Dreamspell: Is looking for submissions for 3 of their anthologies--
Erotic Dreamspell - Sizzling erotica - paranormal themes preferred
Romance of my Dreams Volume 2 - Mainstream romance - sexy but not erotica
Dreamspell Revenge 2- Suspense, Mystery, or other genre stories with a revenge theme

Pine Hill Press: Looking for just about everything, from space science fiction, to werewolve, to halloween myteries, check out this extensive wish list.

DRT Press: Quote-”is your child easy to love, but hard to parent? drt press wants your stories about parenting a child with adhd/add/odd or other behavioral issues for our upcoming anthology.” It look like this would be a fundraising anthology.

Writer's Digest Annual Writing Competition: $3000 grand prize and a trip to NYC.

2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award: I know, I know, Amazon, Macmillan, and the lot are all being greedy buggers and playing with author's and agents livelyhoods, but it still is a way to get published. If you are against Amazon and their bully tactics (Yes, I am taking sides, here) then ignore this one. If you want to get your stuff out there, they try for it. Quote-”a chance to win one of two $15,000 publishing contracts with Penguin USA and distribution of your novel on Amazon.com. “

Literary Market Calls For Submission: An nice list of markets looking for more *snort* literary work. (Why did I snort? I'm not much of a literary girl. I like me some rolling in the hay, if you know what I mean.)

So there are a few that have been going around. As always, join and search through Duotrope's amazing list, organized by category, of submission calls. They are a truly amazing resource for us starting, and I donate a little each month to keep them running, since they give out the info FOR FREE.

And no, I did not get to finish my novel WICKED ENCHANTMENT in 31 days. I tried, and wrote everyday, but of course, at the last leg, some things came up that derailed me. So, My aim is to finish it up this weekend. I may have been knocked down, but I'll be damned if I stay there!

One Thing You Might Not Think About Starting Out

2010-02-02T07:59:00.003-05:00

When I started writing years ago I did lots of research. Research on writing, research on editing, research on character and world-building. Lots of that research came from reading (in various genres, magazines and writing books).

But, like so often happens, all the book-learning in the world doesn't prepare you for reality.

Today, I'll just share one thing I never thought I'd need to worry about when signing with a big, traditional NYC publishing house:

the supply chain/distribution of books

Those of you following the news (or publishing in general) may have noticed the Amazon vs. Macmillan scuffle over ebook prices which resulted in Amazon removing all the buy buttons on Macmillan books (ebooks and print). Pre-order pages also suddenly had no option to actually pre-order. That was Friday.

Macmillan is one of the "big six" (actually, according to some resources, the smallest of the big six publishing companies). This would lead one to believe there's some security there. That isn't so much the case.

So much business is done online now, that large distributors like Amazon (who recently decided they'd be willing to drop their take of ebook sales from 70% to the 30% Apple's doing IF Macmillan kept all ebooks at $9.99) are powerful players in the publishing business. When they decide to throw a hissy fit, it gets noticed.

And when they throw a hissy fit that impacts the livelihood of writers--guess what? It gets written about.

So, from Friday to today sort of looked like this: can't pre-order 13 to Life at Amazon; search for other distributors pre-selling; update all links to Amazon's competitors; move Amazon's link to the bottom of the list; blog and read about the situation to educate writers and readers and self; watch my sales at Book Depository, Borders and Barnes & Noble go up; hope editors aren't stuck in meetings all Monday as a result of this fiasco; buy candy for editors in case; have Jackie Kessler's posts quoted to me by the husband and laugh; ship candy to editors; read John Scalzi's posts and laugh; host contest to give away books that *still* are not available for purchase. <--That excludes my 7 hours driving Sunday and keeping up with the farm and house chores. Life doesn't stop because you're a writer.

*sigh*

How much writing did I get done outside of blogs? Not nearly what I hoped.

I never thought I'd have to do so much scrambling beyond the writing and editing of the books (which was easy in comparison). I guess my point is this--educate yourselves about all the things you can in regards to the craft and business of writing.

And then be prepared to move fast when the unexpected comes.
~Shannon

Vamps and Weres and Ulfhednar! (Oh my!)

2010-02-01T06:30:00.009-05:00

Welcome to our newest honorary (and soon to be permanent!) textnovel diva, Deborah Blake. Today, Deborah encourages us to color outside the (paranormal) box. Deborah, take it away! :)

***

Beyond Fangs—The Tale of an Online Workshop

As writers, we strive to constantly hone our craft and improve our skills. Preferably without spending too much money or taking a lot of time away from our current manuscript. Online writing classes are the perfect solution. Most of them are fairly inexpensive, and you can devote as much or as little time as you chose.

I’ve taken a number of great workshops, many of them from the Low Country RWA chapter. Recently they asked me to come up with one myself. At the time they asked me, I’d spent months working on the world and character building for my current urban fantasy, PENTACLES AND PENTIMENTOS. I started out by asking myself a simple question: What kind of paranormal characters can I use to people this world, without resorting to those that are currently somewhat overused. In short, NOT VAMPIRES.

Don’t get me wrong; I love vamps. And werewolves, and such. But I wanted to create a world that was completely different from anything already out there. And that meant coming up with unusual paranormals. Hence, the workshop—
Beyond Fangs: Creating New & Interesting Paranormal Characters

The class will cover what’s already out there and a few ways to make the more common your own. It will also explore some alternatives, as well as suggest a few helpful resources for creating something new and different. And it will give an example or three from PENTACLES AND PENTIMENTOS. The Divas asked me to give their readers a sneak peek, so here are the notes for one of my paranormal races:

Ulfhednar: Traditionally known as werewolves, although not.

The legends of ulfhednar mentioned in Vatnsdœla saga, Haraldskvæði and the Völsunga saga may be a source of the werewolf legends. The ulfhednar were vicious fighters similar to the better known berserkers, who were dressed in bear hides and reputed to channel the spirits of these animals to enhance effectiveness in battle; these warriors were resistant to pain and killed viciously in battle, much like wild animals. Ulfhednar and berserkers are closely associated with the Norse god Odin. [This is the quote from the source I used to springboard the original idea for this species. Below are the notes from the creation of my own twist.]

As a species, most of the Ulfhednar are simply stronger, more aggressive, more pack oriented than humans. One out of about every 100 Ulfhednar has the potential to become a true Ulf by undergoing strenuous training and rituals. Once done, this person (usually but not always male) can channel the spirit of his/her totem animal and become nearly unstoppable in battle. Becoming Ulf is a great feat and brings honor to the entire family. Ulfhednar traditionally reproduced in great numbers, in the hopes of producing a child who can become Ulf, and few who can achieve it turn away from the opportunity to do so, although many of those who try die in the attempt. Ulfhednar live in extended families ruled by an Alpha female. Family lines include bear (original), wolf, boar, wildcat, elk and badger. Ulf animal is dependent on family totem. Once they become Ulf, they must wear totem talisman around their neck to help them channel the animal traits through themselves. If the talisman is removed, they cannot change.
*God worshipped is Odin, who started the Ulfhednar lines in pre-history. Also worship totem animal.

Most Ulf serve in "Alpha male" positions, such as Special Forces, Navy SEALS, SWAT members and sometimes firemen and policemen.

This gives you a pretty good idea, I think. There are also lots of other really good online classes out there. The LowCountry RWA offers classes by many authors, and the wonderful Candace Havens runs her WriteChat loop, on which she often has guest authors who offer classes for free.

Happy writing!
Deborah Blake

Kicking the Internal Editor in the nads.

2010-01-28T22:35:00.000-05:00

Day 1: I am so excited! I'm going to attempt to do something I've never done before! Finish a novel! In 31 days! I have it all planned out, from my writing schedule to when I was the dirty socks everyone in this house seems to have. It'll mean that I will have to break some of my precious writing bad habits, such as endless researching period clothing, re-reading everything I've written thus far, writing in chronilogical order, and most importantly, not writing at all for days. I'd never make my 31 day mark if I did that!

Day 12: Huzzah! I've 13,239 words under my belt! I'm working right along, everything seems to be falling into place. I'm pretty much sticking to my timeline, but I've decided that I need more paranormal instances. Can anyone really have too much magic in a historical paranormal romance? I want to go back over what I've written and fix some stuff, but will have to settle for adding comments to my document so I can fix it when I'm done.

Day 18: Started writing various scenes that I've plotted out. It's getting harder to make my word count; I just don't know what to write next. I feel as if I should go back over some of the stuff I've already written and tweak it a little, you know, so I could get back in the characters heads and really get into the story. No, I won't, because my aim is to get a bare bones, 50,000 word novel finished in 11 more days.(Oops. I meant 13. Hey, I'm a writer, not a mathematician!)

Day 22: My. Novel. Sucks. Why did I read it over? I wasn't supposed to go back over it from the beginning. There are so many mistakes! It's going to take forever if I wait to fix them at the end, and I'm running out of space to put my comments. Oh! Shut up little man in my head who keeps telling me to drop this one and start another! I'm not listening to you. I've got 2,000 words to write in 2 hours and I just don't have time to hang out with you!

Day 24: Stupid Internal Editor forced me to head over to wordle to see what word I've used too many times. Seems that 'eyes' has been given enough action in the novel that it's big and bold next to the main characters names. I will ignore this, though, because I have decided to just jump to the end, write the last part of the book so I know what loose ends I need to address and tie up, and get this baby done.

Day 26: Shut up internal editor. You do not own me. You do not own my novel. I will set you free once all of my scenes are hacked together in some vague semblance of a order. Then you can go at it to your heart's content. I ignored you yesterday and wrote over 2k words. I ignored your incessant nagging today and did another 2k. You are not the boss of me, so stuff a cookie in your mouth and come back in six days.

A Love Hate Relationship

2010-01-27T11:56:00.003-05:00

So, fellow Diva Shannon Delaney posted something this morning and it got me thinking. Her posts usually do that... *wink*

See that icon up there? The blood dripping off of the quill? It doesn't matter what you write, but if you are driven to write, that ink is the same thing that runs through your veins, it's your blood on that page.

What a sacrifice of self to bring these worlds to the page! Why would you do it if you didn't love it?

I didn't love it. For a long time, I hated writing as much as I was driven to do it. It was quite the inner turmoil.

I hated that anything had control over me and it did. I have to write. It's just like saying that I have to breathe. Both are vital life functions. I didn't enjoy the process of writing, I didn't enjoy the characters in my head, it was all a chore that had to be done.

Again, writing was like going #2. It wasn't fun, but it had to be done or it backed up. (I know, always with the butt humor. *g*)

I didn't sell until I loved it.

Perhaps I was dropped on my head as a child, but that light didn't go on for me until just now, reading Shannon's post.

You can't be in this boat for any other reason than True Love. It doesn't matter if you write romance or not, the True Love is with your craft.

During this contest, I fell in love with writing. I fell in love with my characters and their story. I think it shows.

So, take a look today. Are you in love?

Tell me about it!

YA Culture: Stalk in the Name of Love?

2010-01-26T07:45:00.002-05:00

*Please note: I'm putting on my devil horns and pulling out my briefcase--Yep. Playing Devil's advocate today. So take out your salt shaker and be prepared to take all this with at least a grain or two of the white stuff. ;-)

Question: Does the current YA culture encourage an acceptance and even deification of the stalker mentality?

My brother and I were recently talking about *this and he (having that pesky male perspective ;-) brought up the fact that while some of his Twilight hating friends are quick to jump on the stalker bandwagon, some admit to remembering other movies from their youth as amazingly romantic--movies where the guy was "devoted," "reckless" and "intense."

Remember the 1989 movie Say Anything with John Cusack?

I sure do. Remember that moment when Lloyd stood outside Diane's house and blared "In Your Eyes" in a tribute of his love and devotion? Wasn't that romantic?

Eh, not so much from a legal view point. That romantic hero could have definitely been tossed in the clink for stalking. Diane had just broken up with him, after all.

In the 1967 movie The Graduate Dustin Hoffman's character stalks Elaine and disrupts her wedding. Romantic? Not so much... But a classic, right? Of course, there aren't probably many tweens and teens watching *it.*

In the Twilight series a heck of a hullaballoo has been raised over vampire Edward's stalker-like tendencies. He watches Bella sleep, he shows up in her room without her permission, etc. As much as I enjoyed *many* aspects of the Twilight saga, there were moments alarm bells went off in my head because Edward was a bit too intense in his devotion. And yet that "intensity" is rewarded with Bella's love.

It makes me wonder if any guys get mixed signals as a result. I mean, you show up in places uninvited occasionally at generally inappropriate times and you get the girl. Errr... Hmm. And from the girl's perspective are we accidentally sending the message that if a guy stares at you and invades what you may consider as your privacy (um, bedroom) it just means he *really* likes you?

For my age group (and there are many of us who enjoyed Twilight for exactly the reasons it should be enjoyed) we have enough life experience to know that in real life even hunky Edward would freak us out if he pulled the same behaviors he did with Bella. I mean, there's flattery and then there's obsession, right? ;-)

Of course, when we were teens (mumble-mumble years ago) we had a waaay different view of the world, right? Emotions ran high (right along with the hormones) and everything we felt we felt SO very deeply.

Now, old and jaded, I wonder.

And the music I'm hearing more recently makes me wonder, too.

Lady GaGa's recent hit Paparazzi (which is quite catchy) has a few lines that freak me out:

I'll follow you until you love me.

And:
But I won't stop until that boy is mine. (There are a couple more, but fair use and all that ;-).

And even Taylor Swift (whom I adore) has a song called The Other Side of the Door with the following lines:
I said, "Leave," but all I really want is you To stand outside my window, throwing pebbles, screaming, "I'm in love with you."

And she sings it beautifully!

Love's complicated and confusing--I get that. Crushes are even worse (there's a reason they're called "crushes").

So should we as authors (or song writers or whatever) reduce the width, breadth or depth of the worlds we create and the characters that inhabit them to worry about people whose distinction between reality and fiction may not be a clear and clean line?

At what point do we need to censor our freedom of expression for the safety of our impressionable youth?

~Shannon-the-Ever-Curious

*Yes, such conversations are frequent in my family. ;-)

Writing what you know bores you? Write what you wish

2010-01-25T13:06:00.001-05:00

This entry isn't about the craft of writing--exactly. What it's really about is drawing inspiration from tidbits of other people's lives, and allowing our imaginations to revise our personal realities.

You see, I am a mermaid. Ah, but to say so now is to buy the fish before the aquarium, so indulge me while I digress.

I came from a family steeped in hard, cold reality. SO much so that I grew up utterly convinced that I was an adopted child. I squandered quite a few Saturday nights searching the house for evidence that would prove me an abandoned or orphaned Hawaiian mermaid princess.

As I'm sure you've gleaned by now, hard, cold reality bores the ever-lovin' hell out of me.

My father, brilliant man that he was and is, has never held much of an appreciation for my infatuation with the stuff of myths and legend. While he's by far the most well-read man I've ever known, my father is not given to flights of fancy. He is a pure scientist--he relies on the five senses to provide him with the information by which he, in turn, forms his practical reality.

Being the imaginative bairn that I was, I'm sure you can imagine some of the arguments my father and I engaged in as I grew up. By some comic turn of fate, I was the sort of child who dwelled within. I believed in everything my father insisted could not enter the realm of possibility--Santa, faeries, ghosts, selkies, unicorns. Compassionate politics. World peace. Oh, and merpeople. Like me.

In spite of the fact my father used scientific principals to convince me of the error of my delusions, I've always remained convinced that I am a mermaid. My fascination with merpeople has followed me into adulthood, and the picture that accompanies this post is of the last mermaid that followed me home from a day trip to Captiva (Heaven on earth if you've never been there....for both human women and mer-types.) To me, mermaids are real. I cannot, will not contemplate a world without them. End of story, don't mess with me on this. Got it?

You'd think that as an adult woman with four children, I would have found cause to doubt my conviction of my semi-piscean state. Certainly none of my offspring came with fins. Gasp! Could it be that my father was right?

I might have begun to wonder until I ran across a bone fide merman sighting. Not an ancient one, mind you. Rather a recent one. Which means that I am, at the very least, not alone in my convictions that merpeople live and breathe (respirate?).

Fishermen claim they've spotted an amphibious creature resembling a human in the Caspian sea. Gafar Gasanof, the captain of the Baku, an Azeri trawler, told an Iranian newspaper: "The creature was swimming a parallel course near the boat for a long time.

He went on to report, "at the beginning we thought it was a big fish, but then we spotted hair on the head of the monster and his fins looked pretty strange, the front part of his body was equipped with arms."

According to Mr. Gasanot, this 'man of the sea' has been spotted with increasing regularity since off-shore oil production began in the Caspian. Other eyewitness say the marine humanoid is about 5ft 6ins, of strong build with a protruding stomach, webbed hands and black-green hair. His lower lip is said to join smoothly to his neck above the gills.

OK, so he's not exactly the hunkalicious merman I envisioned, but he's a merman nonetheless. And you know, he *could* be a long lost relative of mine. Maybe he's green because he's seasick, homesick, or just plain heart sick from missing his long lost mermaid princess daughter....moi!

As you can see just reading this little tidbit has my muse working overtime. And I'm sure my Daddy is sitting out there somewhere, wondering how on earth any daughter of his (even adopted) could possibly believe such a thing possible.

The point? Allow your world to enchant you and stories will find you.

*Sigh*. So many stories. So little time.

For the love of writer's conventions

2010-01-21T19:24:00.000-05:00

As the two toddlers are screaming at my feet, I daydream of going away to a place far away, where there are people who have the same interests as me, where knowledge is everywhere and everyone speaks in full sentences.

I dream of going to a writer's convention.

The Romantic Times is at the end of April this year in Columbus, Ohio. I drooled over the guest list. MaryJanice Davidson, Holly Black, L.A. Banks, Charlaine Harris--le sigh. I even happen to be friends with people who are going. Why am I not going?

Why indeed.

I told myself that if I made it to the top ten in Dorchester, I would have proven to my self (and my hubby who would be stuck with the two darlings) that I am making way in my writing career. I didn't make the top ten, so therefore--

Okay, you caught me in an excuse. Truth is, I don't have much to show for all of my writing work to feel that dropping a couple of hundred to be justified, especially when I live in the wilds of Central NY. The Romance Writer's Of America conference is in late August.

Again, what can I get out of these conferences if I show up with the little I have?
I feel as if I am too green to really take advantage of these opportunities. Sure, I'd like to schmooz and party with the rest of you, but would it really help me further my career? Would I be better off just waiting until I had a few polished manuscripts under my belt? By the by, RWA convention is in NY City in 2011. That's much closer to home, and by then, I will also have some more writing to show to agents, publishers, etcetera.

What conferences and conventions do you make sure to hit every year? What are the most beneficial to writers? What experiences have you had. C'mon, fess up. The newbie wants to know...

2010-01-20T13:12:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I sold a book. Now what?

Don't get me wrong, I'm still tickled ten shades of pink. (A color my current hero seems to find very entrancing on his heroine.)

I'm prepared for the editing, the revisions, whatever flaming hoops my editor wants me to jump through, I'll do it with a smile on my face. Why? Because I get to type "my editor" for one. *laughs*

I've submitted my input for my cover art. I can't wait to share that with you.

But right now, I feel like that kid in class who finished her test early and isn't sure if she's supposed to be studying for the next one or just sitting quietly. Waiting. I've got the most cake too, just so you know. I'll share. *g*

I've never been a patient creature. I'm a woman of many talents, (Which I think is okay to admit. I like me.) but patience is a virtue that I do not possess and nor do I entreat the universe to teach me such. I don't want to be patient. *laughs* I do want to be professional though, but I think that is another blogpost in itself.

So what am I supposed to be doing? Aside from finishing my WIP, I'm hunting agent.

Why do I need an agent? I sold, right? Nope! That's not the end of it. Not that I'm not thrilled with my editor, my publishing house or anything else, but I want to be smart about it. Someone who has been in the business for 20 years would have plenty to offer me by way of navigation through these new and certainly deep waters.

Anyway, I've done loads of research and chosen a few that I'm interested in and queried. I've had some bites, I think my bait is top notch! We'll see if I get to real in the big fish.

