Wow! A lot of great posts this week and some interesting discussion. And now, this week’s winner is. . . . drum roll, please!!! Mona!!!!! You’ve been chosen in the random drawing from all those who posted comments. Congratulations. Contact Sylvia Day at her website to receive your copy of her book Ask For It.
Come back Sunday to find out about the new prize. Happy Reading!
I’m in a stressful period of my life. Not so much bad stress (thank goodness) as busy-stress (keeping up with new deadline, preparing for son’s graduation and subsequent leave-taking for college, readying house for out-of-town guests, but stress is stress…
Except when I am reading a book the transports me to another place, another time, another person’s life. In my effort to check stuff off the daily to-do list, I need to remember to add one crucial item: at least a half an hour each evening curled up with a good book.
It’s easy to convince myself that I don’t have the time, just as I’d convinced myself I didn’t have time for a daily walk. But after looking at the time I spend slumped, exhausted, in front of heaven-only-knows-what-TV show (often a newscast that’s mostly a repeat of the one I saw only hours before) while mindlessly trolling the Internet or playing an addictive computer game, I’ve decided to re-claim this wind-down time for exactly what I most need: time unplugged.
I think this is the real reason that the book, the old-fashioned paper, curl-up-in-a-comfy-chair novel will never completely die out. People need to allow their imaginations to run barefoot in a place free of the electronic demands that vie for our attention.
So what was the last terrific book that carried you away from your daily stresses? I recently enjoyed T.J. Bennett’s German historical romance, The Legacy and Tera Lynn Childs’ delightful YA, Oh. My. Gods.
If you leave me a suggestion, I’ll enter you in a drawing to win an autographed copy of my romantic suspense The Salt Maiden (or another choice from my backlist, if you’d prefer) since vicarious thrills and chills make for a get mental holiday as well.
Two romance novelists ponder the meaning of life, love and anything else that comes to mind.
My world came to a screeching halt one day last week.
At least, that’s how it seemed to me at the time. You see, we had a power outage, and it took them nearly 36 hours to get things back to normal. Now, sure, it was a total bummer not to have lights, microwave ovens and TV whenever I wanted it, but that wasn’t the part that brought my life to a screeching halt. Nope, it was the lack of Internet service.
I mean, no Internet meant no email, no quick visits to Barbara Vey’s blog over at Publishers Weekly to see what’s new and exciting in the world of romance publishing. No games of Spider Solitaire, either.
Oh, the horrors!
So, how did I spend my 36 hours without Internet access? Well, a lot of it I spent just sitting in a chair staring off into space like a trauma victim, but I tried to be productive, too. For example, I started to work on this month’s column, which led me, naturally enough, to thinking about romance novels and life’s little traumas . . .
Five Things That I’ve learned About Life’s Disappointments from Reading Romance Novels:
~Faye
About the authors: Christie Craig, an Alabama native, is a multi-published photojournalists and award-winning writer of both romance fiction and non-fiction who is happily married to her prince charming. Faye Hughes, a Mississippi native, is single and an award-winning romance author who is still searching for her own prince after having kissed a lot of frogs. Together, they are the co-authors of The Everything Guide to Writing a Romance Novel (Adams Media, September, 2008) and an upcoming humor-filled relationship/self help book (Polka Dot Press) slated for release on Valentine’s Day, 2010. Visit them online at www.WritewithUs.net.
I’m coming down with something. Shivers, despite the unseasonably warm day. Headache. General can’t-get-my-head-straight malaise. And so I apologise in advance for the short post, which in my mind is long and deep and meaningful, but which in reality may be lucky to make any sense.
This is about heroes, who are on my mind this week because my hero-in-progress is not behaving. Strike that. He IS behaving when he should not be. If I could only push him past the boundaries of reasonable behaviour, I know I could up the dramatic intensity of the book.
And there is my problem. While I can read (nay devour) books filled with outrageous alpha dialogue and actions, I cannot write those characters to save myself. My previous two books’ titles included the words vengeful and revenge–not my titles, I might add–which made me smile wryly. I know that in the Alpha Male Vengeance Stakes my men are mere pussycats. They would hate being labelled pussycats, mind, and they hate to lose at anything.
