Vampire Love

I keep wracking my brains, because it seems like this can't be right, but I actually think the first book I ever read that featured vampires was Anne Rice's INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE. And I came to that series a tad late. I think there were at least 3 or 4 of them before I tried my first, and then read everything I could get my hands on of hers all in one shot. Boy was I hooked.

After that, I read Bram Stoker's DRACULA and loved that, too... but not as much as I loved the world Anne Rice created for her vamps. So rich with historical detail and so, well, hot.
Sure, these books could never be mistaken for romances and didn't have much in the way of actual sex scenes, either... most of the hot stuff was between two men and involved sucking on veins (nothing else. ) and the only "romance" subplot I remember involved an adult man and a very young girl... How old was Claudia supposed to be when she was turned? Nine? I think they made her a bit older in the movie so the thirteen year old Kirsten Dunst could play her... and well, they couldn't have made her as young as she was supposed to be... But the sensuous nature of the world Anne Rice created--from the sleeping Egyptian princess statue chick, and hot vampire actors in Paris who attacked the audience nightly--was so exotic and so real to me that I believed our world was secretly populated by vampires and I was terrified I might meet one. Hmmm something else cool about those books. The vamps were the protagonists, but you would NOT have wanted to meet one. Not even Louis, the one with a conscience of sorts.

I think the next vamp book I found intriguing was Susan Squires' THE COMPANION. The way she dealt with vampirism and the exotic setting of her story, and the hot, steamy sex (including some man-as-a-victim sexual abuse stuff) was fabulous for me. I didn't glom onto Squires the way I did Anne Rice (or JR Ward, see below) but I think her vampire book was the first one I'd read since Anne Rice or Bram Stoker that lived up to my blood lust expectations. ;)

And then I got talked into trying JR Ward. Or more to the point, I got sick of listening to Molly and Sinead talk about her books, without having anything to offer to the conversation. Funny... it never bothers me when they discuss their other favorite authors I've never read... but something about their discussions about JR Ward made me want to be part of the conversation. And boy was I glad I plunged in. Again. Came to them late. Read the first five very quickly... then had to wait with everyone else for the next 2... and the one coming out later this year.

JR flips everything so that the vampires are the ones who are misunderstood and being persecuted and hunted... I actually think these books might be just as interesting if her heroes weren't vampires. (They could be just about any kind of hugely powerful, highly sexual males. Even humans. Maybe. Okay, they do need to be superhuman. That's definitely part of the appeal.)

I've been pondering why vampires are sometimes so sexy in books, particularly romances, when well, I'm sure most of use wouldn't like to have our veins sucked on during sex... I wonder if partly it's about submission. I certainly don't have any sexual submission fantasies. Not something that turns me on in real life. But like all fiction lets us slip into someone else's shoes, or body, while we're between the covers of a book, maybe reading about sex with vampires lets us slip into the role of being completely and totally overpowered by and vulnerable to a lover. Don't know.

And can't think about it too much right now... I'm in the final stretch of finishing my own vampire book... A vampire book for upper-middle-grade, lower-YA readers and based on Sleeping Beauty. Very little blood. Zero sex. Okay, a couple nice kisses, but not with vampires...

Congratulations to Eileen on the release of DON'T KILL THE MESSENGER.

Comment on her post below for a chance to win her book!!!

I like my men like I like my Diet Coke . . .

Cold and in the can, baby!

Okay. Bad joke, but seriously, why do we like vampires? More specifically, why do I find them fascinating? Or, at least, fascinating enough to write a book with them in it?

Here's my true confession. I'm not fascinated by vampires. I'm not enthralled by werewolves. Elves don't make me weak in the knees and goblins do nothing for me. What I love is the idea that all these things might exist in my world. Even more, I'm intrigued by what they would have to do to get along. Now you know why I love the idea of urban fantasy.

Ever since I was a little girl, I always wanted a little magic in my life. Even now as a grown-up, I prefer life with a sprinkling of fairy dust on it. At the same time, I am, at heart, a very conventional kind of girl. While I like reading the occasional full-on fantasy that takes place in a completely imagined world (you rocked my world, George R. R. Martin!), I can't imagine myself IN that world. My world with some twists to it? Now THAT I can totally put myself in. Writing urban fantasy gives me a chance to create a world like that, even if the fairy dust I'm sprinkling is a little dark and gruesome.