What's after that? I haven't got that sorted yet, but I expect by next week, I will have another post for you.

If anyone has any questions about the process as far as what I've experienced, I'm happy to answer those questions and I plan on doing a series of blogs showcasing the process every step of the way. I know it was very illuminating when fellow blogger and Text Diva Shannon Delaney shared her experiences with us. I learned a lot.

Have a stellar week and I hope your muse dances for you twice today!

X-posted at Writer's Gone Wild because I thought today was Tuesday. *g*

What's S-E-X Got to do with it? (Muse Monday!)

2010-01-18T08:32:00.003-05:00

(...What's love but a second hand emotion? (Tina Turner))

I've been captivated with the topic of emotion rising out character interaction lately. I'm coming to believe that the white space on the page is every bit as important a means of communicating character passion as that bit of paper which is filled up with words.

As a romance writer, I am often caught up with different ways to describe the wild and wooly act of "doing it". Preferably, I want to communicate those moments in such a way as to stir my readers both emotionally and physically. Doing this in a way that's fresh and new is a challenge far easier said than done.

The spectrum of human emotion during the act of having sex is huge. One one end, we have down and dirty, pawing and groping animal sex. On the other end, we have tender, reverential physical manifestations of love between two people. A million different scenarios fall in between. And I won't go into the criminal manifestations of the act, as those have nothing to do with romance. :)

When I write love scenes, I'm trying desperately to communicate my characters' relationship and lovemaking to my readers in a way that they have not experienced it before. But honestly, how many ways can a girl find to say pebbled flesh and rising length?

Not that many, right?

I'm learning by deconstructing love scenes that have appealed to me that for the characters involved, the act of making love isn't *just* about the sex, at least not at first. It's about a character attaining an end goal that has little to do with the act of sex itself. Like the sexual act that frames such scenes, the build up of conflicting goals makes for a lot of delicious tension between the hero and heroine. Working those goals between the sheets can make for more than just sizzling sex--it can also advance story.

No more gratuitious sex!

Ah. Bingo. I'm thinking of Deanie and Bud in the classic film, Splendor of the Grass , as I write this. For Bud, sex was about sex and spending some of the pent up testosterone that his love and lust for Deanie has fired in his nubile, young, studly loins...

Oh, wait, I digressed...

For Deanie, at least at first, having sex wtih Bud was about something else. It was about keeping Bud from "doing it" with anyone else. It was about feeling in command of a relationship that spinning out of her control.

In pouring over clips from my favorite movies,and scenes from some of my favorite novels, it has occurred to me that the most successful moments do not rely on words to carry the emotional impact of the act. The best scenes set up in advance thecharacter motivations for making love in the first place.

I hope you find this scene from Splendor in the Grass as useful as I have.

**reprinted from my blog at Inked-In, the net's best (and probably most published!) social network for writers and artists.

Woo hoo! It's official -- Saranna DeWylde is America's Next Best Celler!

2010-01-16T19:02:00.005-05:00

You'll have to pardon the Divas if we don't make a lot of sense right now. The cyber-chocolatinis have been flowing nonstop since 11:02 a.m. EST yesterday, when Dorchester Publishing Co. announced our own Saranna DeWylde as the winner of the America's Next Best Celler contest. Brava, Saranna! We're so proud of you and your fabulous book!

Dorchester's editors, as well as the readers from Dorchester's customer service staff -- a notoriously tough crowd -- "absolutely fell in love with" Saranna's manuscript, How to Lose a Demon in 10 Days, which they described as "a playful paranormal, full of spunk and imagination." As a result, Caspian and Grace will be available in bookstores everywhere in the Fall of 2010.

This was a long, tough contest. First Saranna survived five months of reader voting at www.textnovel.com (where How to Lose a Demon was an Editor's Choice) to become a semi-finalist. Then she sailed through cuts by Dorchester's editors that narrowed the field first to 10 finalists, then to the top 5. After that came a series of gut-wrenching individual eliminations, culminating in yesterday's big reveal.

Saranna has a busy and exciting few months ahead of her. Soon enough she'll have to start worrying about revisions and publicity and all those other aspects of being a writer we're only dimly aware of before we get a contract. But for now, it's time to celebrate. Everyone drink a chocolate martini in Saranna's honor -- and buy her one if you see her in person!

Staying Healthy on a Bender

2010-01-13T09:26:00.006-05:00

Bender: Slang. A drinking spree, frolic, rampage, and such other things that lead to hijinks.

Put away those Demonia heels and tie on your tennis shoes, because we're about to tie another one on, if you know what I mean. Not a chocolatini kind of bender, but a writing bender. That sort of orgiastic bliss that only hits you when the verbiage flows like the very blood from your veins.

That's all well and good, but unless you want the mother of all hangovers (I know! A word hangover, how cruel is that?) you need to take care of yourself while you're in the flow. There's a few things that you can do to keep your mind and body operating at maximum potential. (Here's some fine print too. I'm not a doctor. Just in case you couldn't figure that out from all my posts about writing. *g* Check with a doctor before starting any new health program.)

Water. Simple, right? So many people don't drink enough water in their daily lives, but it's especially important for brain function. A dehydrated brain is a brain that's shutting down and focusing on survival rather than the cool places that there are to see up there in your mindscape. Keep a gallon of water next to you and make sure you drink it. Yes, I know you'll be interrupted to pee, but you'll feel better all around.

Vitamins. First, fish oil. Great stuff for the brain. Remember that story about the miner who was in a coma? Yeah. An insane amount of fish oil and he woke up. So, don't doubt it. Get the enteric coated so you're not hit with the fish burps, because those are, in a word, yarkalicious. Siberian Ginseng and Ginko Biloba, plus a B-Complex and a B-12. These are great for concentration and energy. You may be tempted to dive into the dark and seedy underbelly world of energy drinks. DON'T! Those things are addictive, the crash is awful and they're filled with sugar and caffeine. If you need your caffeine to write, as most of us do, try green tea or coffee. Green tea is the better choice though...

Breaks. When the flow starts to lag, don't be afraid to take a break. It's what you do in during the commercial messages that's important. Run up and down the stairs, or do a few minutes of Yoga, take a walk. I've found the Yoga to be very beneficial to keeping with the flow and keeping my ass from shaping itself to my chair. That's always important.

These are just a few things that you can do that will keep your "butt in chair" longer and keep your body healthy while you do it. Who knew that health would lead to higher productivity? Oh, wait...

I've also started drinking a protein shake for breakfast and lunch, it not only saves me from having to prepare something, or eating something unhealthy because it's fast and easy, but it's got some great vitamins too. Did I mention it feeds my chocolate craving?

Back away from the Send Key (Dealing with negative reviews)

2010-01-11T08:36:00.007-05:00

Book Reviews.

There's the perfect recipe for a love hate situation if I've ever seen one.

Once authors have cracked the publishing egg, we long for them in the same breath that we dread them. Show me any story, and I'll show you good reviews, so-so ones, and yes, sometimes even bad ones. And the bad ones sting. There's no way around that.

But for the sake of your career, don't shoot the messenger. Set your emotions aside and exercise the common sense to lick your wounds in private--and never in a public forum.

Truth is, reviewers know other reviewers. They also forge relationships with the editors we submit our work to. After all, a good reviewer makes her reputation on being the first to review an upcoming novel. In order to do that, she needs to be on the editor's lists for advance review copies (ARCs). Reviewers and editors talk. A lot. Don't believe me? Keep your eyes open at the next big book conference you attend.

I received a so-so review on Wicked Temptation last week from a respected review site. On the same day, I recieved the coveted five star rating on the same story. Even reviewers have opinions. And if you pay close attention to the reviews, you might just find a way to improve your cradft.

And yes, reviewer opinions vary as wildly as their opinions on their mother's meat loaf.

I saw an author react badly to a poor review over the weekend. It completely changed my opinion of her as a human being. Will I buy her work in the future? No. Why support bad behavior? Contracts are hard to come by. I like to think they are issued to authors who conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times.

No matter how talented an author is, some people aren't going to like her work. Some are going to hate it. But everyone who reads an author's public negative reaction to a bad review is going to remember her name--and not in a good way. Sure, your buddies will crowd around you, and tell you how wonderful you and your work are.

But those who don't know you, or your work? They won't.

Read my lips (keyboard?). They. Won't.

If you want your work reviewed in the future, don't shoot the messenger. Resist the urge to lash out at fellow authors you know are colleagues of your reviewer. It's a small publishing world out there. As a result, many writer blogs have authors AND reviewers on board. I know mine does. No, I don't control what our resident reviewer posts. Nor would I ever attempt to.

If you an author who is new to the review process, remind yourself before reading any review that the publishing world is smaller than most newcomers would believe. But also realize that the reviewer you piss off today may just be the one who makes enough buzz about your next book to push it onto the best seller list tomorrow. She may also be tight with the editor you just submitted your next project to.

Now there's a scary thought. And I'm pretty sure that all of us can agree that hearing our names attached to words like temperamental, vindictive and difficult is something we all want to avoid. So count to ten before spouting off in a public forum.

It may just save your career!

Tales of a (maybe) reformed panster.

2010-01-07T12:08:00.000-05:00

I'm going to hit my first 10k word goal some time around Saturday. (There is much rejoicing!) I have to tell you, though, I'm scared. So scared, that writing by the seat of my pants (AKA, Panster) is just not going to happen with this work in progress.

So, I did what any other rational person would do when faced with deadlines: I made a Google Doc.

I am a pretty disorganized person, but when I have to, I can make up Excel worksheets with the best of them. So I did. In today's blog you will find a nice little sheet all made up for you, consisting of a word goals page and a plot goals page. The plot goals page even comes with a timeline! When you get to the worksheet, please click on edit->Download to save it to your hard drive and change things there. Anything that is highlighted should be left alone as the functions are all set up for you.

WORD GOALS AND PLOT GOALS:WRITE A NOVEL IN A MONTH

If you are curious, pop on by to TEXTNOVEL to see my WIP as it comes along. Then, you can also keep an eye on if my uber-organization plan is working.

2010-01-06T14:55:00.003-05:00

Drag out your hooker boots, girlfriends, because it's Wylde Wednesday here Between The Sheets! (Hey you, yeah you! Put those fuzzy cuffs away. Only police issue here!)

I was going to talk about rejection, but the girls at Writers Gone Wild beat me to it. But take a drink of your vodka gimlets. Maybe two, I'll wait. We're going to talk about negative reviews and what to do about them as an author. Yeah, okay, one more drink. You'll need it.

1. Not everyone is going to like what you write even if you win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Be prepared.

2. Not all of the crit that you get will be constructive. I wish it was, but it doesn't work that way.

3. Some of the people who don't like your work will leave reviews that read like a second grader with a really big, red crayon scribbled all over a newspaper where your Malamute took a steaming pile after raiding the trashcan on chili night.

Now, does it suck? Sure. But what do you do? Think back to the many recent debacles of writer meltdowns. I'm not going to name any, but if you think really hard, I'm sure a few will come to you. And you get embarrassed for these authors don't you? You don't want that to be you. As a writer, you're in the public eye and in a sense, you are "always on". Anything that you say on the internet is always there. Even if you take it down, it can be found.

So someone tells you that the book sucked rashed up donkey balls. Well, that's hurtful and made of douche that they would put it that way, but it's their honest opinion and they are entitled to it. Freedom of speech applies not just to the stuff we like to hear. Rather than let it poke you in your soft places, ask what about it sucked. If they can't tell you, chuck it like used toilet paper and move on. Say that you're sorry they didn't like it, but thanks for reading.

If they have specific things that they didn't like, thank them for pointing it out and again, "Sorry that you didn't like it, but thanks for reading."

Anything else and you're going to alienate your readers. Sure, you write for yourself, but you sell for the market and that's the readers.

There's been a movement in the publishing world recently and it seems like it's authors against readers. Reviewers are being lit up like Roman candles for expressing their honest opinions- authors freaking out on Amazon and Goodreads for a one star review. We have to remember that these are the people who pay us to write. Have all the creative angst you like, but keep it to yourself and your support system. Will one bad review ruin your career? No. Will one meltdown? Maybe.

After a certain author's freakout over a review, as a reader, I quit buying her work. She struck me as a self-righteous prima donna bitch and I refuse to ever give her any more of my money. She could write the next batch of Commandments, God's lips right to her ear and I wouldn't spit on her if she was on fire.If she'd just left that review alone, I probably would have thought nothing more about it and went on about the business of reading her work.

On the other hand, readers/reviewers, being made of bitch is nothing but bad behavior. So, you didn't like it. Okay, it happens. I've read plenty of books I didn't care for. Did I write the author and flay off enough skin to make a Snuggy? No. Could I? Yes. I've got a tongue with more venom than the deadliest snake. If you want the author to write to your expectations of excellence, you have to make it clear what those are. "You suck my ass" doesn't exactly help anyone. Leave an honest review, or crit, but tell us why you didn't like it. Otherwise, you just look like a troll.

This business, like any other, is full of angels and devils. You decide which one you want to be and stick with it. We've got to support each other, but we can't expect a gold star just for showing up. That's not how it works. No lie that it hurts, sometimes it feels like you just got cored out like the new guy on the cell block. I've been there, we all have. You just have to keep believing in your work, and build a strong support system.

As an editor, I've read some horrible tripe. Stuff I thought was too bad to line my cat's litter box. Would I ever phrase it that way? Certainly not. Honest, yes. Cruel, no. I try to treat all the authors I've worked with as I'd like to be treated. Even when I feel personally offended that something so awful would ever see the light of day.

*grin* As a writer, some of my early work was horrible. I can admit that freely. There are some reviews to prove it. And you know what, I want to improve my craft and I think I have. But we're always learning, or we should be and I tried to learn from my reviews. Even when they burned like The Inquisition.

And last, but not least, don't forget that opinions are like buttholes. Everyone has one. In the end, (hehee, more butt humor) the people that are nasty look like the trolls that they are, the honest readers are just that, and you, you'll be smelling like a rose and those readers who may not have liked your first book, they're going to be willing to give something else you wrote a shot because you're gracious and classy.

Of course, this is all just my opinion. *wink*

Getting the Buy-In

2010-01-05T10:54:00.003-05:00

If you know anything about marketing, you know that the importance of "buy-in" is big when you're trying to sell a product. Buy-in is sort of like the emotional connection or relationship a potential buyer sees with a product. It's something that connects their success to its purchase. They buy based on that connection.

And buy-in is important to we authors as well (from several angles). I'll just address the family buy-in that aspiring (and established) authors may want to consider (if they don't already).

I'll be honest--it's easy to get family members to buy-in to you working as a writer once you've landed a contract, gotten that first chunk of change and are facing deadlines. At that point you've already proven your value as related to contributing to the household income.

But what do you do BEFORE that first contract? How do you prove to your spouse or in laws (or whatevers) that writing is something you SHOULD have the time and support to pursue?

Do a little research: What do you personally get out of writing OTHER THAN potential monetary gain? Do you feel more fulfilled? Are you more productive in other ways if you wrote 1000 creative words in a day? Are you happier after you've written? Make note of that!
Can you set goals that show you'll finish a writing project (this was a biggee with my hubby--I'm notorious for not completing things)?
Can you still meet the needs of others in your household while meeting your own writing needs? If not, think about what may need to be adjusted.
What do you REALLY want or need from your writing to be satisfied? Not everyone needs to be published to be fulfilled, but some do. Be honest with yourself.
Arrange a time to sit down with your family and talk about why writing's important to you:

use those notes about how it makes you feel and makes things around the house better to help get your family's buy-in
show connections between things other household members do for personal fulfillment and your writing
set clear goals for yourself with your family's input (also helps with buy-in)
share a bit of your dream with them--why it matters and how it deepens your connection with them and makes you a better person in the relationship

Throughout the process, be willing to listen, be positive and and willing to compromise. Life is hectic, any time a family member wants to carve out additional "me time" the family may get defensive. But if you show how your writing will benefit them--without mentioning potential future earnings--you'll have a good shot at a supportive response. They'll buy-in to your project because they can connect to it in a new way.

Good luck!
~Shannon

Muse Monday--What's in a word?

2010-01-04T11:12:00.003-05:00

"Marsha, I love you."

"No, John, you don't!"

"But I do! Really!"

"Oh. Well. Then I guess I love you, too."

"So let's get married."

"Yes, Let's do."

"Kiss, kiss."

The End.

Emotions.

More specifically, writing emotions. Ought to be a piece of cake. After all, who hasn't felt mad, happy, afraid, or in love?

"If you're a romance writer who relies on emotional words carry your character's journey, then chances are you've failed at youre genre." (paraphrased from author/editor Alicia Rasley)

Yeah, I know. She's right. Blows, doesn't it?

Writing realistic depictions of emotion that spring to life on the page is one of most difficult lessons to learn as an author. Yet, there is no more important lesson to learn, particularly for those who want to write moving love stories.

I was fortunate enough to attend a day conference a while back presented by editor/author Alicia Rasley. She's a brilliant teacher, and certainly lives up to her reputation for holding her audience in the palm of her hand.

Much of our discussion was about emotion in writing. I walked way with two "aha" moments, particulary when it comes to building up to those dramatic, emotional moments that define love stories.

1) Trust your reader's intelligence. Never. Ever. Spoon feed.

2) Remove the emotional words from your scene and try again. Once done, you are forced to rely on your character's actions to carry the emotion.

Ah, now we're back to the wisdom we should have learned from our writing 101, but may have forgotten---action is everything, baby. And once again, I'm leaning on a classic movie clip to distract you guys from the fact that this post is woefully short on content because...I'm on deadline. :)

Life

2010-01-03T16:37:00.002-05:00

Writers write; everyone else makes excuses. But there are times when that thing called *LIFE* limits how much we can realistically expect to accomplish. I’m in one of those periods when *LIFE* is happening fast and furious around me. I’m preparing to sell a home, buy a home, move 1600 miles, and start a new job, as well as waiting for the results of the Dorchester Publishing/Textnovel.com America’s Next Best Celler contest. Here's my schedule for the few weeks:

January 4: Meet with movers for pre-move survey; get documents for Virginia closing notarized and delivered to FedEx; Dorchester elimination

January 6: Two office good-bye parties (current and previous jobs)

January 7: Movers pack and load my household goods

January 8: Last day of work at current job; closing on Virginia condo; dinner with my family; Dorchester elimination

January 9-11: Drive to San Antonio

January 12-14: Report to new job; prepare for business trip on Monday

January 15: Closing on Texas condo; final Dorchester elimination

January 18-22: Business trip to Miami for hearing

Oh, and sometime in there, no later than January 19, my household goods are supposed to arrive in San Antonio. In a perfect world, they’d arrive on January 15, so they could be delivered directly to my new home right after the closing. More likely, they’ll arrive while I'm in Miami, in which case they'll go into temporary storage for a few days and be delivered to the condo during the week of January 25.

Whew! Most of this activity is highly positive, but still…

I’m taking my trusty AlphaSmart 3000 with me on my various travels so I can write the 100 words a day I need to keep my brand new 2010 string alive at Club 100. Beyond that, *LIFE* will have to take precedence until I get back from Miami. And I’m okay with that.

**Posted by Saranna for Gail Hart

Bring it ON! My goals for the next 10 years.

2010-01-01T10:34:00.000-05:00

It may seem a little far off, but decades around me just seem to pass by and crumble far too quickly. The '90s saw me finishing my education. The turning of this past decade saw me fall in love, get married, and have a small, yet somehow barely manageable, passel of kids. So, what's next? My career of course. My muse has been waiting impatiently for me to get the minutiae done so that he can take over, and I am giving him the next 10 years to get his groove on.

It is an amazing feeling to wake up on the first morning of not only a new year, but a new decade. Goals on a day like this have to be big.

Unfortunately, as my husband pointed out, my flighty ways don't play well with long-term planning. Never fear, I have an arsenal!