My men are tough, determined, confident, driven even. But they’re also courteous, respectful, gallant. A soft heart beats within that manly chest. Their humour tends toward dry rather than wicked. A friend–a very good friend, after this comment!–described them as true diamonds in the rough. These are men I would love in real life as well as in fiction. I understand their motivation, I understand their behaviour, I can put up with their moments of intransigence because of the payoff.
But I know there are many readers (a majority?) who don’t look for real life in their romantic fiction. They want an edgier alpha, a larger-than-life hero who creates big emotional drama and even bigger chemistry with the heroine. They don’t want him stepping back to allow the heroine a choice; they drive the story, they force the action, they are masters and conquerors. Many might consider them hell to live, but they don’t care because this is fantasy not real life.
Where do you stand on the subject of heroes? Do you like your fictional men larger-than-life, uber-alpha all of the time? Or do you prefer a touch of reality, to know that this a man you (or the heroine) could live with in the real world?
All comments this week go in the draw to win a copy of Sylvia Day’s Ask for It.
Those who know me as The Grammar Cop on my blog may expect this to be a rant about the many grammar goofs that are all too common today. If you’re looking for grammar pet peeves, go to http://cherylnorman.com/blog. Today’s blog is about grammar’s place in the writing process.
I pride myself in turning in perfect manuscripts that require little editing. My work is almost always grammar-error free. People look to me for advice about punctuation and verb-noun agreement. I write columns for my RWA® chapter newsletter. I am the goddess of writing, right?
Wrong!
Nothing could be farther from the truth. If I were the goddess of writing, I would be a Rita award finalist. I would be a Reader’s Choice nominee. I would be a NYT bestselling author. I may write a clean, perfectly formatted manuscript, but I’ve learned the cold, hard truth: ITSS.
ITSS is my acronym for “It’s the story, stupid!” Without a gripping, page-turning conflict, all the verb-noun agreement and perfect pronoun use in the universe won’t sell my books. Grammar is important; but as a writer, I should concern myself with grammar in the final, polishing stage of the manuscript. First, I need to know my characters, inside and out–all characters, including the villain. Or especially the villain, Next, I need to identify what drives the hero and heroine (and villain, if applicable). What do they want more than anything? What is it they are passionate about?
Then I must figure out the conflict, which is crucial. Without conflict? No story. What does she want that interferes with what he wants? How will their behavior to acheive their conflicting goals collide to create an emotional dark moment? That is the story.
Once my characters are fleshed out, and I’ve taken them on a journey of growth and discovery, with tests along the way, then I have the story. After it’s drafted, critiqued, and revised, then I run each page of prose past my internal grammar editor. But first, ITSS.
I don’t mean that you need worry only about story. A grammar mistake, particularly an obvious one, can jar the reader from the framework of your fiction. Incorrect grammar is a form of author intrusion and distracts or distances the reader. But it’s the final step, the last block on your revision checklist.
Here’s the good news: If you stink at grammar and/or spelling, you can have it fixed by a manuscript doctor or a critique partner. If you stink at story, well … that’s another story.
For fun, what are some grammar mistakes that you’ve found in recent reading? Please, no title or names, just examples. Don’t limit yourselves to romance fiction, either. Think of magazines, newspapers, even websites for bad grammar. Here’s one to kick off the discussion: ”between the lawyer and I” instead of “between the lawyer and me.”
Cheryl
Congratulations again to Virginia H. for winning last week’s contest! With summer on the way, it’s a great time to find a new author.
******May 26 – 30 Contest******
This week’s winner will receive a copy of Sylvia Day’s Ask for It.
Sylvia is the national bestselling, award-winning author of seventeen novels written across multiple sub-genres. Check out her website for more information about her ‘wickedly entertaining’ books (Booklist) and be sure to comment often this week for your chance to win. Happy Reading!
Just in time for Summer Reads – Virginia H., you’re this week’s winner! You mentioned you had no favorites during your summer read time and like to switch around. This summer, you can add a book from Michele Dunaway! Contact Michele at her website to claim your prize and let your summer fun begin!
Check back on Sunday for the next contest. Thanks for playing along and Happy Reading!
A three-day weekend is awaiting most folks right now–and with Memorial Day, well, we have the “official” launch of the summer…and the summer reading season.
Lazy days at the beach–with a book in hand and an over-sized umbrella shading you.
Quiet days at home–with a book in hand and the hammock swaying gently beneath you.
Not-so-quiet days at home (cuz the kids are out of school)–but while they play, you can sneak in a few hours of reading time.