What do you do to get a little magic in your life? Leave a comment and automatically be entered to win a copy of DON'T KILL THE MESSENGER.

And just in case you haven't had enough of me today, stop by Mysteries and Margaritas for a little more background on me and the book.

Vampires and Twisting The Hook

I'm so excited about Don't Kill The Messenger and why I'm excited about it is incredibly well-summed up by Eloisa James' blog/review of the book. If you haven't read it - you need to.

Eileen is doing what all of us should strive to do, taking all those hooks we love from across so many genres and she's cleverly twisting them into something new. Something fresh and different. Part romance, part detective novel, part urban fantasy - loads o' Vampires. Honestly, no wonder the accolades are raining down.

This vampire thing, the fascination and appeal...it's powerful. Oddly enough, I think part of it is about feeding someone you love - the intimacy of it. The instinct. I love cooking for and feeding men. It's very 1950's of me, but it's something buried deep in my psyche. Weird. I know.

But, largely I think at it's essence - it's purest form - the Vampire fantasy is about losing all control. And maybe to a less PC extent - about having control taken away from you. And it's about being desired by and protected by, a seriously handsome and powerful slightly scary creature that is barely in control of his/her humanity. That's been the script anyway since Dracula first made his way into our culture.

But this kind of crap leads to unbearable alpha males and lap dog heroines. Often it leads to poorly written near rape scenes and...well, it leads to Twilight and we've talked about that. We've got to take this fantasy and update it.

Knowing why Vampires are a source of excitement and interest to millions of readers and then figuring out a way to give them what they want in a way that's new and totally different and that's smart and strong - that's quite a task.

And Eileen is totally the writer to do it. Congrats Eileen!

Release Week!

Welcome to our special theme week celebrating the release of my new novel, Don't Kill the Messenger! In honor of its release on Tuesday, we'll be blogging all week about vampires and why we lurve them. Chime in. Let us know why you love -- or hate -- vampires. At the end of the week, one lucky commenter will win a copy of the book.

Just to let you know a little about the book, my heroine Melina Markowitz is a Messenger, a go-between for paranormal forces and supernatural creatures. Problem is, when a girl's a go-between, it's hard not to get caught in the middle...

So far, the book is getting great reviews: a starred review from Publishers Weekly and four and a half stars from Romantic Times. It's also one of the featured books over at Eloisa James' review column at Barnes and Noble.

Also, if anyone happens to be in northern California, stop by my book release party on March 9 at the Borders in Davis, California from 7 to 9 p.m. I'd love to see you!

I'm hiding in Stephanie's suitcase

I've been trying to write a blog entry for the last hour and all I can think about are drinks with umbrellas in them, and right now, I'm blaming Stephanie.

It's snowing here, blizzards, and it's cold and I'm getting no where near enough sleep and all I want is to feel a little sun on my skin. And even watching the women's bobsled medal presentation(Canada won gold and silver) isn't helping, even though the medalists are dancing right now.

I've been fantasizing about what books I'd bring, whether my husband would be there, or would it be a drunk writer vacation. There are a few resorts on my radars with actual English pubs, that serve beer adn cider on tap. Seriously, a day in the sun and then an evening at the pub, repeat seven times.

I might even get the slightest hint of a tan...

The fantasy has taken over my life, to the point where I'm thinking of placing my next Victorian romance in St. Lucia.

I need help.

Vacation

I’m headed to Jamaica next week. Sun, sand, clear blue water, eighty-five degrees… jealous yet? I know. You’re throwing things at your computer screen. Calling me names. Wishing me lost luggage. But let me finish. I’m taking this vacation with my mother and two sisters. My sisters who are both thin and beautiful and my mother who would like me to be thin and beautiful and is disappointed on a regular basis that I am not. So this vacation is kind of a double edged sword. The good news is I found a magical bathing suit that sucks me in all over the place and a cover up that will make it impossible to tell what lies beneath.