FOCUS BOARD--I make one of these every year, and every year, at least half the goals are accomplished. I don't do resolutions. My life changes far too much for me to set myself on something so feeble as a resolution. I need flexibility combined with the seriousness of a dominatrix with a whip. Fun, yet painful, a focus board is a collage imbued with your intent for the next year. You cut up magazines, letters, articles, pictures, what-have-you, and paste them onto a piece of poster board. As you paste, you focus your intentions, your will, into the focus board. "I am going to get an agent. I am finishing 3 novels this year. I am going to go to RWA. I am going to make time for writing first." Everything worded in a positive, and if possible, in present tense.

"All of my blogs are on time this year."

That's a starter. Except that I am already a day late.

That brings me to part TWO-DO NOT LET THE LITTLE THINGS SWAY YOU OFF COURSE. Success takes time. A rejection? Brush it off. See what you can change to make it better. Rejections aren't personal (unless you have made an ass of yourself on facebook and/or twitter. Be careful what you say on those traps of embarrassment). Use them as the tools they are. I am going to enter the RITA contest. The deadline for this round ends in 3 days, so I am out for that, but that gives me this whole year to get it done! Actually, that gives me 3 months to get it done, 2 more months to put it away and work on something else, 1 month to pull it out, reread, and polish, 2 more months to send it out to beta readers for some input, then another month to reedit, then another month to put it away while I work on other writings, then I am into November and December which are crazy holiday months, and I will have to compete for writing time with family obligations, so there are a few weeks shot, but with some more beta reading and polishing, I can send it out to the RITA judges and keep my fingers crossed.

Yeah, a year goes by quick.

That's why I'm giving myself 10 of them. By 2020, I will be a best-selling author of at least 10 books, more likely more since my goal is to create 2 (I will be going for 3!) books a year. I can do it. And if I, scatterbrained, always thinking of plots and characters and what-ifs, can do it, so can you.

I'd like to send out a special thank you to Ann Aguirre, author extraordinaire, for her timely article, These Laurels Are Not For Resting: Staying Productive and Meeting Deadlines, in the RWA Romance Writer's Report. Not only did she quote our very own Textnovel Diva, Shannon, but she got the creative juices flowing for this year. I will have Write Or Die on all of my home computers. I will write at least 2000 words a day.

Okay, decade, let's do this thing!

Bearing Gifts to the Muse

2009-12-30T11:51:00.004-05:00

Okay, loves! Look who's back in the saddle! And I'm bringing Godiva Chocolatinis all around.

I don't know about you guys, but my muse is pissed. Yeah, she's been a little angry by being put off for holiday duties. I was thinking about this last night--being denied writing time. The words back up and it's like having an impacted colon. And it digressed into fart jokes, but I was amused and felt better. But seriously.

My immediate family is very supportive of my process. It's the extended family that seems to not get it. Which is surprising because there are creative types among them. No respect for my creative space. For the most part, I'm not a diva writer. Yes, a Text Diva for life, but I'm not fussy. I've adapted to handle interruptions, small imps that like to call me mama and demand food, and life in general. But disrespecting my creative space ignites a full blown hissy fit the likes of which even Van Gogh could not imagine and I'm not even dancing with the Green Fairy.

For me, it's a violation and as overdramatic as it sounds, I feel like I must exorcise all of their banal energy before it's my space again. I'm settling in now for a long winter's scribble.

What about you? Is your writing space sacred? What do you do to make it sacred?

I Love Romance Writers

2009-12-19T11:28:00.003-05:00

Dorchester made another cut yesterday in the America’s Next Best Celler Contest, and two Divas are still standing. I’m thrilled and a little stunned that CONFESSIONS OF THE WORLD’S OLDEST SHOTGUN BRIDE is in the final four. I’m also thrilled, but not the least bit stunned, that HOW TO LOSE A DEMON IN 10 DAYS by the fabulous Saranna DeWylde is right there too. And I’m awed by the generosity of spirit displayed by my fellow contestants.

Throughout the contest, everyone has been so supportive of each other, even though technically we were in competition. Authors voted for and commented on each other’s stories, gave advice on effective techniques of vote tarting, friended and followed each other on Facebook and Twitter, and invited each other to guest blog. After the finalists were announced, semifinalists who didn’t move on beta read for finalists who were preparing their full manuscripts for submission to Dorchester. Even though a huge prize is on the line, there's been very little nastiness.

This same spirit of wanting to be of service to each other is evident throughout Romance Writers of America and its local chapters. Published romance authors – even NYT bestsellers – routinely give their time to help and educate their unpublished sisters. No one acts as if publishing is a zero sum game, where one person’s success can only come at someone else's expense. Perhaps this is because romance writers are nearly all women, and women are socialized to be cooperative rather than competitive? Whatever the reason, Romance writers don’t let the cutthroat nature of the publishing industry turn us against each other.

And so, I raise my chocolate martini glass to the community of romance writers. Like Rodney Dangerfield, we don’t get no respect, but we’re good people. It’s an honor to be one of you.

Writing with the bedroom light on.

2009-12-17T21:06:00.000-05:00

It's cold. I'm tired. I'm stressed. How can I write a romantic scene while trying to pry a 3 year old off my lap and serve a 1 1/2 year old his third serving of hummus and crackers? I can't. Even my Darling Hubby has stopped asking if he can help me "research". My purple prose has gone black and it has brought me here to wonder:

What the hell happened to me?

I have these cartons full of my writings from when I was a kid. My influences are sadly obvious; most of the romance novels I read (and therefore mimicked) were the classic bodice rippers of the 1980's. Remember those? Women were subjugated to all sorts of un-PC situations, often raped, abused, mistreated--and the heroines were okay with that. I know better now. I know a lot of stuff better now (see description of toddlers above). This is the crux of my problem: Do I know too much?

Jennifer Hart wrote earlier this week that authors should write what they know, and I agree, but I find that when it comes to romantic moments in my heroines' lives, all of this knowledge may have hurt my ability to fantasize. When I was much younger, writing romantic scenes based on only what I could imagine it would be like to kiss someone, I had a sense of the truly romantic. My imagination was boundless because I didn't know any limits.

Yeah, I know my limits now. I demand more from my characters. I demand more than a sweet innocent first kiss, or a hero who forces the heroine around the book. I demand my hero to rise in my heroine's esteem, usually as she is trying to save the world or her own life. It's not about flowers and candy and jewelry. It's about making realistic connection and believable situations that my characters grow in.

I have become high maintenance. Don't tell my Darling Hubby.
I know, I know. I haven't really lost my ability to fantasize. I still do. I still love to write about the first kiss, the first physical meeting of the two lovers. I have a feeling that a good (full) night's sleep and 25 minutes of uninterrupted time with my own lover (clothing optional) will help my fantasy writing ability come back full force. In the mean time, I guess I'll just write some snarky fighting scenes.

The Staying Power of Vampires: Playing Devil's Advocate

2009-12-15T09:23:00.005-05:00

Disclaimer: The following is not in any way to suggest you stray from your particular religious flock, but rather to point out an odd correlation between a fall in church attendance and a rise in vampire popularity. Just think about it. Life's one big "What if..." ;-)

As a writer of werewolves, I think I'm legally required to be "Team Jacob." And frankly, having seen New Moon (and Jacob's ahh-mazing abs on display several times) I must say "Good show" ;-). Anyhow, as much as I prefer a heartbeat to the stone cold nothing of a vampire's chest, I have to admit I think vamps will be around for a while. And it goes beyond their pesky immortality--or maybe not so much if we think about it.

Let's look at our current culture and the relatively recent surge in vampire lovin'.

Being mere mortals one of the things that has always fascinated our species is the concept of immortality. We've fought wars (remember hearing about those crusades?) in hopes of getting pardoned for our sins and gaining admission to that great and relatively exclusive clubhouse in the sky. We've confessed our most unsavory thoughts and deeds and tried to follow the laws set by men who supposedly had them delivered by God (I wasn't around back then, so who am I to judge?). We've hurt ourselves and others all in the name of getting a ticket to heaven.

Today less people worldwide are attending church and other religious institutions and it seems more are being more vocal against organized religion. Without the message of how to attain immortality through godly behavior is it any wonder we're even more fascinated with the paranormal "alternatives." ;-)

I mean, come on. You can play by all the rules that religious dogma suggests (and there are gobs of them if you've ever bothered to read the books of the big 3) or you can dream of being bitten by a hot (well, actually cold ;-) vampire, suck some of their blood and shazam! Immortality.

Which is sexier? The heat of blood pumping (I dare say at a faster rate) as a vamp takes a bite and embraces the warmth that is no longer naturally theirs (and then gives a "mere mortal" a taste of vampy goodness) or remembering you aren't even supposed to have lusty thoughts because that's committing adultery according to dogma, too?

No wonder more folks tote copies of vampire novels around than Bible study stuff.

And, while we're being frank, the romance angle of vamps in fiction still has room for exploration. Yes, vamps (being immortal and around for a long time) have "been around the block" a time or two. They've probably seen and done stuff and become callous. So the trick for authors may be for the romantic lead to find the button on the vamp character that truly makes an experience seem new to them. If you'd lived forever and started to become bored and jaded with life, what would it take to excite you again?

So, although there are readers wanting to put an end to vampire popularity (the complaints I've seen!) writers may have a bigger stake ;-) in their success even now. Unless everyone suddenly gets religion and steps onto *that* highway to heaven with greater interest than we're currently seeing. I mean, the end of the world does come in 2012, right? ;-)

Simply Shannon ;-)

The Un-blog Post

2009-12-14T09:58:00.006-05:00

Perhaps 'tis the season to be jolly, but I have to confess, I'm in a funk.

Short of congratulating the five amazing finalists in the Dorchester Next Best Celler contest(two of whom are DIVAS!!!!), I have no blog topic today. So, I'm going to do what hard pressed women have been doing since the dawn of time. I'm going to fake it until I make it. ;)

The holidays are upon us, and I don't know about you, but the more I throw myself into celebrating, the lower my daily wordcount falls. I think my high school math teacher referred to this concept as an "inverse correlation." Or not, considering I probably skipped that day, which means my notes were borrowed from the studly but not so intellectually endowed second-string quarterback. Translation? God only knows how accurate that term really is.

But for the purpose of today's blog, it works. Holidays are play time. This holiday, moreso, as it may be the last one for a while when my entire family is together. So my word count is tanking hard and fast. That makes January payback time.

But this year, I can't afford to spend the month of January oiling my rusty hinges. In spite of my dropping out of the Next Best Celler contest to deal with some epic family struggles, I do still have a manuscript due to my (patient) publisher and a personal goal to get Muse Struck into Dorchester before they forget that they have ever so graciously invited me to send it in to them when it's done. ;)

Muse Struck was the manuscript that autism built, my fun way of pushing awareness into areas of readership that might not have been introduced to autism otherwise. The project simply can't die. Every hope I have for my sons' futures is tied up in that manuscript.

So, with that said, I'm falling to our writer readers to help me figure out how to move through a bittersweet holiday season with enough focus to keep the pages piling up, even if it's just a paragraph at a time.

So dear readers, have at it. How do you pile up the pages when the gun's aimed at your skull?

On an aside, did you ever wish you could say you knew a best seller way back when? Now you can. When you're done putting me on the straight and narrow, check out fellow textnovelist and Next Best Celler semi-finalist, Jennifer Hart's fun, fresh and sassy interview at Wild Child Publishing as she talkes about her new release, River Rats.

Which of these things is not like the others?

2009-12-11T11:57:00.003-05:00

I’m not like the other Textnovel Divas. These girls are fast… fast writers, anyway. Just for instance, Shannon finished 13 to Life in five weeks, and Saranna DeWylde recently wrote 10,000 words in a single day to finish How to Lose a Demon in 10 Days.

10,000 words has sometimes been my annual total.

The thing is, to quote a poster one of my critique partners gave me, “Writers write; everyone else makes excuses.” Yes, it was a hint - and I took it in the spirit in which it was intended. She loves me and wants to see me increase my productivity so I can reach my writing goals. I want the same thing. Towards that end, I’m a big fan of Club 100.

Club 100 is the brainchild of romance writer Beth Pattillo. It involves a simple challenge: Write at least 100 words a day for 100 days. Each person sets their own rules about how many days they want to write – some write every day, while others allow themselves weekends off, or a “floating” day off once a week. Similarly, some writers only count words on their fiction works in progress, while others count “business” writing like query letters, or even blogs. In other words, everyone gets to set whatever rules work best for them.

Club 100 members have a yahoo loop where we post our progress and give each other encouragement. When someone hits 100 days, besides praise and adoration from the group, they get a cyber tiara. For my first tiara, earned last December 22, I chose diamonds. Unfortunately, I haven’t put together another 100 day string since, but when I do, my next tiara will be emeralds – to match my eyes. Many of us find that once we sit down to write 100 words, we fly right past that target and write a lot more. Others often write close to the minimum – but even at only 100 words a day, the words pile up quickly and manuscripts get finished.

To read more about Club 100, check out http://www.bethpattillo.com/id8.html. Fellow tortoises who’d like to join can send an e-mail to Club100writers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. The more the merrier - we’d love to have you!

On another note… today will be a big day for me. I’m waiting to hear whether Confessions of the World’s Oldest Shotgun Bride has made the top 5 in the Dorchester Publishing Co./Textnovel.com America’s Next Best Celler contest, and whether the potential buyers have accepted my counteroffer to buy my home in Virginia.

If both answers are no, I’ll have to drown my sorrows in several chocolate martinis.

Of course, if both answers are yes, I’ll have celebrate with several chocolate martinis. And a split verdict will also require a chocolate martini or two or several.

Meantime, a chocolate martini salute to fellow Divas and finalists Saranna DeWylde and Courtney Sheets. If I can’t win, I hope one of you does. Cheers!

Here I am, standing around naked in cyberspace again.

2009-12-10T09:37:00.000-05:00

After six months of the complete cyber insanity that was the Next Best Celler contest, I took a little hiatus. I didn't update any of my stories on textnovel, I didn't haunt twitter or facebook like I had. I reconnected with my husband, my kids, and my friends in the most traditional of ways. I met them face to face.

As all of you fellow writers know, that got old, fast.

So, to further my writing career, I sat my butt down and made myself an honest to goodness author website (http://www.robinwriting.com). It's quite bare bones at the minute, but heck, so is my writing career.

I also finished my first short story, BACK ROADS, and with the help of the marvelous and clever Saranna DeWylde (who also happens to be one freaking awesome editor), I polished it up and began a search for a home. BACK ROADS isn't a romance. It isn't even paranormal. It is Dark Horror--horror that is driven by the craziness of the human psyche.

I may have made a mistake. It isn't a story from the genre I'm interested in working it, paranormal romance. however, this is my thought: It may be a good way to cut my teeth in the business. I can find my way around, get to know the path. Also, if it gets rejected, I won't be totally crushed.

Yeah. That is a biggie.

So, what do you think of my choice to get into the action using a work that isn't what I usually write? Know this, as well, I am not completely sure if I don't want to write horror. It's kinda sick, but it comes easy to me. This may be the path I was destined to take. That's the glory at being so new at this: I have room to move. I could always combine genres, which is my plan for HUNTER'S MOON--a horror romance.

Wish me luck. I submitted BACK ROADS to a publisher of ebooks and audio broadcasts. Again, I'm just testing the waters, so a small independent publisher was my aim, but not necessarily of print books. Unfortunately, I have to wait for either an acceptance or a decline, which could take as much as 6 months. 6 months that it has to sit on a shelf until someone tells me otherwise. Lesson 1 in publishing: You can't show everyone your goods.

So, like Shannon has told us about the publishing world, things happen slowly, but while I'm waiting, waiting, waiting, I'm gonna get everything out of this experience I can.

Things Learned From a Conference Call Between Publishing Folks

2009-12-08T18:54:00.003-05:00

Today I had a conference call with people who are far more important than myself. I'm going to share a little bit of the content from that 40-something minute call with you because some day it may serve you well (I truly hope you have a chance to put the info to practice for your own book eventually).

First, a few facts:

1.) My agent arranged the call. He got the conference number, code, arranged the date and time to suit people's schedules.

2.) On the line with us were my agent (to lead the discussion--I'd provided talking points I wanted to make sure we hit), my agent's assistant (to be in the loop so she can help with immediate and upcoming project needs), my SMP editor (who knows the ins-and-outs of my book, my deal and whom I adore), a fantabulous marketing guru who I met at RWA (and I adore--enthusiasm tempered with brilliance), an awesome gal from publicity (who I've never met nor spoken with previously but whom I'm certain I shall grow to adore ;-).

3.) My son (in kindergarten) was scheduled to get off the bus 15 minutes into the call. His room was prepped with a healthy snack and his computer was on so I lost minimal time and focus. *twitch*

4.) The goal was to find out what is on SMP's agenda for my debut novel (a YA paranormal--werewolves), 13 TO LIFE (already available for pre-order but releasing June 22, 2010).

What I learned (and what was reinforced):

1.) Being a Goodreads author is important (I'm there, thanks to the encouragement of a fabulous blogger--CARLA!!!--who encouraged me to do it).

2.) Being on LibraryThing is encouraged (it's on the to-do list).

3.) Deep content for a website with direct relationship to the book series or title in the URL is definitely desirable (which works since I have a guy working on that).

4.) Tweeting and Blogging is a key to what they want me to do consistently right now. They mentioned booksignings *used* to be big but now the focus is online.

5.) They won't be horribly critical about numbers for my first--very first--novel (I believe them, but publishing is very much about money and I understand that so I'll be critical anyhow ;-)

6.) They want to be in the loop about nearly everything I plan (really).

7.) They don't want to push things too hard right now because they like to do a big push very close to the book's release date.

8.) They want to help coordinate book signings because then they can email a reminder to the store so they have enough copies on hand.

9.) They want me to write a brief prequel story they can give to just their mailing list (and they even had a specific direction they suggested--but pointed out it's up to me<-- I heart them!).

10.) They'll provide a little signage for signings.

11.) They're not so sure BEA's all it once was.

12.) They'll be sending out a gob of galleys to the trades, Facebook, Goodreads, LibraryThing and later (Feb/March for June release) to teen magazines for reviews.

13.) They'd like me to compile a list of any bloggers or folks in the biz I know personally and they'll decide if they should get a galley or a copy of the book later for review purposes.

14.) I should hold on to my galleys (which should be coming soon---SQUEEE!).

15.) I think if I combined my age and the age of my agent we'd STILL top the combined ages of our three wonderful (and very wise) gurus in NYC. :-) Perhaps it's the level of enthusiasm they bring to their job--whatever it is, I hope it keeps them young (they are truly terrific)!

What I Hope YOU Learned from This:

1.) MY PUBLISHER ROCKS! (and maybe they'll be your publisher eventually, too--seriously consider them)
2.) To actively think of things outside of your novel that can be used as teasers later (that backstory can be a rich resource for prequels, sideline stories and creative web content!).
3.) To not be afraid to talk to your publisher about their marketing goals and plans--it's a team effort and everyone has something invested in your book's success.
4.) To consider how and where you're building your platform/presence.
5.) To have a healthy snack and entertainment available for kids when they just happen to be coming home during an important call. ;-)

Take care and keep writing!
~Shannon

Revising a Dream--Why I can't be America's Next Best Celler

2009-12-07T10:32:00.001-05:00

The funny thing about life is that it changes.

Nothing is given, especially not good health. Just when things are rolling along fine, the world spins and turns over, often in the space of a single heartbeat. Sometimes those changes are good. Other times, not so much. Often, there's no way to tell whether the changes that have rocked our worlds are positive ones until the dust settles.

Let's just say some major dust is settling in mine and my family's lives right now.

My oldest son has severe autism, and I'm truly ok with that, as long as he's a healthy, happy human being. But right now he's not happy or healthy. Not anymore. David developed regressive catatonia last fall, losing his abilty to speak, read, write and interact with others. When he inexplicably snapped out of it, he seemed fine, at first. Turns out, he brought something new into the mix--schizophrenia. My formerly, placid, laughing, albeit severely impacted child, turned into a screaming, headbanging, often hallucinating teenager who was determined to exorcise whatever inner torment drove him to such fits with his own fists. During his episodes he's gone through doors, windows, walls, and anyone who dares to stand in his way.