Ah, yes, it’s the reading season.
When I go to the beach, I love to take either really funny romances (they put me in a great mood), or dark, intense paranormals (they get my heart pumping). I never leave for a beach trip without one of these books. Gotta have ‘em!
But what about you? With the summer season kicking off, do you have a particular favorite type of read that you enjoy during all of these long, hot days?
HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT–Available now from Kensington Brava
WHEN HE WAS BAD–Available May 27, 2008, from Kensington Brava
Believe in monsters. They believe in you.
I’m taking a course with an instructor who loves to ask the the question, “If not now…when?” (Hear exaggerated drama and big theatrical pause — he really loves to milk the line).
As much as I grin whenever he says this, it is a really good question, and one that I find myself asking more often the older I get. I’ve taken a lot of leaps of faith in my life, some to good effect, some to neutral outcome. None of my leaps have landed me in water so hot I boiled down to nothing. In short, I don’t regret any of the leaps of faith I took. Only the ones I didn’t take…and didn’t set a deadline for taking when the time was right.
There are so many real obstacles in our lives — children, spouse, money, obligations, responsibilities, etc. I’ve been doing the tango with all of those for 30 years now, so long that it is second nature to run through a list of ‘must do’ every time I see something I want to do. Writing is something that others put off, but I never did. However, I used to be able to write in short spurts while my children napped, perched on the edge of a bleacher bench watching a sports practice or game, or in the doctor/dentist/orthodontist’s office. Now, I have the luxury of an office, and a daily schedule devoted to writing (I can even shut my office door to signal my unavailability once I’m not relying on the wood stove or oil heater to waft some heat up to my unvented office). There are so many possibilities that I almost long for the days when I didn’t have five minutes to myself and my choices tended to be: fix breakfast before or after I change the rugrat’s diaper and put in the laundry.
That phrase “If not now…when?” has been haunting me for months now. Sure, I fit in my writing time and get those books written, but is it enough? Could I do more? I haven’t hit a list yet. Won an award. Though I can’t make that happen by sheer time spent writing, there are things I can do to aim for it (thus the course with the instructor who loves the darned phrase that has begun to bedevil me).
And what about my non-writing goals? I’d like to take an acting class, get involved in my community theatre, start a garden (more classes involved, to turn my charcoal colored thumb a mossy shade of green), travel more, get back into my yoga practice, paint my house, spend more time with my family….
So, if not now…when? I’ve been hearing that question in my head with just a touch of desperation. Until last Thursday, when I was walking on the beach (Old Orchard Beach in Maine…so don’t picture warm sand — just sand, and wind and blue sky and waves). As I stood on the edge of the ocean, listening to the tide come in and the gulls call to each other, paring myself down to the now in a way I rarely take the time to do, I realized the question can be read as a challenge to start something now. But it can also be an invitation to make a plan for some of the other things. Pencil them in for next fall, next spring, next summer.
It’s a real question, with two parts. If there are obstacles in the way now, then when might you find yourself free(ish) to do the things you want to do most? I’ve been ignoring the second part of the question, hearing it as an accusation of terminal procrastination. It is not, though. It is an invitation to live life fully, anticipating a way to fulfill dreams that don’t fit on the ‘now’ schedule…yet.
Sure, I might die before I do everything I have on the long term planner. But so what? If I have it on the schedule, I can look forward to it, and hope not to get hit by the crosstown bus until I’ve done it. After all, life is much better with something to do in the now, and something to look forward to doing in the when.
So…what will I pencil into the when column? So many choices…
Kelly (now feeling delighted to have crossed off my first WordPress blog entry for 2BRead)
Congratulations, again, to Ann M., who won a book from Margaret Daley in last week’s contest. For those new to the blog, your name is entered every time you make a comment on one of the week’s post. A winner is selected each Saturday. You can start by commenting on the post from CJ Lyons about her writing travels that’s posted just below this one. And then show up often this week to increase your odds of winning.
********May 19 – May 23 Contest********
This week, you can win a backlist book from Michele Dunaway, who writes best-selling American Romance novels for Harlequin. She’s also part of their 2008 continuity series set in the World of NASCAR. Check out the blog at her website for some delicious recipes found in her books. (While there, you can also check out the hero for her upcoming book, Out of Line. He’s rather delicious, too!) Happy Reading!
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