Beyond my dread of wearing a bathing suit though, I was thinking as I was packing about what books to bring. Reading on the beach is my favorite pastime. Currently I still have two RITA books that need to be judged. Plus Hunger Games. Plus the new Laura Kinsale. But I also have a number of research books that I purchased regarding life in Victoria England as I begin research for my next book.

Books on Scotland Yard, Domestic Servitude, Sexual Morays and Entertainment all in or around the time period I want to set my book. The kind of books you find in a college bookstore. The kind that require work to read. One the one hand, I’m telling myself this is a vacation. I’m supposed to relax and enjoy myself and my skinny beautiful family. On the other hand to have five days off from my day job and not work on my writing career seems foolish and wasteful.

Normally when I go to the beach I have no problem bringing my Dana and writing away. Writing is fun and enjoyable when I’m starting a new story. No stress yet, no deadlines looming. That’s a no brainer. But the research part is work. And when you’re cramming to meet a deadline writing becomes work.

So the question is… do you write/work on vacation? Do you look at it as a fun activity like reading? Or do you see it as an intrusion on your vacation time? For those with family do they get annoyed if you bring your work along with you or do they understand that concentrated writing could be what you need to take your book to the next level?

Why Curling Rocks (pun intended)

I'm not getting to see as much Olympic action as I'd like, but after some of last week's Olympic discussion, I figured many viewers outside Canada might be curious about curling. Let's face it. Most viewers INSIDE Canada don't know much about curling.

When I was a kid, my parents curled, but it was a social kind of thing more than competitive. (See #1 and #3 below) And before you go thinking everyone up here in Canada goes curling every weekend... we don't. Most people I know have never been near a curling rink.

I think it's popularity is a regional thing in Canada. I've always assumed that it was more popular in the prairie provinces, and maybe in the Maritimes, although I do remember my parents playing in Montreal (and in fact, I remember playing a modified kids version with tin cans filled with cement when I was a little kid in Montreal, but my parents are from the prairies...).

In addition to that regional assumption, I've always thought of it as an old fashioned sport. In fact, I was shocked (in the 80's) to find out one of my University classmates was a prior Ontario junior curling team member. People my age curl? Who knew. And that was (um) a while ago.

Now it seems like young people are playing it again. Okay, maybe not in droves, but some. When my sister in law immigrated to Canada from Scotland a few years ago, she organized a curling day for my brother's birthday (was fun) and the guy who gave us a short lesson said there had been a big pick up in younger players since it became an official Olympic sport again in 1998.

But, down to business... In the spirit of the lists Molly loves, I thought I'd try to compile a top ten list of why curling rocks.

1) Anyone can do it. It's hard to do well, don't get me wrong. Believe me, if you tried, you would not be able to approximate what you're seeing on TV... BUT you would be able to play and have fun. I've played with a few smaller women who couldn't lift the rocks off the ice... but you don't really need to lift it off the ice. I've also seen a few people who lacked enough flexibility or strength to push out of the hack... And lots of people who couldn't balance for long, or stay on their feet trying to run down the ice and sweep... but again, it's not that hard to do. Just hard to do well.

2) It's more about strategy and skill than traditional athleticism. Don't know if this is a pro or con in the "should it really be an Olympic sport" column... but hey, archery and shooting sports are in the Olympics and they're more about skill, too. Not even as much strategy in those. The accuracy of some of these curlers at the Olympic level astounds me... Gauging speed, direction, rotation of the stone and how it will curve (curl) on the ice (which also changes based on speed) and how wet the ice is (based on how hard the sweepers are sweeping) which also affect both speed and degree of curl. It really is hard to do well. The ability to tuck the stones in behind other stones and control where they roll after they hit each other, is amazing. Especially if you've ever tried it. So many variables. Makes billiards seem simple in comparison.

3) It's a really fun recreational sport. (See #1) When I first started working, our office had an annual curling day and it was my favorite social event of the year. There were enough people in the office who knew how to curl (yes, mostly the older guys -- i.e. partners) to put at least one player who knew the rules on each team. And the rest of us just winged it and drank beer. What's not to like?