We thought for a few brief weeks that we were over the worst of it. We thought wrong. He adapts to medication regimes in three week cycles. Then his world goes to hell again. His strength during his rages is superhuman. No, this isn't an exaggeration. We're averaging a concussion a month. He can't go on like this. Neither can we.

As his mom, I can't stand by and watch him throw himself through a window. Not intervening to protect him is not an option. But those interventions usually wind up with my getting hurt. Sometimes badly. So we've made a tough choice, to do everything in our power to increase our son's level of care to 24/7 in hopes this level of intensive consistency will help calm his misery so that he can make it through the hell that has become his puberty alive.

Getting him there will occupy ever spare moment of my time over the next month--and then some. This will be a hard and heartbreaking transition for all of us.

I'm not sure this is the right choice for my son, but I do know that for now, it is the only one we haven't tried. I'm going into this phase of his life armed with a lot of hope. I have to believe on the other side of these frenetic teenage years I'll see my handsome, laughing boy again. That is the image I'm holding in my mind as I wipe the egg from my face and apologize to my readers, fans, Stan Soper of textnovel and Alicia Condon of Dorchester Publishing for this unexpected, last minute decision to withdraw my manuscript, Muse Struck, from America's Next Best Celler contest.

All of these changes, combined with a prior obligation to deliver the last manuscript in the Three Kinds of Wicked series to my current publisher will prohibit me from continuing on as a contestant. I simply can't in good faith give this contest the energy, enthusiasm, and promotion it deserves while throwing my child and a publisher who has been so very good to me under the bus.

I'm pretty sure the editors at Dorchester wouldn't want me to. They're pretty amazing people. :)

Please trust me when I say that there's nothing else I can do. Thank you. For all the vote tarting fun, the laughter, the comraderie, the editing suggestions and the support. Mostly, for the friendships and contacts that will last forever. For that, I've already won this contest a thousand times over. That is plenty enough to sustain me through the difficult days ahead.

I wish each and every one of you the very best of luck. Any one of you will do Dorchester proud.

Liane

I'm so thankful for--excuse me, I need to unbutton my pants.

2009-11-26T14:09:00.000-05:00

Today, us Americans celebrate the only holiday where getting into a state of undress in front of family members is encouraged, even if you are only unbuttoning your clothes because you are more stuffed than the turkey.

Oh, happy day.

I've been up cooking since 7 am. Insane you say? Well, perhaps, but the smells are so fantastic! The knowledge that I won't have to cook for the next week helps, too. Thanksgiving this year at our house will be celebrated in the fashion it should be. Lots of yummy foods, lots of great companionship, and lots to be thankful for. I did a quick poll on things we are grateful for this year:

DD="I am thankful for cake"
DS="Don't touch" (Actually, that's his answer for any question you ask. He's just happy he can say a sentence)
DH=Didn't answer. He was too busy trying to get outside so he could play with his logs.
Me=Oh, just about freaking everything. We've got a new fab house, I've moved leaps and bounds in my writing, and I have come to know a group of fantastic ladies on textnovel. Who could ask for more?

Not me, that's for certain. We have health, happiness, and love. I wish the same for all of you.

While we are all feeling all giving and smooshy, take a look to the far right of this page. There are links to follow to give a thumbs up for the Divas in the top 10. take a seond to vote, all you have to do is reply on your fave Diva's novel, even if it is just an emoticon. You don't even have to log in, just reply as "unregistered". That's what my DH did while I forced him at turkey baster point.

Happy thanksgiving!

Happy Holidays

2009-11-25T14:20:00.002-05:00

It's Wylde Wednesday again, but my trademarked smark (smutty snark) has been shelved in honor of the joy of the holidays! That and I mean, who is really working today or tomorrow? You'll be plump and sleepy, the way it should be.

I'm thankful for so much this season. My family, my friends, the opportunities I've found professionally and personally, and the ability to find beauty and joy in my world.

I wish that for all of you not only this holiday season, but throughout the year. And of course, may your muse dance for you often.

xoxox

Saranna

The Impact of Dark YA on Teen Readers and Responsible Parents

2009-11-24T08:15:00.005-05:00

A couple weeks ago I was discussing the idea of "dark" stories with you all--tales that "push the envelope" on topics like sex, drugs and violence. It seems they're very popular now and such topics are also creeping (and sometimes racing) right into YA fiction as well. Some people seem disturbed by the trend and some, flat out, don't want to touch any such fiction with a ten foot pole (consider how YA author Ellen Hopkins was treated by a couple public schools and libraries recently).

From the get-go realize if you're writing things that include "disturbing" topics and teens, you will get flack. When I was hemming and hawing about the mild cussing I included in 13 TO LIFE, my editor pointed out authors will always deal with someone who doesn't like something about their book. You can't make everyone happy, but you can be true to your story.

Got cussing? You'll hear about it (author Maggie Stiefvater of Lament commented in a NaNoWriMo post about the fallout she received as the result of using the f-word once in a novel).

Sex? Author P.C. Cast deals with several sexual incidents in her House of Night series and has gotten a lot of heat as a result.

Drugs and alcohol? Check out other articles about Ellen Hopkins' books (there are tons of others dealing with these topics, too, but hers are currently on my mind).

Violence? Eh. That's the weird one with us in the USA, it seems (still). We can tolerate violence in far greater quantities than sex and violent language.

Some of you may feel horrified about the frankness authors take with teen audiences when it comes to tough topics. However, as authors, it's imperitive we don't talk down to our readers. We can't skirt or gloss over issues if they're important to the story and to a character's development. And frankly, sex, drugs, violence and self-expression (like cussing in certain cases) and the way we handle those issues are very much a part of our character... and our characters.

Here's the reality check: Many teens cuss (usually they pick it up from adults--or their peers). Teens are filled to the brim with hormones and curiosity and (I know, it's as frightening as imagining our parents "doing it") some teens do have sex--and the others have questions about it). And, some teens (waaay too many teens) will experience violence.

Just because the majority of books in the past few decades didn't address these topics head-on doesn't mean that these issues didn't exist. My mother used to tell the story of the girl who disappeared one year in her high school--her parents tried to keep the girl's pregnancy a secret and shipped her away to deliver the baby but the imagination of her peers in her absence did even more to her reputation than dealing with things head-on.

As a writer we have to consider the impact of our words on our audience. We need to avoid gratuitous everything. Unless the topic is inherent in the story and character development, save it for another tale. BUT. There have always been dark stories (think about the Greek myths--rape, murder, incest, the Oracle of Delphi tripping out--all good "Classical" tales; or the original Grimm Brother's tales--pre-Disney; and Shakespeare--come on, have you seriously read Romeo and Juliet?).

Will reading Dark YA make your child experiment with drugs, seek out danger, or sleep around? Not unless your teen already has significant issues with separating reality from fantasy (which is always possible, I guess). Did reading Sherlock Holmes make you want to experiment with heroine? How about reading Cinderella--did you have an undeniable desire to cut off some toes to have a chance at marrying a prince? I hope not. But you probably started considering where your own moral and ethical lines would be drawn. That's an important part in growing up.

Teen literature or YA, whether it be inspirational, sweet or dark gives adults a chance to open up a dialogue with teen readers.

Let's think about the outrage many parents felt over the relationship between Stephenie Meyer's Twilight characters Edward and Bella. Many complained he was an older man stalking an underage girl. Now, consider the ways those same concerned adults could have opened discussions with their teens about those very concerns... Wow! Suddenly you can find even more value to Stephenie Meyer's work.

Teens gravitate to dark and dangerous tales just like we do (partly because we can sit safely at home and fall into darker worlds). I like writing the stories teens like (because I like them, too) and I think they'll be around for a while. As authors we have a responsibility to our teen readers. We need to address things they want to know about and let them experience the repurcussions of certain choices (good and bad) and actions without doing it firsthand.

As parents there is an additional responsibility--know what your child is reading and don't dismiss or ban it out of fear--use it as a bridge to talk to your teen about things that scare you, too. Dark stories can be used very successfully to help teens make good choices--if we talk about those dark stories with them.

What do you think?
~Shannon

TGIF Cheers and Jeers

2009-11-20T15:58:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday, Divas and friends!

Before breaking out the chocolate martinis, I was going to write a diatribe basically foaming at the mouth about Harlequin's new self-publishing imprint. But then I read the statement by Russell Davis, President of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, on that very subject. Mr. Davis so brilliantly explains why this move by the two ton gorilla of romance publishing is odious that I knew I couldn’t come close to improving on it, or even equaling it. So I decided to post the link instead: http://is.gd/4Zmc2

According to Publishers Weekly, the marketing plan for the new imprint, Horizons, includes soliciting authors whose manuscripts have been rejected by Harlequin. Harlequin CEO Donna Hayes told PW she was “surprised and dismayed” by the outcry. Say what? Did she honestly think the company could make a business decision to deliberately prey on the vulnerable and no one would get their knickers in a knot? No chocolate martinis for you, Ms. Hayes!

On the other hand, keep the chocolatinis flowing for the editors at Dorchester Publishing Co., who gave the finalists in the America’s Next Best Celler Contest a bonus we hadn’t been promised and weren’t expecting – one-on-one help with our jacket copy. Alicia Condon, Chris Keeslar and Leah Hultenschmidt really know their stuff when it comes to marketing. It’s been eye-opening to see the fabulous copy being posted at http://textnovel.com based on their input. Only one finalist will win the contest, but all ten of us have been given an invaluable learning experience.

What are the rest of you drinking to during this happy hour? Whether you're celebrating or drowning your sorrows, the Divas will be happy to join you.

I wanna sleep with your book!

2009-11-19T08:34:00.006-05:00

My Darling Daughter has a charming quirk. On her nightstand (which is actually a Rose Petal Cottage toy washing machine. I think her use of it as a nightstand speaks of her attitude towards housekeeping) are a tall pile of books. Not just Peter Pan, Max & Ruby, and The Tale of Tom Kitten, but also The Encyclopedia Of World Religions, a book on growing trees and shrubs, and Blue Diablo by Ann Aguirre.

Every night, at bedtime, we read her a story, tuck her under her blankets, set up her stuffed toys so that they are all around her, then leave her to look through her "big" books.

After about 10 minutes, I go in, untangle my sleeping bibliomaniac and the books from her blanket and put them next to her bed. I usually let her keep a paperback in there with her.

Yes, my daughter sleeps with books. I have no idea where she learned that from. (Okay, fine. It was me.)

She's 3. Why did she choose these books? Because she likes the covers, of course. Why do you choose books? (Only a little sarcasm there.)

While browsing a bookshelf for something to read, we look at the cover. If it passes muster, we usually turn the paperback over or open up the hardcover to read what is called the jacket copy. The Dorchester contestants are now working madly on their versions of jacket copy as we sit here and read. Sometimes, it's the author's copy editor that creates these 200 word insights to the novel. As an author, I would like to have more control over that stuff, if possible.

As I was writing my version of a jacket copy for two of my manuscripts, I went online to the wide, wide web and did some research. The best resource I've found for hints on writing a jacket copy that works was a--ready? Please, don't throw any rotten food my way!--self-publishing site.

Wait, think about it...makes sense now, doesn't it?

Xlibris has a very good "how-to" on what is expected from a back of jacket copy.

As much info you get on a jacket copy, I miss when paperbacks used to have that excerpt in the front of some sexy/intense moment between the two main characters. In a rush, I would just open and read to see if it, well, tickled me in some way. In a good way. I'd take it home, and, if it was really good, I'd sleep with it.

Power of the Pen

2009-11-18T09:27:00.003-05:00

What's more intimidating than a white space that you're supposed to fill with your words?

When I open a new document to start a new piece, be it an article, a technical manual, or a novel, it's always the most beautiful and horrible thing I've ever seen.

Yes, your friendly neighborhood Amazon Goddess can be intimidated. Not by other goddess types, writing gurus, or hard work. Just a simple blank document is enough to send me screaming and yet, that same document lures me back in every time. I always stop and turn around for that last backward glance and I'm sucked back into the blackhole of expectation.

It's gravid with possibilities that range from the Great American Novel to tortures that are straight from the innermost ring of Hell.

I always hesitate before writing those first words, but the longer I stare at it, the bigger and more infinite it seems. As writers, we're the welders of Chaos. We take all of those things floating out in the ether and cement them down with only our keyboards and the sheer force of our will. How amazing is that? Civilizations can rise and fall with a keystroke, plagues, Armageddon and the horrors that slither in the darkness can all come to light. Or that candle of hope that we left burning in the window can blaze to a brilliant nova and incinerate all who read what we've written.

It adds a little more weight to the question, 'What will you do today?'.

A Word about Contests and Publishing

2009-11-17T08:00:00.006-05:00

I know, I know. I was going to write about Dark YA today, but (considering the Textnovel/Dorchester "America's Next Best Celler" contest announced the top ten yesterday) I decided I'd go for "timely." Yeah. Who'dda thunk it?

I've developed a few opinions regarding contests recently (thanks in part to the 1st TN one that landed me a contract and a few other contests I've checked into).

First, let me make this perfectly clear: If you compete in a contest you are already a winner. Why? Because it takes guts to put your work out there to be judged. You're putting a part of yourself on display and hoping for good stuff. I understand that. And I know that for everyone of you who had the guts to compete in "Best Celler" there are tons more who didn't have the guts to get in the mix.

As I was watching the announcements and congratulations flitting by on Twitter, I was also pretty certain I was watching a few hearts breaking. Knowing you've made it to a certain level and then being told you can't proceed--well, it sucks. And I noticed a few folks saying things like "just because you aren't right for Dorchester..." and "your time will come."

I want you to understand two things:

1.) If you continue pressing forward, honing your writing skills, working on things like query letters and high concept pitches, etc., and if you are determined to persevere (without bitterness and ego) you WILL make it. Regardless of what naysayers proclaim, publishing is a VERY open field. Keep writing. Believe in yourself and your story.

2.) And no matter what anyone says, keep in mind that although you may not be what Dorchester wants RIGHT NOW, IN THIS CONTEST lists change. What they want now may not be what they want in spring or summer. There are some publishing houses (like my publisher St. Martin's Press) that don't really work to a preconceived "list." They want good stories. If you catch their attention they'll find a home for you.

3.) I said there'd be two--right? This is why I didn't go into math... Look at all the good you have already gotten from this experience: You met some other talented authors and probably built some relationships; you pushed yourself forward with your writing and learned a bit about marketing and engaging readers; you tested your own hunger for getting published by a NYC publisher. I daresay you've learned a lot about yourself through this contest.

So where do you go from here if you didn't make top 10?

1.) You complete your manuscript. Heck, try and do it to the same specs Dorchester has at the Textnovel Blog.
2.) Try doing your jacket copy (and see how the top 10's turn out--compare, contrast, learn a little more). That jacket copy can potentially be used in your query or synopsis, so it's not like the experience is wasted.
3.) Do some research. Who do you SERIOUSLY want to be published by? Maybe it's Dorchester. And maybe not. Make sure you're ready to exceed the expectations of the publishing house you really want (but don't get all "I'm so much better than this author, they HAVE to want me").
4.) Begin to build your platform and brand.
5.) Figure out if you need an agent or not. If you need one, get one. Be careful though. Some are good and some aren't (and there are all sorts of degrees in between).
6.) Do your query letter, your synopsis, your outline.
7.) Submit to your dream publishers first.
8.) Persevere.

You can do this!
~Shannon

What Autism Taught me about Writing.

2009-11-16T09:38:00.004-05:00

It's so easy to talk down to a person with autism, in much the same way as one might feel the urge to shout in the presence of a non-hearing person. Even now, thirteen years after my oldest son's diagnosis, he remains mostly nonverbal (except when reading out loud, but that's for another blog, another day).

I sometimes find myself directing David in baby sentences, making the presumption that if he cannot answer me, or show me with eye contact or via gesture that he is attending to my voice, then he does not comprehend.

And it drives him nuts. There is no better way to insure David's non-compliance than talking to him like a baby. And yes, I've kept data charts on this, so I know what I'm talking about here.

I've gotten a lot of flak from fellow behaviorists and special education teachers for the choices I've made to read age appropriate material to David. I feed him these age appropriate works of literature because the truth is, we have no standardized way of verifying his intellect, or his lack thereof.

So, in the measurable absence of intelligence, I have chosen to presume his intelligence, and give my son the benefit of the doubt as far as literacy is concerned. After all, who am I harming?

Nobody.

And if I'm right, and he does understand every word I say? Then failing to do so would amount to outright intellectual neglect.

When my son started reading out loud after a couple of years of this, and becoming able (on his good days) to answer multiple choice tests on information I'd read out to him, I realized that my son had an awful lot more going on inside his head than any of us could ever imagine.

My sons, they teach me. Not just about raising kids, but about writing better books.

I'm beginning to learn that one of the biggest mistakes I've made as a writer has been to risk spoon feeding information to my reader on the assumption they won't follow if I force them to depend on subtleties in character actions and dialogue.

I was watching the movie "UP" with my kids this weekend.

The movie took a lot of risks, and let me tell ya, I like risks. In killing off a beloved character as the inciting incident, the movie gave it's young audience an awful lot of credit for both emotional intelligence, resilience, and empathy.

It was a good gamble. It was also the right choice for that particular story. And it got me to thinking about my own stories.

In the future, I'm going to treat my readers with the same presumption of intellect and emotional depth that I give my children.

Readers are smart.

And so are people with autism.

Failing to presume as much bears far greater consequences than presuming illiteracy.

What about you? How do you feel when you're being spoonfed information? How much is too much--or too little?

A marvelous way to edit

2009-11-15T17:06:00.002-05:00

Using WORDLE, I made a cloud of my novel. Yes, all 50,000 words. Now i have a visual of words I need to cut or rethink. Words such as LIKE, BACK, FEEL, JUST. LOOK, and SOMETHING. and the cutting begins.

I've been a bad, bad girl. Someone, please spank me

2009-11-14T09:25:00.001-05:00

Yes. I have been naughty. I did not post my blog on Thursday. I forgot about it. I was to busy doing...well, that's the kicker. I wasn't doing anything necessary at all. At least anything that couldn't have waited.

I took what I call "a mental health day". I didn't do any writing. A bit of brainstorming, but nothing fancy. I started a story that just kinda flopped over my keyboard and died. The juices just weren't flowing. The Baby Boy was starting to get sick and had to sit on my hip the whole day, and that meant Darling Girl wanted to be on that same hip as well. In between the hacking of one and the whining of the other, I just didn't want to get anything done.

So I didn't.

And that is okay. Sometime, the stars aren't aligned and Mars has situated himself comfortably in retrograde. Sometimes life is in upheaval with moving or construction or a loved one coming home after being away for far too long. Sometimes you just don't wanna. That's okay. Walk away. Get refreshed, do all the stuff that is forcing itself onto your to-do-list and just get back into writing the next day.

Which is what I did. Well, sorta. I decided I needed a web page, so I went out and got a domain name and started designing my own website. I also sent out my RWA application and ordered the Writer's Digest magazine. While money was flowing more freely than words (trust me, I wish it had been the other way around) I also went ahead and purchased WRITE OR DIE for my desktop. This funk I'm in isn't gonna last. However, I may just need a little help kicking my butt out of Lazytown and Dr. Wicked and his amazing writing program will be there to do it.

So, what's been going on with you all that life is kicking you in the teeth. Go ahead, let it out. I'm here for you.

Not Totally OT

2009-11-13T13:06:00.002-05:00

During this week that includes Veterans Day, and that follows last week’s senseless and shocking incident at Fort Hood, where 12 soldiers and a civilian were shot to death by a fellow soldier, I’d like to put in a plug for a worthy organization – the Armed Services Blood Program, or ASBP.

The ASBP is a joint Army, Navy and Air Force activity subject to the authority of the Secretary of Defense and under the operational control of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Its mission is to provide quality blood products for Service members and their families worldwide, in both peace and war. Towards this end, it operates over 20 Blood Donor Centers.

The ASBP was especially challenged last week. Over 139 units of blood had to be transfused during treatment of the 29 people wounded in Major Hasan’s rampage. Although the military blood supply is now adequate, the ASBP is urging people to give blood regularly, since blood is perishable and there’s always a downturn in donations during the holiday season. You can locate a military blood donor center on the ASBP’s website, www.militaryblood.dod.mil. If you’re not close enough to give at a military blood donor center, consider giving to your local civilian blood program, because giving blood is giving life.

Why, you may ask, is this not totally off the topic of writing?

Well, I became aware of the ASBP through my day job. Among other facts, I learned that each Blood Donor Center has a civilian employee with the title, “Blood Donor Recruiter.” This set my slightly twisted writerly mind to work, and on November 1, I started my NaNoWriMo novel – a romantic comedy about a conscience-stricken vampire who finagles himself a job as a Blood Donor Recruiter because he wants to stop harming humans.

Five days later, the very first thing I heard about the tragedy at Fort Hood was a CNN report of a call for donations of blood of every type. I was reminded that while my manuscript is funny (I hope!), the work of the ASBP is serious and important.

So, I raise my chocolate martini glass in a Diva salute to the men and women of the ASBP, including the Blood Donor Recruiters (not a vampire in the bunch!), and to the donors who support the organization, and of course, to the Service members who depend on it.

Escaping into Darkness

2009-11-10T08:49:00.008-05:00

We're currently in a cycle of darkening novels. Larissa Ione recently wrote a great article for RWR about writing on the dark side of romance (I recommend RWA members revisit it). Perhaps we're already seeing fallout from the 2012 madness with all its End-times talk. I dunno.

I used to narrowly consider books as a potent form of escapism (a belief I still hold to, mostly). The problem with that line of thought is that I was thinking people wanted to escape the dark--war, hate, anguish and loss--not jump into it...

But we're diving right into some of the darkest tales around right now. Why?

I recently had an epiphany (hey, it happens ;-). It led me to believe the reason readers are so quick to jump into the darkness we writers are currently creating is because we're giving them characters who are struggling with the same things they are (or bigger, wilder things) and these characters are finding the means and the strength to get through it.

Even in the darkness there’s a hint of light.

I like to think of it this way: I'd never willingly "escape" into an Indiana Jones scenario--unless I knew he was there to fight “beside” me. But living it through him, with his sharp wit, ready whip and gun--I'm thrilled!

Even better-- in dark novels, YOU control everything because you decide when to put the book down and take a break (or quit altogether--as I had to do with one recently).

So what do you think of the trend of more dark romance and the emergence of dark heroes?

~Shannon
*Next Tuesday—Dark YA. What are the limits if there are any?

Brand Me, Baby! Guest Post by Candi Wall

2009-11-09T13:38:00.006-05:00

BRAND ME BABY!

Okay, so maybe this wasn’t what you had in mind for ‘Branding’!

That’s good. I hate to disappoint and I just wouldn’t be able to go through with this – for anyone.

Anywho-

Ever notice in this industry, we get to hear the oddest turn ‘o phrase. Seriously.
There’s:

Head hopping, POV, WIP, WP, critique partners, galleys, plot holes, dirty drafts, genre jumping, cross genre… the list just goes on and on! But one of those odd phrases is by far one of the most elusive in understanding.
Why’s that? It’s not tangible, visual, tasteable (I know that’s not a word!), audible or buyable.

But what it is – is INVALUABLE.

Your Author Brand is what makes you YOU.

An author brand is your personal, visceral, immediate response from a reader. Your logo or trademark as it were. It’s what keeps your name in a reader’s mind when they peruse the shelves of their local bookstore or favorite website and have X amount of dollars to spend, expecting quality.

YOU and your brand have to deliver.

So the sticky part is how to build your brand. Since you along with all your readers probably aren’t willing to have the hot iron process, (not to mention you want an emotional brand instead of a painful brand) it’s up to you to define your brand, promo your brand and fuse your brand into the minds of your readers and networks like super-glued sticky notes.

Here’s an easy one: Toys ‘R Us!

The first thing you thought about was toys and that clever little jingle, right?
THAT is the response you want when people hear or think of your name. Okay, maybe not toys and a jingle, but you want your brand to click an emotional connection when a reader hears your name.

 So the first thing you have to do is have a stellar product. Learn, refine and perfect your writing. It’s an art, but it’s a subjective art. Make your writing the best it can be. Leave them sighing, crying, singing or laughing.

 Next - figure out what your brand is. What sets you apart? What do you offer that’s different? How do you want to be seen? Make it unique and OWN IT. It’s not enough to write ‘hot romance’. You have to find that spark of difference that screams ‘Hotter than Hell Romance.’

 Then - you as the author have to build/create your brand and get it rolling before any amount of promo will help. Network, pitch in, join loops, do workshops. Get you and your brand out there and make it good. Word of mouth spreads faster than any promotional tool available.

 In the meantime - make yourself remarkable and memorable. Ever met two people and walked away only remembering one name. Why did that person stand out? Did they lag in the corner, or did they get in the mix, help out, make you feel good? Emotional connection. Hit ‘em where the heart strings run.

 Tailor your presence to your brand. Write hot and sexy? Play the part, have a smokin’ website, and do workshops on ultimate love scene blunders. More conservative? Tailor your presence.

(Here’s a fun example of the last point.) Think of your immediate reaction to - a Brain Surgeon.

I see a tall, thin middle aged gentleman with a starched shirt and tie, wearing a white lab coat. He’s sitting behind a desk, forehead wrinkled slightly from years of concentration. Maybe some Bach playing in the background, and a brandy snifter with crystal glasses near the antique globe that sits by the window.
NOW imagine him leaning forward to tell you that he is a Sumo-wrestler on the side.
HUH?

Throws off the picture you had in your mind. Discombobulates your whole immediate reaction right? Same with your brand. Make it yours and stick to it.

 Keep your brand consistent. While many authors shift their brands, starting out, you really need to focus your brand.

 Beware of Shadow Branding. This is why I say be consistent. If you appear one way, and build a brand on that, but are caught on the side being or acting in a totally different fashion, you can develop a shadow brand. An alternate brand that usually isn’t very good. So keep your brand as close to who you really are unless you’re ready to commit to your brand 100% when you are in the public eye, ear, or reach.

So get out there, and make yourself available. Take on fundraising. Picth in with other authors. Blog. But you have to get out there. No agent or editor is going to come knocking on your door. As much as we wish they would. So until they do, anything you can do to cast a positive light on your name is branding. It may take years to build yourself a strong brand, but every step you take along the way just makes you and your brand more pronounced.

In the interest of defining Brands, let me know what brand an author has that stands out for you, and maybe we can pick it apart. Figure out how that author managed to make their brand so memorable.
Drop us a comment!

Food For Thought: Feeding Those You Love During NaNo

2009-11-05T13:18:00.005-05:00

Spouses and children alike groan with despair when November 1st comes around. Why? Because they know it's time for them to try and survive on their own without our help. We are too busy creating alternate realities, for Bard's sake. We can't just stop in the middle of a scene because people are hungry. If you've read any of the comments, you'll know that I am the mom of a 3-year-old and a 19 month-old, and that I routinely throw food in their general direction from my place at the computer. I have a confession to make. I only do that during snack time. I really do make up and serve 3 meals a day for their little bellies.

Where is my DH? Well, he works so that I may stay home and raise our lovely children, or so he believes. I'm usually writing when I'm not teaching them to be polite, independent, creative, and generous human beings. The housekeeping suffers. Hey, I'm a stay-at-home-mom, not maid.

But we all have to eat. Living out in the boonies leaves us limited take-out options, so I have to come up with easy, fast, and yummy foods. I really don't want to cut into my limited writing time, and those doing NaNo know what I speak of.

So, my friends, here are some yummy recipes and hints that will make your significant others happy and keep your children's bellies full.

HINT ONE: Buy lots of fresh fruits and veggies. Apples, oranges, bananas, broccoli, carrot sticks, grapes, berries, peppers, cucumber, etc. These are great quick things to feed them that have little or no prep work. Other items to pick up: Whole wheat crackers, natural applesauce cups, cheese sticks, yogurt and yogurt smoothies, raisins, dried fruit, canned fruit (in pear juice). A romaine lettuce salad with dressing as a side dish makes even your most lazy moment (delivery pizza) seem a little less lazy. I also splurge and buy juice boxes. Less sippy cup parts to wash.

HINT TWO: Buy meat in bulk, then take an hour to make and freeze meatloaves, meatballs, cut up cheap cuts of beef into cubes for stew. This 1 hour on 1 day will save you loads of time later in the month.

HINT THREE: Buy easy-to-make foods, such as whole wheat pasta, mac-n-cheese, hot dogs, brown rice, and canned beans. Then even the big kid in your house can help out when prepping.

HINT FOUR: Cook for an army, even if there are only three or four of you. The rest can be frozen or refrigerated. If you aren't a leftover kinda person (I'm raising my hand here), just dump the wet stuff into a resealable bag. Rice freezes REALLY well. A few days later, on your way to the computer, pull it out and pop it in the fridge to defrost. It's already cooked, so when you remember you have people to feed, toss it into a dish and microwave with a a paper towel on top. Then go back to writing. They can serve themselves.

When reheating rice, add a tablespoon or two of water, then lightly cover with a microwave-safe lid.

Ok, onto the recipes!

African Beef Curry Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

This is a favorite at our house. Easy to put together, pretty much everything comes out of a can or from the snack closet. We don't usually add the coconut--it's not in our pantry--but I highly recommend tossing pineapple on top. It cooks for awhile, but that makes the house smell good and others will think that you actually care about food.

Make "breakfast for dinner". Scrambled eggs (we add a tablespoon of real whipped cream to the eggs, along with salt n pepper. Trust me. It's freaken yummy), toast, and melon. Sometimes we have sausages. This also includes oatmeal and cereal.

Black Beans & Rice.

Just as it says. Heat up 2 cans of black beans with 1 bullion cube. Pour over rice. We add balsamic vinegar and chopped, seeded, cucumbers.

"Dump Chicken"

When you buy chicken pieces, add salad dressing to the bag before you freeze. Then defrost and bake as usual. Visit the The Dump Chicken Pages for some real fancy cooking, and if you do Once A Month Cooking, then that place will be like mana for your cooking soul.

The old standbys--Spaghetti and meatballs, meatloaf and mashed potatoes, mac-n-cheese with fish sticks or hot dogs, and soup. Dust out the old crock-pot and start using that baby. Chili is at it's best when made in a crock-pot. Here are some crock-pot recipes to get you started.

Also, skip dessert. Really. The kids don't need the extra sugar to burn off and it just makes more dishes.

The best piece of advice I can give: Everyone eat together at the table. Chances are they have seen you scream, yell, curse, and watched in awe as your head spun around while writing your NaNo. Everyone at the table should see you in front of a hot meal instead of a keyboard, and though your thoughts may be distant (should your main character already know how to use a sword or would that be a great characterization scene if they were to learn it?), they would all appreciate you just being there.

Hope this helped and good luck NaNos!

Thieving the Time

2009-11-04T13:34:00.001-05:00

So, there's my stern writerly look which was supposed to enjoin the huddled and hungry masses to leave me alone while I was tapping away with a wild and unfettered abandon on my NaNo project, Warlock of the Month.

I think I should have gone with the scowl that I normally reserve for inmates who have come down with a contagious case of stupid. Of course, I couldn't post that one. We'd like to keep our blog followers and we prefer them upright instead of dead. Yes, looks can kill. If you do it right.

Short of shooting our loved ones, what is it that you do to have writing time? It's hard enough for us to sit down to the computer and write to start with. What's the most creative strategy that you've used to secure some quiet time to yourself?

Mine isn't that creative. I've roared like Tiamat and I think I might have actually sprouted six other heads. The husband tiptoes around with a lighter tread when I'm writing than when I'm parting the red sea on the cotton pony. He doesn't trust any food that I've cooked if I had to stop writing to prepare it (Which is just silly.)He'll sniff it carefully like a wild dog and snatch it before I can take it back. He even manages not to glue his hands to my blouse gnomes when I'm writing. He'll sneak up behind me, even though he knows I hate that, and grab on. (Working in corrections, you learn to never let anyone hang out behind you. Not just for the "rear" jokes either.) Unless I've got Word open and then he tiptoes away as quietly as a large, viking looking hottie can.

Spill! The Wylde Diva wants to know.

(Another) America's Next Best Celler Semifinals Afterparty Post!

2009-11-03T14:58:00.001-05:00

I confess that by throwing up this post, I'm usurping our dear Shannon's blog post day, so before you start partying down, please go read her amazing thoughts on contests and waiting beneath this post. You'll be glad you did. Leave her a comment, too, because our Shannon, she's the real deal. We're grateful to have her here.

Now, fire up the grill and mix up a vat of margaritas, cuz it's official. The top twenty in Dorchester Publishing's Next Best Celler contest @ textnovel have been posted. And that gives us another excuse to party down here at the Textnovel Divas blog!

We did it!

Come join us as we cut up, share funny stories, tell how our stories began...whatever ribaldry happens to hit the comments thread. Got questions about the contest? About what it's like to write a textnovel? Want to know our dirty secrets? Go ahead, ask them.

We might even be up for a spot of textnovel-ish truth or dare if you ply us with enough margaritas! :)

With that said. Party on, dude-ettes!

Waiting IS the Hardest Part: Welcome to Publishing ;-)

2009-11-03T08:31:00.000-05:00

So, although I didn't compete in the Dorchester contest through Textnovel.com I can relate to waiting for results. I have to say (sorry) it seems to be a major part of being in the publishing business. But there's hope. There's always hope. ;-)

We wait to know how we've done in contests (anywhere from a week to a couple months), we wait to hear back from agents (sometimes for up to eight months), we wait to hear from editors and their publishing houses (can be another month or two there) and then we wait on lawyers about contracts (usually at least once, but they're often the quickest part in the process).

Then we wait for revision notes (I've been lucky here--not long, but some take a few months), release date (totally hinges on the publisher's meeting schedule), copyedits (also, not long for me, but it depends), cover art, galleys (about a month and a half to two months from when copyedits get back to the editor--at least in my publishing house) and then--finally--we wait to see the book on the shelves (in my case, almost six months after galleys).

By the time our book lands on shelves it's often been a year and a half to two years since we signed a contract. It can really wear on you--the waiting.

But.

The good news is, every step in that very drawn out process feels like an amazing victory. Seriously. Every step forward helps build your author's momentum back up (and there are TONS of things you have to do personally between each of those steps--so it's not like you're twiddling your thumbs).

You'll also get bits of good and great news throughout the process--interview requests you didn't expect, interest from Hollywood producers and (just yesterday for us) news you've sold translation rights to the Hungarians (eh, maybe you'll get a different country to start the ball rolling--me? Hungary :-). Stuff like that makes it feel like the time's flying!

So, the waiting may be the hardest part, but as an author, just keep pushing forward. Build that momentum so your dreams snowball into something huge and great.

Hugs to the Divas--you're all winners from where I sit!

~Shannon (<--the chick whose publishers just sold translation rights for 13 TO LIFE to the Hungarians and whose brother says she should use that $ to have the Hungarian version re-translated back into English. "It'll be like a totally different book," he says. *snort*)

Kindle Winner

2009-11-02T23:40:00.000-05:00

So, is this not one of the coolest prizes yet at Diva-Palooza? It's the grande finale and we're wrapping this up with a bang. (You know, it's so hard to leave that one alone.)

First of all, I'd like to say that we couldn't have gotten there without all of you. I'm so thrilled that we were able to thank our readers and supporters with such an awesome giveaway.

I hope you guys plan to hang around long after the confetti is swept away. (You do know that confetti is really more like lice than a party, right?)

Oh, are you ready for the announcement? Should I monologue for a few more paragraphs? Nah, I said everything I needed to. All but congratulations to...

Jenn Hart

Contact Liane for your Kindle or gift card! Enjoy your prize in good health, doll!

The Day After

2009-11-02T19:14:00.000-05:00

Please, make the waiting stop. I can't take anymore!

From the Day After

I wanna see the remnants you you all! e-mail me your day after photo & I'll post it for you. Let's see who has been hit the hardest!

After Party Post 1 - How Low did YOU go?

2009-11-02T06:42:00.001-05:00

Wow.

It's the morning after.

Finally.

No more pimping for votes.

No more refusing to pay the pizza dude until he agrees that I am, indeed, America's Next Best Celler.
Oh. Did I just put that in print?

Why, yes. I guess I did.

So with that particular skeleton out of the closet, it's fess up time here at Texting Between the Sheets.

Just how big of a vote tart are you?

The commenter with the best confession wins a e-copy of my (ultra steamy)Christmas novella from Red Sage Publishing, Believe.

The only rule to play is you must have participated in Dorchester Publishing's Next Best Celler contest at Textnovel.

For readers, we'll have a contest later on today!

OK, girls. Spill it. How low did you go?

Yeah,baby, it's the diva version of the limbo!

Leave your most shameful vote tarting moment in comments.

Our brand new textnovel divas, Valorie Dorr and Courtney Sheets will pick the winners tomorrow because...I said so!

To ALL of you who participated in the Next Best Celler Contest, major congrats are in order. This is your party, too. You put your hearts and souls and stories out there and did your level best to build a readership.

And we all did just that.

In my mind, all that heart goes a long way toward making each of us next best sellers.

Oh, so how low did I really go? Well, for one, I refused to let my daughter's boyfriend take her to a movie until he found me a voter.

OK. Three voters.

Yeah, I know. ::hangs head:: I chalk it up to CVTS - Compulsive Vote Tarting Syndrome.

Nearing the Finish Line

2009-10-31T10:56:00.000-04:00

The first phase of the Dorchester Publishing Co. America’s Next Best Celler contest will end at midnight tomorrow at www.textnovel.com. The contest, aimed at discovering “the next New Voice in Romance,” challenges aspiring authors “to pair their social networking skills with their literary ambitions” and comes with a whopper of a prize – a guaranteed Dorchester publishing contract.

There were growing pains when the contest started on June 1, as a horde of contestants eager for a shot at the holy grail of a contract with a New York publisher joined the existing Textnovel.com community. Or maybe invaded that community, depending on your point of view. Some of the newbies settled in and decided to make the place home. Others made it clear they were only there on vacation, but worked hard at being good guests. Still others left a trail of resentment when they were perceived as too demanding and too shrill in complaining about technical problems at the site, which is still in Beta version.

The contest encouraged us to use our “social networking skills” – in other words, to troll for votes. However, the emphasis on votes didn’t entirely sit well with some of the old crowd, who were used to a less competitive approach. The Divas and others were accused by some of going too far. But you can’t have a contest without competition. And aspiring authors shouldn’t kid themselves – today’s publishing world is insanely competitive.

Now, after five months, the pimping-for-votes phase of the contest is nearly over. The rest of the decisions will be made by the team at Dorchester. I posted Confessions of the World’s Oldest Shotgun Bride on the Textnovel site on June 25, so I’ve been at this contesting gig for four months. It’s been an exciting ride. I've written an author bio that captures the voice of my novel. I’ve learned to blog and tweet. I’ve gotten less shy about self-promotion, a skill that doesn’t come naturally to me. And I’ve become friends and “business partners” with the Divas, a fabulous group of women who believe in me, sometimes more than I believe in myself. Thanks, Liane, Robin, Saranna and Shannon!

The Divas aren’t going anywhere. We’ll still be a presence here, on Twitter, and at the Textnovel.com site. So thanks to our readers for your support, and stick with us – the best is yet to come!

Going Beyond Bedroom Eyes, or, We All Look The Same With The Lights Out.

2009-10-29T19:04:00.000-04:00

I've read a few novels lately where the author seemed to actually forget to describe the heroine. Yep, completely left it to my imagination. I'm sorry, but why did I pay almost $8 for your writing if you aren't going to give me the basics? Let's not foget the hero. There are a lot of tall, dark, and handsomes out there. What makes your guy so different? Perhaps he's a blond (did you know that a majority of bad guys in novels are blond?) or my personal fave, a huge red haired Scot.

As an author, where do you get your inspiration for the way your characters look?