4) No spandex. No sequins. (No crazy aboriginal outfits.) Even with awesome athlete bodies, I think most human-beings look ridiculous in those tight spandex suits that seem to be used in just about every winter sport these days. (The snowboarders will cave, too, as soon as someone wins one of those speed-contingent events wearing a spandex suit.) But curlers? That's one sport where there will never be skin-tight suits. And not just because most of the participants don't have the body for it, because those suits wouldn't give any advantage. Yes, these days curlers wear special shoes with Teflon on the sole of one... but that's about as technical as the clothing gets. Beyond that, no real need for special clothes.

5) Sweeping. A sport with brooms. Just makes me giggle. But I do miss the old-style ones that disappeared about 20 years ago. I still associate the thwap, thwap, thwap of those straw brooms hitting ice, with the sport. To me, that's how curling sounds (even if it doesn't anymore). That, and the sound of stones cracking against each other. Plus, those old-style brooms were hard work... and more skill involved in the timing... and the possibility of stray straw bits on the sheet of ice also added another (possibly unwanted) element to the sport. Sigh. Miss real curling brooms. BTW. There's a very silly Canadian movie from about 8-10 years ago called Men with Brooms. Lesley Nielson is in it, and Molly Parker from Deadwood... Funny. See if you can rent it.

6) The Norwegian men's team's pants. (I thought it was the Swiss team... but according to this photo's caption, it's the Norwegians. Not sure.) This is clothing related, but they're so awesome they deserve their own entry. I caught about 5 minutes of a men's game back on one of the first days of the games. The pants with the red, white and blue diamonds. All kinds of awesome.

7) The name is funny. Curling. **giggles** Many childhood jokes involved asking dad about his curling, when, let's just say, he was a little hair-deprived, even back then.

8) Tournaments are called Bonspiels. I just like the sound of the word. Fred and Jane's rink won the big bonspiel this weekend. Just trips off the tongue. ;) Other terminology like skip, hack and hog line are fun, too.

9) The yelling is fun. Hard, Hard. Hurry hard. Whoa. Where else will you hear women sounding like sailors, or maybe pirates. Haaard... I get why they had to yell so loudly when they were still using those old brooms... Now? Not so much. Wonder if it's just tradition. The sheets of ice aren't THAT long.

10) I know hockey is Canada's official winter sport, (lacrosse for summer), but to me, curling is even more Canadian. Sure, the Scot's invented it (in late medieval times, according to Wikipedia). But the Scottish immigrants brought it over here, and I'm pretty sure for the past century, at least, it's been more popular in Canada than in Scotland.

Finally, who wouldn't love a sport where you throw, run after, and sweep the way for a 4o pound chunk of polished granite?

Focus, people, focus!

So last week, I was distracted. There were shiny things everywhere. It was hard to get anything done, but then there was the whole looming deadline thing. All that led to some unpleasant chewing on my tongue in my sleep and random bouts of hyperventilation.

Then I took a writing weekend with my BFF and fabulous writer, Spring Warren. We've done this before and we have a great rhythm together. Just enough talk time to not be stir crazy, not so much that we get distracted. Similar tastes in junk food (I could write a love sonnet to the dark chocolate-covered, peanut butter-filled pretzels she brought) and booze. We took off Friday afternoon and were checked into the hotel by a little after three. We wrote until eight, took a dinner break and then hit the computers again.

Saturday was a repeat with a little break to watch part of my kid's soccer game (a heartbreaking 3-0 loss for the Davis Shepherds, but that's the way life is). Then more writing Sunday until the hotel finally kicked us out at one.

I wrote 51 pages, figured out my transition to the next section of my novel and am totally into my story. It's the opposite of last week and I anticipate it lasting until the end of the week when my BFF and fabulous writer Alyssa Day shows up to go wine tasting and talk to my RWA chapter.

I'm still chewing my tongue in my sleep, but when I wake up I usually have something I need to jot down in my bedside notepad.

Shaq VS. or The Editor as Coach

Last summer Adam and I were obsessed with this show called Shaq Vs. In it, basketball superstar Shaquille O'Neill, challenged top athletes at modified versions of their games. So, he was quarterback against Ben Rothlisberger. He played sand volley ball against Misty May Traynor and Kerri Walsh. He hit homeruns against Albert Pujols. And the big finale was he raced Micheal Phelps. Yep, that Micheal Phelps - the one that swims and wins lots of gold medals. Anyway - Shaq did some specific training for each event with a serious coach - including Phelp's own life long swimming coach. And the coach said about Shaq - "he's totally coachable. If I'd gotten Shaquille at the same age I got Micheal, there's no telling how good he'd be." The modified race between Phelps and Shaq was a close one and it was fun - and it made me think that sure, being a freakishly strong and tall and graceful human is great, but being open to learning and WANTING to learn - is even better.

And because everything makes me think of writing - this made me think of writing. I think of my editor as a coach.

You've got to think that getting an editor job at a major publishing house is more competitive than actually getting published. So, these editors have to be very very good. And on top of that, they're overworked and underpaid, so they have to love their jobs. And because they want to keep these jobs, they have to be successful - they want to find and edit blockbusters just as much as we want to write them. Which, isn't to say there aren't mistakes - editors are fallible. But, for us, the writers, they are the authority - on the industry, to some extent the craft and to an even stranger extent the book I'm writing. That's a hard one to get my head around - it's my book after all. But the truth is my perspective is all off - I've written it, rewritten it, built it, torn it apart, re built it. I've hated it, loved it, wanted to vomit all over it. I can't tell if it's genius or garbage.

But my editor's perspective is crystal clear. And she coaches me towards a common vision, or a better vision than the one I handed in. I like that. I didn't always feel that way, and as I settle into this career I realize I like this new attitude.

What about you? Do you like to be coached? Or do you think this whole theory of mine is crap - which it could be.

Best ways to the bestseller lists

Sure, some of you out there are thinking, write a really great book. But even with a really great book, there are no guarantees, and seriously, all that work. The actual writing, editing, more editing and then sending it out.

It's time to change our focus to better options.

1) the sex tape - or maybe just rumours of one. It worked for Pamela Anderson, Lauren Conrad had a rumoured sex tape and both are best selling authors. Or maybe I'll get my own perfume line, like Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton. I don't believe I'm a prude, but I do remember fondly the days when someone who had a sex tape was considered nothing more than a porn star.

2) the next obvious step would be to have a reality show. So far MTV has shown no interest in a thirty something mother with sensible, reasonable friends.

3) Have sex with Tiger Woods. Sadly after the thirtieth woman came out of hiding, you have to get in line, and the advances are getting smaller and smaller. It's time to find a new superstar athlete with a devoted wife. Any suggestions?

4) Have your politician husband have scandalous affairs. It means being a politician's wife for several years, which looks a little like work, but a great way to turn a bad situation in to something positive and lucrative.

5) become a well respected politician, athlete, artist. But again, looks like it requres serious effort. Take this approach only if steps 1 through 3 fail.

Now its time to go back to working on the current WIP, until my bestseller plan comes to fruition.

The Ugly Truth...

Okay so many of us are watching the Olympics. I have been a fan since a young child. I’m a walking encyclopedia of major Olympic moments. At least the ones that meant something to me. I can relive each element, all the drama, triumph and heartache. I usually end up crying as I do this. One of my favorite chapters in my books ever, was trying to create one of those “moments” in a Bombshell story.

I thought I might rank them – because I love lists – but this blog is really supposed to be about writing. So I went with number 1.

1984 – Ice Dancing (yes it’s a sport… sort of.) - Torville and Dean’s Bolero. I actually might have liked the Paso Doble (short program) better. When everyone was doing the matador and bull, they did the matador and his cape. She draped around him like an actual cape and he swung her around the ice and I was… mesmerized.

Then came Bolero. I dare any of you to Youtube it, start watching it and then look away. You can’t. It captures you. It enthralls you. It was a moment of true perfection. I talked about performance last week on the blog and in my mind this was the most masterful performance ever.

Then I remembered a documentary special I watched on this couple. They were making a comeback in 94 (They were robbed of gold! Robbed I say!) and the show was a look inside their relationship and training routine.