I have a confession to make. I look at porn. No! No! Sorry, but it just seemed like you wanted to read something drastic. Besides, the men in porn aren't exactly hero material. Actually, I scour male modeling sites. In fact, I keep getting distracted as I write this because I'm looking at MaleModel.us Oooh, so yummy. This is a fab site with no registration requirements of freaky pop ups. Clean and easy. Models.com has a way to look for male models of certain ages,but if you have a very specific look in mind, check out New Faces Male, female, height, shape, hair color. It's all there.

Story Casting is a cool way to have your friends, family, Beta readers, suckers you find on the street to give you their 2 pennies on who your characters resemble. It's free to set up your novel on story casting, then search their database for actors to fill in character spots.

What if you are like me, you know, creating paranormal universes? Well, sign up for free catalogs and get your scissors and glue ready, cause it is craft time. Paste your Frankenstein together and hang it up in front of you so that you can have a visual of what they look like, like you would with any photo that seems to be the essence of your character's physical being. It may be a little strange looking, but it works better than a list that reads like a wanted poster.

Pull out a copy of Vogue or other fashion Magazines. This guy, he is my Val (Fae NIghts).Well, except that Val has long, straight, black-blue hair, silver-blue eyes, and has a bit more meat to him. It's the bone structure that I'm getting at.
Thanks to Veronica over at MY LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH FASHION for this hump day hunk.

Morgan, from my novel Fever, is most definitely this guy

Guys are easy. We know what we like. But what about the leading ladies? Mine rarely have anything in common with me. They may be a little curvy, like moi, but Eve (Fae Nights) has kinky black curls, Lily (Immortal Love) has shoulder length ash hair and is petite, and Jessie (Fever) has long blond hair and is all woman. I have a thing for red-heads, as I've always wanted red locks, but it'll take a special character for me to give her that.

So, do you model your characters after you and those you know, search for inspiration through photographs of actors and models, or are they in your head, waiting for their likeness to be painted by your words?

Get Set With Your Setting

2009-10-28T15:48:00.000-04:00

It's Wylde Wednesday here at the Text Diva compound and we're drinking mimosas and having strawberries and chocolate. Did you know that today is National Chocolate Day? *pushes plate* Here, have some.

Today we're talking settings. For the love of all that's holy, please do your research. If you've never been to the place where your heroine and hero live, make sure to check out the Chamber of Commerce on the web. It can help you to avoid embarrassing mistakes.

I recently read a book that opened in Topeka, KS. This author had described Topeka to be much like the little town of Easton where I currently live. There is a post office, a bar and bank and that's about it. She has a criminal escape and describes the town as only having one police officer and that residents were so surprised to see this guy running from the one cop that they did nothing to help.

Are you shitting me? Seriously, sorry for the bad language, Liane can wash my keyboard out with soap later, but really? Half of the inmate population we house at Lansing comes from Topeka.

Topeka houses the state governing bodies, so they have more than one cop on duty at a time. The courthouse and other government buildings are flush with security. Not to mention it's the home site for KBI and KDOC, KDOT... Not just government either. Blue Cross and Blue Shield have a corporate headquarters there... it's a busy city.

Not to mention that Topeka has about 300,000 residents which she would have known if she'd googled the town. Five to ten minutes of her time and she would have a reader for life. I liked the story other than that, but such a gross oversight or blatant laziness...

My point? Feel free to fictionalize the setting and bend it for your own use, but you should know what color crayon you're using before you start coloring.

The Right Pick-Up Lines

2009-10-27T08:55:00.000-04:00

I didn't know what to blog about today (things are in a bizarre upheaval right now on several fronts, so blogging wasn't my immediate priority). So I hopped on Twitter and asked people what they look at when they're shopping for books. No surprise the cover, back cover copy and first page were their most frequent responses--though they didn't necessarily all go in that order and there seemed to be no hard and fast rules.

I like a nice cover. I do. Back cover copy? Very important. But I'm a sucker for a strong first line. I want to be hooked. I want someone to write an opening line that shows me they know so much about their target audience (presumably me) that I have to take their book home. Of course, the first line only works if they can carry through that sensation of grabbing your attention the whole way through.

So I spent a couple minutes prowling my bookshelves to find some examples where I think the author got it right. I must admit--some of these surprised me (and some books I adored didn't have a hooking first line).

FAIRYTALE by Cyn Balog [If you click on Cyn's title it'll magically transport you to Amazon's page where they have her cover and a "Look Inside" link. Go ahead, give it a peek. I love this first sentence because it instantly intrigues me. I wanna know why.]

VAMPED by Lucienne Diver [Lucienne delivers a great line and continues the protagonist's attitude throughout--great! To read a bit, click the title then the cover to see the first few pages.]

THE CURSED ONE by Ronda Thompson [Click the title then hit the cover at Amazon.com for a "Look Inside." This one made me go Yikes! Why?]

THE AWAKENING by Kelley Armstrong [This opening sentence is longer, but great because it gets setting and circumstance in and raises a bunch of questions! You can click the title to get to the Amazon page and then click the cover to look inside.]

MARKED by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast [This one gets points with me because it's got attitude, setting and raises questions. Click the title then click the "Look Inside" link that's connected with the cover to read a smidge.]

TITHE: A MODERN FAERIE TALE by Holly Black [This one's fabulous! You know so much about two characters in just one line... Go ahead, click the title and go to Amazon's "Look Inside" link]

THE HISTORIAN by Elizabeth Kostova [Click the title to go to the "Look Inside" link. See what I mean? Right there I'm hooked. Why didn't the protagonist intend to do it and why did s/he finally relent?]

BAD TO THE BONE by Jeri Smith-Ready [Click the title to go to Amazon's "Look Inside" link. I love this one! It's awesome! It's funny and gives a fascinating look into the protagonist's deepest beliefs. You get attitude, background and a look into her core right from the get-go.]

TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyer [Click the title to pop to Amazon for the "Look Inside" link. Take a sec and check it out. Just the first sentence--no. Get back here! ;-) Doesn't that make you curious about not only the "now" but also the past few months? And we know stakes are incredibly high!]

BLUE DIABLO by Ann Aguirre [There's no "Look Inside" link on the Amazon page, so you'll need to search for the book in your local bookstore. Heck. Just buy it. It's really good. Anyhow... This is terrific opening because we're trained to understand if an author focuses on a physical detail like that there's bound to be an important reason. So mentally we're wondering why it's so important to the protagonist and what it says about her.]

APPLE IN THE ATTIC by Mildred Jordan: The destiny of Jacob Z. Dreibelbis was altered by eight quarts of schnitz. [This book appears to be waaay out of print. This one catches me because of the strong cultural overtone and the obviously high stakes. It's not often that a bunch of dried apples ("schnitz" for you non-Dutchies) changes a man's destiny--or is it?]

DEAD UNTIL DARK by Charlaine Harris [Amazon has a "Look Inside" link so you can read a bit. Go ahead. I'll wait. See? Doesn't that make you say, Huh? It perks the interest.]

So, considering these great first lines, as readers do you get intrigued by a single line? Is a strong hook enough to keep you going a little?

My first line in 13 TO LIFE (launching in June 2010) is: I closed the door behind me, heading down the hallway and straight to Hell. [I hope it has the power to intrigue readers in a way that's vaguely close to the power of the authors' words above.]

I hope I gave you something to think about (and perhaps a few things to buy... ;-).

Have a great day!
~Shannon

Of Corsets and Courtesans (HONORARY DIVA, Cristiana Cameron)

2009-10-25T08:39:00.000-04:00

With Halloween rapidly approaching, I had to figure out just what cute, girly costumes I could get my daughters into. Well, when I walked into Wal-Mart and saw the lovely "Southern Belle" costume, my mind immediately went back to "GONE WITH THE WIND". (It didn't hurt that the costume is totally a copy of young Scarlet O'Hara at the Wilkes BBQ.)

That got me to thinking about the clothes that women wore back in those romantic 'good old days'. And how miserable they must have truly been…especially cinched up in a corset, enduring all those layers. Can you imagine the smell and feel on a hot August afternoon? You read about women getting the vapors. You see fainting couches in antique stores…so were the good old days all that good?

I was able to take my thinking one step further when the power went out where I live yesterday. Not a flash or a fifteen minute inconvenience but three hours. By the end of the first I was worrying about the food in the freezer. I couldn't do any of my routine work around the house. Worse still NO computer!

So, with all that time to sit and think, I realized something else. Back then I wouldn't have had all the help I've had…and that's just cosmetically. No braces, no hair color (none worth a darn anyway), no make up (none that you could wear near a fire without fear of it melting away, and let's not forget the lead in those cosmetics…yes I said lead!) My mother would be burdened with cataracts. My brother, sleep apnea. Worse still, a lot of people I know wouldn't even have lived to middle age had they been born back then. One friend would have died in childbirth, another of appendicitis, still another from skin cancer. My grandparents wouldn't have lasted as long as they have!

I put this to you, the reader…is history really all that romantic? Or are we darned lucky to live in the here an now with our treated water and air conditioning?

Oh, and if you wouldn't mind…Death's Angel at TEXTNOVEL could sure use your vote. ;)

Thanks textnovel divas and happy Halloween everyone!

Hot For The Teacher: The Dirty On Online Writing Classes

2009-10-24T14:59:00.000-04:00

You thought you finished school years ago? Or perhaps you can visualize some part of your life not tied to the computer? Hah! You are such a dreamer. Join me in welcoming our guest blogger for this weekend, Deborah Blake, as she helps guide us through the maze of online writing classes and workshops. Deborah is a non-fiction author of four books for Llewellyn Publishing and is currently working on a number of paranormal fiction novels, Her first foray into fiction, Witch Ever Way You Can, can be found on Textnovel, and is also part of the Next Best Celler Contest.

I’ve been thinking a lot about online classes lately, in part because I have spent the month of October teaching my first one, WITCHCRAFT FOR THE PARANORMAL AUTHOR. The class is going great: 40 participants, great folks taking part, and an enthusiastic and positive response from those who are taking it. They’ve already asked me to teach it again next year. Who could ask for more?

Which got me to thinking about what makes a good online class, and how to choose the one that’s right for you. I’ve taken a bunch of classes online over the last couple of years, and I got more out of some than others. What made the difference between a class that was right for me and one that wasn’t?

In some cases, it was the teacher. There are some folks who teach A LOT of classes. This doesn’t necessarily guarantee a good teacher, but it often helps. There are also particular sites (especially some of the RWA chapters and associations) that specialize in presenting great classes. The Low Country RWA (www.lowcountryrwa.com) is where I took my first bunch of classes (and where I’m teaching my current one) and they have a fabulous assortment at a really reasonable price: only $16 for a three-week class!

I found one of my favorite online teachers at lowcountry, and have since taken a bunch of classes with her (pretty much every time she offers one, I take it—she’s just that good). Lois Winston is both a writer (TALK GERTIE TO ME) and an agent. She and a friend have started a site specializing in classes for writers who are just starting out. I asked her to give me the lowdown on her new venture:
The url is www.beginningwriterworkshops.com

We offer 10 workshops a year, stressing the fundamentals and skills needed to succeed as a published author. Most of the courses are geared toward writing fiction, but we also offer one workshop in memoir writing and one in non-fiction writing. All workshops are given by me and author Dianne Drake. As you know, I'm an award-winning author, multi-published in novel length fiction and short fiction, as well as non-fiction, and am also an agent with the Ashley Grayson Literary Agency. Dianne is the award-winning author of 25 novels and 7 non-fiction books, as well as over 500 national magazine articles.

Another one of my favorite places to find classes is at Write_Workshop, which is the creation of author Candace Havens. The loop is at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Write_Workshop/

Candace gives classes herself, gets lots of her author friends to give classes, and also runs a yearly Fast Draft for those on the loop (kind of like NaNoWriMo, but with periodic boots to the butt applied lovingly by Candy). The best part of all? All the classes on the loop are FREE. That’s right, you heard me. Free. The only thing Candy asks is that you support those giving the classes by buying their books. [Candace has two series out, both paranormal romance, and I HIGHLY recommend them both.]

Other online teachers who come highly recommended by some of my current students include Terry Spear (especially her “Show vs. Tell” class), Connie Flynn (“Conflict”), Beth Cornelisan (“Secondary Characters: The Good, the Bad, and the Quirky”), Mary Buckham (“Sex Between the Sheets”) and Margie Lawson. And here is a link to a loop that lists lots of online classes and will send out notices to let you know when they are: http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/Announceon linewritingclass es/

When looking for an online class, you may want to consider a few of the following issues: what does it cost (they can range from free to very expensive) and how long does it run (some classes are one day, some are as long as a month—do you have the time to do a longer class justice, and do you need lots of time to get the assignments done?). And look for the classes that will give you help in the areas you need most. If you are already pretty good at developing characters, you might want a class on conflict development or pitching queries.

No matter what the topic is, or who is teaching it, you will only get out of an online class what you put into it. Since there are no grades, and no one looking over your shoulder, it is up to you to pick a class that will interest you enough to put in the necessary time and energy. But if you do, I guarantee that you will have fun, learn something, and –hopefully—come out of it a better writer. And those are pretty good reasons to take a class.

Dollars for Autism Scoreboard

2009-10-23T13:05:00.000-04:00

As of noon on this rainy (on the east coast) Friday, the Textnovel Divas' dollars for autism effort has netted the following results:

Muse struck - 20 votes
Surrender the Night - 11 votes
Confessions of the World's Oldest Shotgun Bride - 12 votes
Fae Nights - 14 votes
How to Lose a Demon in 10 Days - 11 vote

This means that we will donate $68 to Autism Speaks - a good number, but we want to see it go so much higher!

And there's more good news - Courtney Sheets (costumeharpy on Twitter) and Valorie Dorr have jumped on the bandwagon! So, if you don't like any of the Divas' stories (say it ain't so!), you can still support our cause by voting for Daughter of Fire, The Hooded Man, or Highland Magic.

The Divas raise our chocolate martini glasses to Courtney, Valorie, and everyone who's voted to help autism awareness.

Dollars to Votes

2009-10-21T16:56:00.001-04:00

Liane Gentry Skye, author of Muse Struck and Surrender The Night, two novels entered in the Next Best Celler contest given by Dorchester Publishing and Textnovel.com, will be matching the next 100 votes cast for her novels in addition to the next 100 votes for each of the Textnovel Divas given from today, October 21 through the end of the contest on October 31.

Autism Speaks, the charity donations will be made to, is a major mover in the Autism community. Their website states their goals:

We are dedicated to funding global biomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments, and cure for autism; to raising public awareness about autism and its effects on individuals, families, and society; and to bringing hope to all who deal with the hardships of this disorder. We are committed to raising the funds necessary to support these goals.

Autism Speaks aims to bring the autism community together as one strong voice to urge the government and private sector to listen to our concerns and take action to address this urgent global health crisis. It is our firm belief that, working together, we will find the missing pieces of the puzzle.

Autism Speaks. It's time to listen.

Liane, Saranna, Gail, Robin and Shannon will be there to help. So can you. Vote and subscribe now to further our cause. Please retweet often.

Wylde Wednesday Willickers

2009-10-21T16:44:00.000-04:00

Wednesday seems to sneek up on me every week. I get very excited for my post about Monday and then, suddenly, here I am and no blog. At least the stripper boot glasses are clean today. We're having mimosas.

Which brings me to the subject at hand. How do people write when they are under the influence? Isn't that like drunk dialing? So many of the great authors were lushes or they had their mouths glued to the hookah pipe. And no, that wasn't a ghetto derivative of hooker. If you don't know what it is, google it. I'll wait.

Okay, anyway. I do know so people who like to be in a different state of mind when they write and I don't understand it. It's the story that takes me to a different place, not the George Dickel, that evil bourbon.

Not to mention, I don't think that the great lushes were very good writers either. I will admit that some of those who were addicted to the Green Fairy (absinthe) wrote some fabulous pieces. Stoker was one who was rumored to be seeing green and so was Poe.

What about any of you? Do you enjoy a glass of wine when you write or maybe three? Or are any of those authors among your favorites?

We have a winner!

2009-10-21T08:19:00.000-04:00

The fabulous winner of a swag box of goodies is...

Jennifer Hart!

Jennifer, zoom your addy over to me at wrighting4fun at gmail.com. We'll take over from there.

Congrats and thanks for your support!

"It's a family show!" "How do think families are made?"

2009-10-20T08:18:00.000-04:00

The two quotes above are from one of my favorite Renaissance Faire skits from waaay back in the day. I believe they came either from the Trial and Dunke (<--yes, the e is intentional) or the Wench Auction at PARF. Doesn't really matter who said them (Jackie Cupshotten and Sheriff Marshall Law ;-) but the idea actually translates (at least in my mind) to right now.

I've mentioned before that writing often seems like a solitary endeavor. You probably come up with your initial concept alone. You probably write your outline (hiss! ;-) if you write such things, alone. And your rough draft? Probably also written alone. Some of us are lucky and brainstorm with our spouses and some of us subject them to reading what we've written (guilty ;-). When you get your copyedits you'll almost certainly do THAT alone (my DH wouldn't touch them with a ten-foot pole).

But, like many writers, you probably have a family, too. And here's the rub--you can't be entirely solitary with your career if you're part of a family show (or three-ring circus in my case ;-). You helped make the family, you have to be part of it, too. And let's face it--some of our best material comes from our family (shhh--don't tell the in-laws, right? ;-).

If you're like me you may have a workaholic streak. I was trained into it early on by being a competition shooter (those of you who've read 13 to Life'll start putting pieces together now, probably ;-). There's a near-obsession that's encouraged in certain levels of sport--an addictive quality. That can translate pretty easily into other addictions. Mine's writing (or art when I'm knee-deep in a project) and (if I don't watch) chocolate (the Devil's bean ;-).

When I'm deep in writing a novel, the house could fall down around my ears and I'd probably just mumble at the DH. It does not make me a good spouse or a good mother at those moments. Luckily, my spouse is awesome and takes up the slack (though he shouldn't have to *grumble*). And we're both new enough at this writing thing that we know we're still learning--still looking for the balance.

A writer I greatly admire recently mentioned the struggle she was facing with the obligations of her writing and keeping plugged in when it came to her children, too. Like me, she's a bit obsessive with the writing. And I know there are others of you who have had to recently talk with spouses and family about finding the balance, too.

The fact is, as solitary as writing seems, we're all part of our own family "shows"--the success and failure of which rests on our shoulders as well as those of the other family members. To keep the show running, we all must plug in and do our part. We must make sure our spouses, etc, know when the crazy times are approaching and talk about expectations and needs (everybody gets a say).

It's not always easy, and you may feel like you're having to be everything to everyone, but if you want a career in writing AND a strong and happy family, you have to find the balance. Talk about it. Writers are supposed to be decent communicators--so prove it by making time to communicate with the rest of your family and friends.

On with the show!
~Shannon

My Muse is out to Lunch

2009-10-19T11:05:00.000-04:00

It is ten o'clock.

No, later than that. This post should have been up hours ago. But my oldest son had an autism meltdown of epic proportions this weekend. As I write this, my beautiful boy is in lockdown and we're still numb from shock. So, in spite of the fact that it's Muse Monday here at Textnovel Divas, the words simply won't come. All I can think about is autism. That autism is winning. It has taken my son to a horrible place, and no matter how hard I kick, scream and yell for awareness, for research, autism is still legions ahead, and taking down children in rapidly increasing droves.

1 in 91 of them, in fact. And enough is enough.

It is enough, damn it, and no matter what happens with my son, I'm nowhere near done fighthing yet. One way or another, I aim to give a voice to those on the autism spectrum who cannot speak for themselves.

Which, ironically, is the very reason I decided to become an author in the first place. Somebody in this community needs to make some serious noise. While I understand the need for dignity, to hide, to lick our wounds, to regroup from the madness, pulling a Stallone or Travolta (God bless both of them for their and their children's struggles) by hiding my autistic children and their very real struggles does them no favors.

I'll worry about politically correct parenting later.

I'm not ashamed of autism. Never have been. I want my sons to be proud of who they are. But I realized early on in my writing career (if you could call it that) that writing nonfiction about autism was only serving to get my words read by those already interested in autism.

The ones who most needs to hear, read, and see accurate information about persons with autism are the ones who don't already live with it.

These are the people I want to reach, must reach.

Where better to reach them than through mainstream romance novels, which comprise 65%of book sales in our country? My textnovel, Muse Struck, has an autism related subplot that nearly derails the romance in the story. By exploring that plot, I gave the disorder that plagues my sons a face. A name. A story that will, if I have done my job right, turn hearts and minds that may not have been turned otherwise.

When all is said and done in my journey with my sons, I need to know I've done all I can possibly can to insure sure that when I am gone, they will walk into a world prepared to receive them with dignity and respect.

Until our actors, our writers, or politicians and our community leaders who love people with autism are willing to stand up and allow their loved ones to be counted, we have failed.

Failure is not an option.

So while I may be down, I'm a far cry from down for the count.

So off I go to tend to my boy. Perhaps when he is home I'll be able to pick up my pen and spill some more ink for the cause.

The rest is, as they say, in God's hands.

There's no place else in the universe where I'd rather leave my sons.

Gearing Up for November 1

2009-10-16T12:43:00.000-04:00

November 1 is only 15 days away, and I’m totally stoked!

Why, you may ask, is that day so special? Because it’s the last day of the Dorchester Publishing/Textnovel.com Next Best Celler contest, and the Divas can finally stop whoring for votes?

Well, that too… but even better, it’s the start of National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo, as it's fondly called. This annual ritual brings writers around the globe come together, figuratively and often literally, to write 50,000 words novels in 30 days. That’s an average of 1,666 words a day – no sweat for experienced fast drafters, but a seeming windmill tilt for tortoises like yours truly.

Already the countdown to the madness has started. Already writers are signing up at the event’s official website, http://www.nanowrimo.org/, which went live on October 1. Already the Northern Virginia Municipal Liaisons, or MLs, have held two plotting get-togethers. Already the D.C. MLs have asked people to RSVP for the kick-off party.

Once the whistle blows, participants will start meeting for write-ins, like the ones my friend BeaJay hosts on Saturday mornings in the food court at a local mall. Participants will challenge each other to word sprints on website’s forums. Whole regions will challenge each other. Two years ago, D.C. challenged Ottawa to a capitol-to-capitol throwdown. When our friends up North kicked themselves some Yankee butt, beating us not only in average words but in total word count, we had to make a video of our group singing “Oh, Canada” – in English and French!

This will be my third try at NaNoWriMo. While I have yet to achieve the 50,000 words needed to declare myself a “winner,” each time I wrote significantly more words than my normal pace, and I had a lot of fun. But this year, I’m determined to win, with the help of my not-so-secret weapon – Dr. Wicked’s fiendish “Write or Die” program, http://lab.drwicked.com/writeordie.html. I figure if the Red Sox can finally win the World Series, I can finally win NaNoWriMo. Watch my dust!

DIVA-PALOOZA Prize Winner #5

2009-10-16T08:39:00.000-04:00

And the winner is...
Well, it could have been you. You've read our stories. You've voted and subscribed and maybe even commented. We want to give you stuff. We want to thank you for our support, but we have no idea who you are.

We need you to give us a heads up that you would like us to throw goodies at you. Kind of like the kids on the side of the path at a parade. Step up! Leave us a message on the Official Contest Blog with your Textnovel username. It's the only way we know to give you the good stuff.

If you did sign on the blog, we might not have been able to put you in the hat because you didn't actually vote and subscribe to all of us. We really want to add you to the lineup, but we have to be fair to those who have followed the contest rules to the letter.

We've given away some fab prizes so far, including a gift box of white Godiva chocolates, 2 full manuscript critiques, and books. We really want to give you something too. So go on, click on contests and leave us a blog message. There are also quick links so that you can get to each of our stories.

The grand prize of a Kindle or Amazon gift certificates of equal value (golly, that's a lot of books) is still up for October 31. So far, odds are good that you could be a winner. Who doesn't want to be a winner?

Getting In The Mood: Music As Inspiration

2009-10-15T14:59:00.000-04:00

I do not write in silence. As the mum of two fantastic toddlers only 16 months apart, I fear I no longer have that luxury, anyway. That's okay. It isn't like I did that to begin with. I have always had music blaring while I wrote. Now, with my ear buds in, it's almost louder than my 1 1/2 year old.

Way back when, however, the pulsing beat of Nine Inch Nails matched the pounding of my fingers flying over the keyboard; the pen on notebook paper has always danced to Van Morrison's Moondance. (That particular song is always used for romantic scenes. There is something in the way he rolls his tongue at the end. Shiver.) Techno, New Age, Jazz. Even Billy Idol. Rebel Yell brings to mind an illicit romance, where the guy comes to the window to try and convince the girl that he isn't bad boy all the way through. Kinda Romeo and Juliet. Except they are wearing leather. And there is pounding on the floor.

I've a CD collection that spans centuries. 18th century sea chants. Medieval/ Renaissance lute music. Lots of movie soundtracks. The Carl Orff extravaganza of O Fortuna that is featured on Excalibur, for instance, is perfect for a sword fight.

Who tickles your writer's fancy? Who do you turn to when scenes need that extra umph? Here is my playlist, sans Van Morrison. His tongue rolling inspiration needs to be purchased.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

2009-10-14T23:10:00.000-04:00

*drum roll please*

And now, to announce the winner of a full critique by yours truly.

Are the drums still rolling? They'd better be. Okay, I want a horn in there too.

Now, down to it.

DEBORAH BLAKE! ::throws confetti::

Way to go! Email me at blackenedquill (at) aol (dot) com to claim your prize.

DIVA-PALOOZA Prize Winner #3

2009-10-14T08:47:00.000-04:00

The winner of a basket of fine chocolates is--Damiana! Congratulations and enjoy! Now, just contact me with your mailing address and it will be shipped right over to you. Mmmmm, sometimes, I wish I were eligible for these contests.

How did Damiana win this great prize? She voted, subscribed and commented on our contest blog page. She also commented on our stories on Textnovel, and followed us there as well. This gave her a number of extra entries. It was that easy. Her favorite author of us all? Why, Gail Hart of course! Who couldn't love a novel that features Chocolate Martinis. For everyone's enjoyment, and for the love of chocolate, here is the recipe for a glass:

Godiva Chocolate Martini recipe

serve in Cocktail Glass
alcohol 13%
1 serving

1 1/2 shots Godiva® chocolate liqueur
1 1/2 shots creme de cacao
1/2 shot vodka
2 1/2 shots half-and-half

Mix all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake and pour into a chilled cocktail glass.

Pimpin' Ain't Easy on Wylde Wednesday

2009-10-14T08:18:00.000-04:00

That's no lie! My feet hurt from these heels, this micro-mini is six inches past too tight and I got a splinter from my pimp cane. I feel like everyone is looking at me rolling through the Textnovel hood with my Dickel Bourboun and Divajuice in my pink Cadillac. That could be because there's a big, fat Divapalooza banner hanging off of the side. Maybe. Or it could be because I keep shouting really loud to "look at me". That does tend to make people look. I like to stop and talk to a few people, I want to get to know them. That's my favorite part of dancing in this parade.

Here's the part that I don't like. I feel like I'm asking people to like me by asking them to read my story. How gross is that? It makes me feel like the floor of a NYC taxi cab that hasn't been detailed since 1989. Yeah, it's not a nice feeling. Especially since I am the original rebel who doesn't care if anyone likes her and sneers at those who do. That creepy girl in high school who sat with her journal writing tragic poetry and stories where everyone dies...or that girl who sat under the bleachers with her boyfriend's black leather jacket smoking Marlboro Reds in the box at the football games...or that other girl that would just as soon use your hair to introduce your face to your locker as look at you... those were all me. Now, here I am dressed up in my cheer gear and feeling a little anxious. Hand me that bucket?

It's an odd mix, because I'm not shy. I make friends easily, surprisingly enough. I communicate well with people of any education level or background which I think comes from my time as a corrections officer and as an airline supervisor. (Between the two I liked the prison better. You can walk away from inmates if they piss you off.)

The point? Self-pimping is hard. I try to do it whenever the opportunity presents itself, but I don't want to be that friend who only talks about herself, or every single tweet has to do with what I'm pimping. People will start tuning it out if I do, like a commercial. I know I would.

So you guys, how do you find that line between enough promotion and being a pain in the butt?

Discuss.

Motivation--Why We Do What We Do

2009-10-13T08:25:00.000-04:00

I saw an agent recently comment that the main trouble writers have with their books is character motivation. What makes people and your characters do what they do?

Here are a few quick tips to make it (hopefully) easier for you to deal with correct character motivation:

1.) Know what your character's deepest desire is. What does s/he desperately want to the point it's a need.
2.) Know what your character is willing to do to get that deepest desire. Will s/he lie, cheat, steal, kill--or what might s/he sacrifice to get closer to achieving that deepest desire?
3.) What character flaw will become noticeable (or troublesome) during your character's journey towards getting that goal? Will the flaw grow, be conquered or in a strange way help your character reach the goal?
4.) How will your character (keeping their deepest desire in sight) deal with conflicts along the way toward potentially achieving the goal? Will there be a conflict so dramatic your character temporarily loses sight of his/her deepest desire?
5.) When (and if) your character achieves their deepest desire will that be enough to satisfy them or will they ruin it because they themselves incorrectly identified their deepest desire?

Hopefully those help you get your mind wrapped around your characters' motivations. Now (for kicks) compare your character to yourself--what's your deepest desire and what are you willing to do to get there? (<--minus the references to lying, cheating, stealing and murder--we do write fiction! ;-) Transfer that info into goal-setting and go, go, go!

~Shannon

DIVA-PALOOZA prize winner #2

2009-10-13T05:34:00.000-04:00

Drum roll please! :)

Today's DIVA-PALOOZA prise winner is BELLA S. Bella wins a copy of my steamy anthology, SECRETS, Vol. 27, UNTAMED PLEASURES

Bella, drop me a line with your snail mail addie @ starmuser AT aol.com and I'll get your prize off in the mail to you. Thanks so much for your support of the Divas work at Textnovel! :)

MUSE MONDAY: What the Puck?

2009-10-12T06:38:00.001-04:00

How often are we told to write what we love as authors? But sometimes, I wonder if we wouldn't be better off writing what we love. When I first read textnovel author Christy Finn's work at textnovel, I was smitten by her voice and her knowledge of hockey. As I got to know Christy, it turned out that hockey was one of the driving passions in her life. No wonder her story sings! :)

Today, I'm passing the podium over to today's honorary textnovel diva, Christy Finn:

My first love was the game of hockey; my second was the men who played it. I was just thirteen – the age when most girls turned boy crazy and talked nonstop about one subject. For many, this meant clippings of boys from “teeny-bopper” magazines were taped to the inside of lockers, VCR’s were set to record when whenever a boy band was scheduled to appear on LIVE! With Regis and Kathie Lee, and teens begged their parents to buy their latest memorabilia. It was kind of like the Twilight craze, but before glittery vampires trumped boy bands.

Instead of wallpapering my room with Bop posters, I had full-length posters of Team Canada and of individual hockey players. I kept newspaper clippings of every Mighty Ducks’ game from the 1996-1997 season in a makeshift scrapbook (that I still have). That year, I collected hockey trading cards and meticulously wrote down the names, positions and jersey numbers of each Mighty Duck. I also checked out library books on the rules of the game and read them cover to cover.

Yes, I was obsessed with the game.

Then, a few years passed, and I discovered the guys weren’t too bad looking either. In fact, most of them are kind of hot (so long as they remembered to put their teeth in, you know). A crooked nose added character to a face. Behind every scar, there was a story to be told. Every tooth lost during a fight on the ice signified sacrifice. And underneath every hockey player’s tough exterior, there was a man rippling with power and grit and sex appeal.

Not unlike the heroes in the romance novels I aspired to write!

Then it seemed only natural for me to combine my love of hockey with my interest in writing romance. The traits players exude on the ice – dedication, hard work, and loyalty to their team – are all admirable traits that also belong to many romance heroes. Why, then, shouldn’t hockey players make excellent romantic heroes?

My Dorchester/Textnovel contest entry, Tossing the Gloves: How To Love a Hockey Player, gave me the opportunity to do just that – feature a hunky hockey playing hero and explore crossing a chick lit voice with a traditional romance plot. Nathan Deschanel is a beta hero with alpha tendencies on the ice while Sarah Kent is a made-over geek attempting to successfully navigate the mysterious course of true love according to guidelines she’s made up. Before she knows it, she’s in over her head and hopelessly in love with a man who doesn’t play by her rules.

And, hey, if I was being completely honest, I’d tell you that writing about a hockey hero gives me (and anyone else interested) the chance to fantasize about what it might be like to be to date a professional athlete!

Definitely fun.

Be sure to check out Christy's novel, Tossing the Gloves, here (you'll have to register to read it!)

Guest Blog: Pagan Love Song, or Why I Write Hawaiian Romance, by Courtney Sheets

2009-10-11T04:09:00.000-04:00

Today the Divas are psyched to welcome a guest blogger, the fabulous Courtney Sheets. Courtney has been writing since she was old enough to scribble bad poetry to her mom in the kitchen. When she was 12 she discovered her first romance novel, read in stolen moments in the bathroom when her mom wasn't looking. After that everything went downhill. Now she writes her own dirty romances and loves every minute! Currently she writes Hawaiian paranormals for Ravenous Romance (http://www.ravenousromance.com/) and her Dorchester Contest entry Daughter of Fire is an Editor’s Pick at Textnovel.com.

Aloha. I love cheesy beach movies. Don’t act coy. You know which ones I mean, something from the late fifties or early sixties, featuring the curvaceous Annette Funicello and the manly Frankie Avalon in the throes of teenage hormones. Or Sandra Dee in some of the most hideous bathing suits I have ever seen shooting the curl with Moon Doggie and the Big Kahuna. How about the ones with Elvis and his white swimsuit strumming a ukulele? Or even better, what about the million dollar mermaid Esther Williams and the handsome Howard Keel reveling in the Tahitian sun?

They all undoubtedly had the word beach somewhere in the title. Bikini Beach, Beach Party, Muscle Beach Party-- you see where I’m going with this. Frankie and Annette even teamed up in the early ‘90s to film Back to the Beach. In this campy cinematic gem, the happy-go-lucky surf couple has been married for years and lives in Ohio. A debacle involving their daughter strands them back at Santa Monica Beach. There Frankie must face his fear of surfing and ride the Cowabunga from Down Under. Seriously, I couldn’t get better summer flavor cheese if I wrote it myself. My cousins and I would play the day away outside during summers at Grandma’s house but when it got dark, we hung out with Frankie, Annette, Bonehead, and Gidget.

Is it any wonder I write beach romances setting in Hawaii? The mystique of Polynesia and the hunky surf god has always been an attractor for me and my fevered imaginings. There is something so incredibly appealing about an exotic hero and I think a Polynesian warrior is as exotic as they get. A line I love from a cheesy ‘80’s film sums it up best for me. “If there is one thing women love more than muscles, it’s brown muscles.” Give me a tall tanned delicious hero and I am set every time.

In my first novel, Kona Warrior, my hapless heroine Gloria is confronted with the most delicious Hawaiian hunk when Mano steps from the ocean into her arms. She doesn’t even mind he occasionally turns into a shark. As a paranormal romance novelist I get to cruise around in the rich textured world of Hawaiian lore and write about sexy beach boys and girls. In my current Hawaiian paranormal for Textnovel, Daughter of Fire, all American Jack O’Connor is discovering the mystique of a true island girl with a fiery lineage. Kalama Young is not your usual bikini clad goddess. She also happens to be the daughter of a goddess, Pele. Jack’s in trouble, but the good kind.

Whenever I pop one of these bad boys in the DVD player now, oh yeah I have them all, I am instantly transported to the sun drenched shores of Southern California or the South Pacific. The air seems a little fresher and has the hint of salty goodness. The sounds of waves resonate deep in the recesses of my sub-conscience and the world seems less scary. Men and women fell in love and stayed in love. Summer lasted forever. So when it gets cold this winter and the winds rage outside, take a staycation with a tropical setting in a book or a jaunt with Gidget and Moon Doggie. It will instantly become summer. And to think, we owe it all to Annette Funicello teaching us How to Stuff a Wild Bikini.

Mahalo nui loa to the amazing Textnovel Divas for having me here and a hui hou.

Diva-palooza Prize #1

2009-10-10T12:31:00.000-04:00

Congratulations Finny - you're the first winner in the Diva-palooza contest! You've won a critique of a full novel up to 100,000 words long by Diva Saranna DeWylde.

For those of you who didn't win, there's no need to cry in your chocolate martinis. We still have over a dozen prizes left, including the grand prize - a Kindle e-reader! So vote for and subscribe to each of our stories and submit your comments at www.textnovel.com. The more comments you leave, the more chances you have to win!

Cutting the Inner Critic Down to Size

2009-10-09T14:23:00.000-04:00

It happens to a lot of writers. We sit down to write with the best of intentions. Then about two sentences into our story, the inner critic pops into our brain. He announces, “That sucks canal water backwards.”

We try to ignore him, and we get about another sentence done before he chimes in with, “You’re using the wrong tense, and that comma’s in the wrong place.”

We struggle on, but a paragraph later he’s back, telling us, “You just used a cliché. No one’s ever going to buy this crap.”

At this point, even if we’re still trying to put up a fight, we may find that our muse has packed her bags and gone off to find a safe place to hide.

What’s a writer to do?

One option that’s worked for me is using creative visualization exercises. Here are a couple I like:

Exercise 1:

Picture your critic. Mine looks like Snidely Whiplash, the mustache-twirling villain from the Dudley Do-Right cartoons (therefore, I use male pronouns).

Shrink him down to a teeny-tiny size, as small as the importance he deserves in your life while you’re trying to create.

Stick him in a see-through but soundproof container. I like a nice orange plexiglass cube.

Watch him jump up and down with frustration because he knows YOU CAN’T HEAR HIM!

Pick up the container and stick it out of sight, in a room other that the one where you’re writing – I’m partial to a shelf in the hall closet. You can go back and get him when you need him, during revisions.

Exercise 2:

Figure out where in your body the critic is hiding in. You’ll know because that’s where you feel the tension.

Rip him right out of that body part. See the hole immediately close, and feel no pain.

Drop the critic on the floor or other flat surface.

Levitate an unabridged dictionary from the bookcase until it’s hovering directly over his head.

Drop the dictionary on top of him.

Many thanks to former ghost writer for Kermit the Frog and current sherpa life coach Regina Verow (www.reginaverow.com), who taught me these exercises for taming the inner critic. As is the Friday afternoon custom here in Diva land, I raise my chocolate martini glass to you!

Dreaming & Plotting

2009-10-08T12:27:00.000-04:00

My muse seems to only speak to me when I am sleeping. Or washing my hair. I don't know what I did to piss him off, but he definitely only wants to talk to me when I don't have a pen and paper handy.

Anyone else have this problem?

I'm lucky, though, when it comes to my dreams. I dream in color. My dreams tend to follow a story line, as if I'm watching a movie. I can influence my dreams, and I even dream about reading. I pick up a book, open the pages, and read. Boring, I know, but that was the rough beginning of FAE NIGHTS. HUNTER'S MOON also began as a dream, influenced by talking werewolves with 13 TO LIFE author Shannon.

I don't write down my dreams for two reasond.

1: I cherish my sleep far too much and
2: My handwriting is horrible enough when I am awake. I can't read it at all if I write at 3 am in the dark.

What's a girl to do?

Well, I can actually step out of my dream and replay parts I want to remember over and over. I scan in on details, I ask my dream characters questions. I become a dream reporter, and in the morning, I write down everything I can remember, double-spaced in a notebook. I double space so that if I remember something else later, I can write it in.

In HUNTER'S MOON, I spent a lot of time with my werewolf hero, Lucan. During the dream, which was freaking scary, I paused and took a look around, then asked Lucan why he was there, what was happening, what does he remember. Acknowledging that it was a dream had to be done first, then I could work on putting everything to memory.

I have been known to wake up and repeat a line out loud that I really liked. My husband no longer looks at me strangely when I talking to myself; he figures I am just writing a scene. It often happens when I am in the shower as well. Scrubbing my head seems to encourage the voices of my characters to come forth. I write my scene out loud, then put it on paper the moment I can.