It was… awful. Christopher Dean was the harshest task master I had ever seen. He verbally abused Jayne on a regular basis regarding her weight, her skating ability and her commitment. He made them drill over and over and over again even when they were both past the point of exhaustion. She gritted her teeth and accepted his orders and the whole time I thought… Jayne, tell this guy he can go kiss it!

It was ugly. It was nasty. It was brutal.

But that’s what it took for them to reach perfection. That “moment” is a beautiful thing. Reading an amazing book is flat out fun. But what I will take from T&D and the subsequent documentary is getting to that point can be ugly. Long hours, pushing yourself past your limits, living with an evil task master, whether it’s your critique partner (no one should be so harsh as Dean) or your inner skeptic – which is probably harsher than Dean on his best day.

Perfection comes at a price. It’s why not everybody can get there. The question is do you want it? Do you really really want it?

Distracted!

Admittedly, I am like a human version of a magpie. Flash something shiny and I'm off to investigate, forgetting completely where I was supposed to be going or what I was supposed to be doing. This is getting out of hand, though.

First, my sister is visiting from Seattle. The woman is a walking party. Just going to the video store with her has me laughing so hard I might need to change my panties.

Second, there's the fact that my beloved minivan, known affectionately as the Big Purse, has finally died. It stopped going into reverse this Wednesday and my children had to, in their words, "Little Miss Sunshine it" out of a driveway. So I had to buy a new car (Toyota Scion in Metallic Stingray - totally adorable, can get my mother in front, both kids in back seat and my mother's wheelchair AND her walker in the way back -- what's not to love?). Which I knew was coming so I wasn't completely unprepared, but it is time-consuming and distracting.

Third, it's the Olympics! I lurve the Olympics! The pomp! The pageantry! The personalities! The curling!! I so want to be a curler! I just want them to combine it with ice dancing so I can wear a fun outfit while I deliver my stones.

Fourth, my kid is getting college acceptances. So cool! I'm so excited for him, but I'm going to have to pay for college and I have to fill out this thing called the FAFSA by March 2 which means I have to get my taxes done (or at least kinda done) before that and, well, that kind of stuff is not my strong suit.

Have I mentioned I have a book due April 1? That I don't write fast? That I had a setback early on so I'm already behind schedule?

By April 1, I will be bald because I will have ripped out all my hair. Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful that I have a wonderful funny fabulous sister (well, two actually), that I can afford to buy a car when I need to, that there is such a thing as the Olympics to watch and that my kid is going to be a College Man. I just need a little break here, people! Stop being so shiny!

Does romance genre dictate pacing?

I'm reading a historical romance right now. I have been reading the same book for two months, which is a bad sign when it comes to a book, but I'm determined to finish this. Mostly because, it's well written, has interesting characters, and as a writer, I know the craft that went into the book.

But I'm still dragging through sections of the book. Part of the problem is we are in the character's heads a lot, every emotion they feel is articulated well, but after a while, it gets a little boring. Now lots of people have disagreed with me, as this book's gotten lots of buzz, (or hype, still trying to decide). It reminds me a lot of the books written by Judith Ivory, an author I admire tremendously, I just wished I'd loved her stories more.

But this is a trait I find now with historical romance, lots of time spent in the character's heads, not repetitious, but detailed, incredibly detailed. We get to know these characters completely. Much more so than in paranormal, where there is usually an external plot to balance the book. But the detail can often kill the pacing, and too often the historicals I'm reading feel long on character and short on story.

My first love in romance was historicals, they are my comfort reads, but lately, I'm having difficulty getting through all but the absolute best. Historical romance was built around luxuriant reads, filled with fantasy and detail, and I don't think they've changed dramatically in the past few years, but perhaps my taste has.

I just want to love historicals again, and expecting Sherry Thomas to write eight books a year is, apparently, unrealistic..

Pink at the Grammys

I don’t typically watch the Grammys. I’m not that much into music. I basically only listen when I’m exercising. I really don’t understand the difference between an album, a record and a single. Okay maybe an album and a single.