I do often write on the computer, but the best scenes seem to come to me when I am away from the technological beast. I have heard somewhere that writing on the computer uses a different part of your brain than writing on paper. If you are stuck on a scene, shut off the laptop and get out your notebook, or vice versa. You'll be surprised what may come out.

So, that is my strange way of coming up with plots and scenes. What do you do?

Performance Anxiety?

2009-10-07T09:37:00.001-04:00

It's that time again to hang out with the resident Diva badgirl on Wylde Wednesday. I forgot to run the dishwasher this week, so the stripper boot glasses are still dirty. We're stuck with plastic cups that will, of course, hit the recycle bin. I did manage to dig up some penis straws so we can all feel a little naughty, or if you're feeling frustrated, you can chew on them. Have a decadent Godiva-tini and pull up a chair. Are you ready to dish?

Okay, so you've written this novel that is the best thing since Gone With The Wind. It's witty, charming, a touch of angst to tug on the heart, but nothing that makes you want to carve on your wrist with a spork while rocking back and forth in the corner listening to Nightwish. (Wow, I love that Nemo song.)We can't forget the Happily Ever After whose timing was so perfect and we believe that it's a real place and dreams come true and we're clapping because we *do* believe in fairies and... You get my drift. It's the best thing that you've ever written or dreamed of writing. It is the juggernut bastard that ate your brain and told your kids to chew their milk if it was chunky because you couldn't go to the store you...HAD TO WRITE.

That's all over now and you feel like a used condom. Not pretty imagery, but sweetie, you probably look like one too. All used up and hung over, a vessel for these characters to express themselves.

After you take a shower and figure out why the kitchen smells like two small animals died in the sink and find your children gnawing on something that may have once been chips and get them settled in, the invariable question horns its way in to your awareness like a broken underwire in a new bra.

What now?

Aside from after you treat the hangover and spend some much needed time with family, friends, and realize that your friends have their own names and not the ones that you gave the characters.

Again, what now?

Should be an easy question, but it's not. You feel like you're giving a speech naked. You've stripped yourself bare with similes and hyperbole, poured your soul into this work and you wonder, what if that's all I've got?

It's not, but it feels like it is. You remember those moments of sheer brilliance where the words were flowing from your fingertips and you were in the zone, the characters were performing a play, you were just watching and recording. It was a beautiful synergy to be so connected and disconnected from everything at the same time. It was nirvana. If you find that place again, will it be the same? No, but it can be just as good.

Each character pairing, each plot, each piece gives off its own high. That's part of the charm, part of the excitement and part of the paralyzing fear. You think you've hit a stride, but this new one doesn't feel the same. Is it as good?

Since I've finished How To Lose A Demon in 10 Days, I've learned that you can't think about all that. You just have to let the story take you like you did before. You can't worry about trying to force it into specific parameters. You have to write the story that is there and accept that it may not be as good as the one before it. Or it may be better.

Each book is like a birth, so each one is like a child. You love each and every one for their differences and every cute little individual thing that they do that is wholly theirs.

So, this still begs that question, what do we do? We write. We write until the words stop coming or our fingers fall off. We keep producing the stories that live inside of us because we have to. Don't put up a filter between you and your muse, you trusted her with your firstborn, why stop now?

It's Diva-palooza!

2009-10-06T22:26:00.000-04:00

We promised you contests, but I would bet you didn't think we'd go all crazy on you.

Well, we really wanted to thank out fantastic fans who have encouraged us and kept up going on Textnovel. You are great, and to show our appreciation, we are giving away some fantastic Diva Prizes to our most ardent fans.

What you can look forward to:
Free critiques of your novel or short story; signed copies of Secrets: Untamed Pleasures, featuring Liane Gentry Skye's novella, Hearts Storm; A custom short fiction piece by Saranna DeWylde, who writes awesome erotica (Hint hint.) (Is it getting hot in here?); Chocolate & Romantic gift baskets, e-copies of Liane's books that have been published through eredsage.com, and a Diva swag bags, featuring all sorts of goodies from mugs to maybe a t-shirt or two.

Grand Prize is a KINDLE!

C'mon, you know you want one.

We have a prize for every weekday starting this Friday running through October 30, when we give away the grand prize. The grand Prize will be selected from everyone who has entered. Here's what you need to do.

If you haven't already, head over to www.textnovel.com and sign up. Once that is done, we ask that you click on the novel(s) you haven't read yet, read, vote and subscribe to it (them). You must do this for each of the Divas.

Each comment will qualify for an extra entry.
If you follow us on Textnovel, each Diva you follow puts another entry under your belt.

Muse Struck--Liane Gentry Skye
Confessions Of The World's Oldest Shotgun Bride--Gail Hart
Fae Nights--Robin Wright (writing as Jhaea)
How To Lose A demon In Ten Days--Saranna DeWylde

To be qualified for Diva-palooza, you have to show each of us gals some love. Why? Because we are Divas. We stick together. Once you've voted, subscribed, and commented on our Textnovel babies, drop us a comment here on the blog with your Textnovel name so we can match you up and put your name into the hat. We will announce a winner every weekday here on Textnovel Divas.

If the Diva Prize is something you wouldn't use, we'll give you another choice to replace it.

That's it. So, go on, discover the Divas of Textnovel. Happy reading!

For prize specifics, click here.

Check out the calender at the bottom of this blog to see what prizes are being offered!

MUSE MONDAY, What Women Want(ed)

2009-10-05T10:05:00.000-04:00

I'd never advise an author to write to trend unless that trend lends well to her personal skills and talents. With that said, I think all of us are wondering how these harsh economic times are going to change the books that readers are willing to buy. It is here that I must confess. I'm a history geek.

I firmly believe that in order for a culture to know where it's going, it need only look into its past. So natch, being a writer who wants to sell more books, I'm reading a lot about the period that most reflects the world climate du jour--the Great Depression.

Specifically, I'm interested in what women writers were creating during the same era that brought us such greats as Steinbeck, and Hemingway. The saddest part of my search is that much of that literature created by female authors was wiped into obscurity by the McCarthy era.

Many of the themes of the day deal dealt with women redefining the role of femininity, marriage and motherhood, much like the women's fiction of modern times. For this reason, I tend to to believe women's fiction is a genre that promises to take off in a big way. But in the process of wanting to know what my foremothers were writing during hard economic times, I found a bonus. I discovered a "new" gotta have every word she ever wrote author and I want to share an excerpt from her work because it taught me that the mood of women during any given period in history cannot be accurately reflected in literature penned by men.

Meet Meridel Le Sueur. (1900-1996). A prolific author, Meridel's body of work spanned genres. She delved into poetry, novels, and short stories. Many of Maridel's stories were set during the Depression era, and she viewed men as the primary victims of the Depression. Meridel's work, imo, suggests that motherhood and the work of raising those who might change the world is eternal, and independent from the activities of men. A recurring theme in her work connected motherhood and revolution. The excerpt below particulary captured my interest:

"The pears are all gone from the tree, but I imagine them hanging there, ripe curves within the many scimitar leaves, and within them the many pears of the coming seasons. I feel like a pear. I hang secret within the curling leaves just like the pear would be hanging on its tree.

It seems possible to me that perhaps all people at sometime feel this, round and full. You can tell by looking at most people that the world remains a stone to them and a closed door. I'm afraid that it will become like that to me again. Perhaps after this child is born, then everything will harden and become small ad mean again as it was before. Perhaps I would have a hard time even remembering this time at all and it wouldn't seem wonderful. That is why I would like to write it down.

How can it be explained? Suddenly many movements are going on within me, many things are happening. There is an almost unbearable sense of sprouting, of bursting encasements,of moving kernels, expanding flesh.Perhaps it is such an activity that makes a field come alive with millions of sprouting shoots of corn or wheat. Perhaps it is something like that that makes a new world. (Anunciation)

Maridel grasped in her writing the revolutionary contribution of women to world change. As with times in Maridel's era, our world is changing. The literature of the women of our era will no doubt be colored by the mood of the day. Whether the changes in what women write and readers read takes the form of sweeping escapism or a return to home and hearth remains to be seen.

End of geek fest. :)

Some things never change

2009-10-02T15:25:00.000-04:00

At the beginning of 2009, when I was setting my writing goals for the year, I came across what I thought was a brilliant list of rules for succeeding at the business of writing:

1. You must write.
2. You must finish what you write.
3. You must refrain from rewriting, except to editorial order.
4. You must put the work on the market.
5. You must keep the work on the market until it is sold.

As usual, I’m way behind the times – because these rules were written in 1947! They appeared in the essay “On the Writing of Speculative Fiction” by science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein. I was blown away to find that rules written over 60 years ago could still be so applicable today! Unfortunately, I’ve been guilty of breaking all of them. But I’m trying to do better. I have a copy of the rules posted on the bulletin board in my study, next to my computer.

Heinlein (1907-1988) was the author of works such as “Starship Troopers” and “Stranger in a Strange Land.” I think he was also a Textnovel Diva at heart, judging by the many colorful and deliciously snarky quotes attributed to him. Here are a few of my faves:

“Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but do it in private and wash your hands afterwards.”

“Money is a powerful aphrodisiac. But flowers work almost as well.”

“The supreme irony of life is that hardly anyone gets out of it alive.”

So, I raise my chocolate martini glass to you, Mr. Heinlein!

... And sadly, some things do

2009-10-02T15:19:00.000-04:00

And while you're at it, barkeep, bring me another one so I can drink a toast to legendary romance editor Kate Duffy, who lost her battle with cancer this week. Though I met her a couple of times at the Washington Romance Writers annual retreat, I can’t say I knew her personally. So I’ll refer you to a moving tribute by someone who did, my friend and former critique partner Robin Kaye:

http://casablancaauthors.blogspot.com/

Here’s to you, Kate!

A Ménage à trois: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, and me.

2009-10-01T09:39:00.000-04:00

I remember my first Urban Fantasy. The year was about 1987 or so. I had gone to the high school library because I had read all of the Betty Wren Wright novels and I was bored with the “baby” books in the elementary school. I scanned the stacks and found a title that seemed haunting. Forbidden. Dangerous. The Darkangel by Meredith Anne Pierce.

Hey, I was 9.

Anyway, I fell in love with it. It has the fantasy styling of medieval times in the future, with a slave girl taking care of her mistress, but the moon has been terraformed and the atmosphere is sustained by magic and machines.

Most wouldn't call it an Urban Fantasy, but the novel was much more than just a fantasy. It has romance. It has adventure. It is a genre slasher, definitely. Like most of the Urban Fantasies we read today.

And that leads me to the Great Debate.

Are Urban Fantasies part of Romance or Fantasy genres? Or are they Mystery or Paranormal?

The answer is all of the above.

In fact, this video from You Tube shows us a few things we can count on when searching the library or bookstore for our beloved Urban Fantasy. A bare back, tattoo, moon and weapon.

OK, I know, not all of these in the slideshow are UF, but enough that yeah, it seems familiar.

When writing Fae Nights, I wasn't sure if it was an Urban Fantasy or a Paranormal Romance. Other, more fabulous writers such as Karen Marie Moning and Sherrilyn Kenyon, have also faced this dilemma. What genre are you writing when it is too new to really have a definition? Well, here is my theory.

Urban Fantasy: Lots of world building and character driven. See books by Patricia Briggs, Kim Harrison.

Paranormal Romance: Two essential main characters driven by lust and love. See books by Kresley Cole, Gena Showalter.

Well then, I am Paranormal Romance.
Karen Marie Moning's Fever series is Urban Fantasy
Sherrilyn Kenyon is Paranormal Romance (She has stated this as well in a recent interview).

A definite Genre bender is the True Blood series of books By Charlaine Harris. I'm not going to give it away if you haven't read them yet, but let's just say that it may seem to be Paranormal Romance, but based on my criteria, by book three it is very Urban Fantasy.

Or should I say the newest genre to hit the market, Southern Urban Fantasy.

I love having so many bedfellows to choose from!

OPP-Yeah you know Me or Other People's Paranormal uh...

2009-09-30T13:26:00.000-04:00

It's already Wylde Wednesday again! Where did the week go? Time is flying by this month, but I'm ready for October. You know what's in October? Besides my ten year wedding anniversary? And besides the Friday the 13th that will live on forever in the annals (Since it's my naughty blog day, I was tempted to say "anals" of history, because I mean, they were drilled in the butt with the bad luck bit.) of history as bad luck? (You know, the one where the Templars were all named as heretics and murdred because the King wanted their power, he already had the Pope.)Those are actually on the same day, my deliciously Viking spouse creature has a thing for Templar lore.

The best paranormal releases are usually in October in preparation for Halloween, or as other prefer to call it, The Turn of the Wheel. My own novella, The Binding had a Halloween release date. All very ecxciting stuff. So this brings us to my topic for today, non-human sex.

My adoring spouse creature mentioned to me that he didn't see how vampire/human sex was something to aspire to. He said that number one, their man-swords wouldn't work because they reproduce through their bite and nature is all about utility. To which of course I answered him that vampires weren't naural, they were SUPERnatural. Hence is logic was null. He countered with the necrophelia argument. I still haven't come up with a good answer to that. When I think about it that way, it kind squicks me, Miss Unsquickable. Of course, he hasn't managed to sour me on vampage, just for screwing with my Chi he was forced to sit through the entire series of Dark Shadows Resurrection. He was lucky it wasn't Kindred: The Embraced where I drool buckets over Julian Luna. (RIP)

What makes paranormal sex squickable? I've read a host of bodice rippers (I use this term lovingly.)where the innocent virgin was offered to the beast and he tagged the hell out of it while he was in werewolf form. Sure, it was for curse breaking, but she liked it. Is that bestiality? I didn't think so, because it was all allegory for a man fighting the worst in himself to win his true love, and all about her overcoming her fear and trusting for the same. But in the harsh, neon lights of my husband's oh-so logical analysis (Hehee. I said "anal" again.) I can see the paradigm shift to squick.

What do you guys think?

Does Size Really Matter? Chapter Length in Novels (Cell Phone & Otherwise)

2009-09-29T07:33:00.000-04:00

Okay, my copyedits are in front of me (arrived yesterday and are due back on 10/9). Between now and then I have several blog-related interviews and guest posts to do (I'll be over at author Jeri Smith-Ready's blog on Friday--you're all invited). But I'm good. Yep. *twitch* ;-)

The fact my copyedits just got here made me return to a question I had about chapter length in novels.

Because 13 TO LIFE began as a serial cell phone novel it was important to keep chapters brief and consumable. If you go and check it out (it's still posted on Textnovel.com) you'll see most "chapters" would (at most) amount to a single page of text in a standard novel.

When I was getting ready to send my more traditionally designed full manuscript back to my editor at St. Martin's Press, I wound up on the phone with him discussing chapter length. 13 TO LIFE is a YA paranormal romance. And...

According to studies, our youth have a tremendously short attention span (one reason teachers are pushed to design multiple 15 minute sub-lesson plans in a standard classroom period).
Most tv segments are between 10-15 minutes before a commercial break. In my opinion, they have an advantage over books as a story-telling venue.
In a classroom a teacher can get your attention personally and there's always the threat of disciplinary action if you are unresponsive.
On tv, it's action, action, action, or comedy or high drama--whatever it takes to hold you on the couch.

What about books? How do I, as an author, encourage readers to keep going? The obvious is: WRITE A GOOD STORY WITH COMPELLING CHARACTERS.

The less obvious? Understand your target audience's attention span and deal with it. My editor (whom I love ;-) said he thought my chapter breaks were fine. I asked if he minded if I shortened them. He (being quite agreeable and willing to consider options) said I could. I revisited my Textnovel version and tweaked my full accordingly. After he got the manuscript back he responded that he liked the changes I'd made.

Between the phone call discussing chapter length and the results I returned, I looked around online and considered other books I'd read. Which had flown? I immediately recalled one novel by Eloisa James (I know, I know, people have strong feelings about her--I'm on the fan side, so cope) in which she had each chapter be between 9-12 pages. I sailed through that novel and (although I noticed the size) I loved it because I sailed through it.

Here's a link to something Orson Scott Card (yes, controversial, too--again, I'm a fan of his writing) says about chapter length: essentially there are no rules and he uses shorter chapters at the beginning to build pace and lengthens part way through with the assumption the reader's invested by then.

I just finished reading SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater. It was very engaging, used the traditional romance ploy of switching POVs between the two YA love interests and had MANY chapters that are merely a single page (or a paragraph or three). If life didn't get in the way of reading I probably would have chewed through that novel in a day or two.

So, even if the size of the chapters doesn't necessarily mean a great deal, the long and the short of this post should be that you as the author must consider your target audience, their needs, desires and distractions. Yes, creative writing is an art. But there's a bunch of more scientific stuff that we should consider, too. ;-)

~Shannon Reinbold-Gee
Author of the 13 TO LIFE series (coming in June 2010 with St. Martin's Griffin)

Muse Monday: It's in their jeans--er--genes.

2009-09-28T09:50:00.000-04:00

Busting free of stereotypes. ::insert frustrated sigh::

It's easier said than done, particularly when writing fiction. And what better to start Muse Monday with a couple of visuals regarding the same?

Are all women like this?

And all men like this?

The answer? Yes, but no.

As authors, we want our characters to be recognizable as someone our readers could know, understand, and root for. On the flip side of believability, we don't want to write cases of same hero/heroine, different story, either.

Yeah, I really did just say, same, only different. Which makes my point as clear as--well, mud.

The biological truth of the matter is women are women and men are men. No matter how we dice it, we just aren't wired the same. And those wiring differences impact our behavior. So how do authors believably break free from the archetypes, those hardwired behavioral expectations that stand in the way of our creatng unique characters a reader can asssociate with?

As I grow and learn as an author, I'm finding that there's a huge difference between authorial voice and character voice. And if I want to make it in this industry, I realize I've gotta have both. To do that, I have to know what the stereotype if I'm to stand a chance of bursting free of it in a believable, yet appealing manner.

And that all comes down to character building and character voice.

Ryder Black, my Hellhound shifter in my serial textnovel in progress, Surrender the Night is "alpha male" to the bone. And he's been a real pain in the backside to write, because honestly, ultra alpha heroes risk coming off as jerks.

As I built Ryder's world, I realized he has tremendous issues with surrendering to anything, or anybody. And who could blame him? After all, the US NAVY keeps Ryder and the rest of the FANG warriors addicted to mind control drugs. Worse, they kennel the paranormal warriors like military working dogs.

Truth be told, working dogs get better treatment.

To say Ryder isn't all that keen on humanity is the understatement of the century. That is until he meets Dana Darko, the animal behaviorist called in by the Navy to force Ryder to toe the line.

Uh, yeah. Like that's going to happen. Because remember, Ryder doesn't surrender to anything or anybody. He's alpha. He's also got a chip on his shoulder the size of a small planet.

Problem is, Dana has something Ryder needs--the key to his memories. She alone has the skills Ryder needs to master if he is to overcome the mind control drugs the Navy uses to control his memories. And if he is to remember the identity of the woman who haunts his dreams, he must first remember who or what he is--and why.

Ryder needs Dana to get what he wants. To do that, He. Must. Surrender....

But Dana has her own motives for getting close to Ryder. She believes he may be responsible for the death of her husband. Natch, she aims to find out the truth, no matter what. If that means making nice with the FANG, then so be it. The way she sees it, every dog has his day, and seeing as how Ryder wants to get in her pants so badly, she's the natural choice for bringing it on.

If teaching Ryder to overcome his addiction so he can remember what happened to Tristan, then she's going to do whatever it takes to insure that happens. Even if it means sleeping with he enemy.

Enter the conflict.

On the surface, Ryder and Dana are one each romantic heroes/heroines. What makes them unique is their personal histories make them the only characters in the story world who can solve each other's problems. They are forced by circumstance to rise above the stereotypical expectations in order to get what they want.
So know what your characters want. Then block them from getting it in every conceivable fashion. I promise you, they'll rise to the occasion. In Ryder's case, in more ways than one. ;)