But I was waiting for Big Love and decided I would flip over. I flipped just in time to see Pink perform a song called Glitter in the Air. What little I know about music, I know I like Pink. She’s on Ellen (who I dvr daily) a lot. And I like the song about her wanting to fight someone when I’m jogging.

I stopped and watched and was memorized. The song was beautiful. But beyond that she did this Cirque’du Soleil routine.

In a transparent leotard, she is suspended in the air several feet off the ground in a white sheet/swing contraption. She is spinning and singing and then is lowered into a tank of water. She comes out of the tank of water soaking wet and continues to sing (miraculously). Then hangs upside down while singing and dripping. Finally she does an upside down camel spin like they do on ice skates. If you can, Youtube it. It’s truly special.

It made me think about performance. A lot of artists, great artists, talented artists, could have just gone up on stage and sang their song. I understand she’s done the act before in her concert so it wasn’t like it was something new, but she really rocked it.

The next day I went to buy the song off of Itunes – and no surprise it had hit the top 10 most popular list. Others must have also seen this performance.

What does this have to with writing? It made me think that performance really does translate. When you knock something out of the ballpark people are going to find it. They will talk about it. Granted as writers we can’t literally hang from a sheet and drip on people (I’m not sure that would compel anyone to buy my books if I did) but we can go over the top.

We can go beyond just writing a “good” book. We’re writers. We’ve got talent and abilities. Published or yet to be published the people who take the craft seriously must have a gift or they wouldn’t persevere.

So let’s go beyond the gift. Let’s make that a given and take it one step further. Figuratively, let’s get naked and hang from ceilings above a crowd. Let’s spin and drip and sing. Let’s all write the book that everyone is talking about the next day. The book that you have to have because it’s that amazing.

Sound good? Great.

Any hints or suggestions from the masses on how to do this would be greatly appreciated.

Modern Family

My single favorite new TV show this season is Modern Family. (Well Glee, too. And Vampire Diaries, but that's more of a guilty pleasure. I have zero guilt about Modern Family. And really it is my single, break-out new fav.) I can watch each episode multiple times and still laugh out loud, and also tear up in about half of them.

I've been trying to figure out why it works so well for me and have boiled it down to these things:

• Very smart, tight plotting and pacing. Yes, it's just a half hour (22 min) comedy, but there's always an overall "theme" for an episode that's a real, relatable "truth" about families, and there are always several different story lines running through, weaving in and out, constantly holding my attention. Right now, I'm watching a re-run of the episode where Manny is in the fencing competition, and I thought there were 3 main story lines: Manny's (with his parents questioning how much do you push your kids to win), Mitchell's sibling jealousy of Manny and Clair, and Phil trying to figure out what Luke might be excellent at. Probably those are the main storylines... but in thinking about this blog post, I tried to list all the little threads I saw start up in the first minute, that I knew were going to pay off (because I've seen the episode about five times). I decided to stop trying to list them, when I hit about nine and wasn't finished. Yes, nine little threads all started within the first minute. Masterful.


• Pretty much every episode makes me LOL several times, and a few episodes have made me cry a little. To me it's a sign of a great show if it can be both funny and touching.
  


• Subtlety. This isn't a laugh track comedy. It doesn't have pratfalls. It's doesn't follow the typical sitcom "and here comes the laugh" timing. It's more like Arrested Development in that way, with the funniest lines dropped, so you have to pay attention or watch the episodes more than once to be sure you caught them all. The Office and 30 Rock are like that, too, but to me those shows are more heavy handed. Funny, but more heavy handed.
  


• Great acting. Seriously. I think everyone on this show is awesome. And the chemistry between them all is dead on. I truly believe that Mitchell and Claire are brother and sister. All the couples feel like real couples and Claire and Phil's kids seem like siblings, too.


• Related to both the above points... So many things going on at once. The dialogue interweaves between the various storylines and the actors talk over each other (like people do in real life) and are always doing something in the background, so everything is so richly layered.


• This made me realize something else. It's not filmed in front of a live audience. So, they a) have time to get it right and b) the actors don't need to stop for applause or laughter. I really think this affects the pacing and timing. Also, because it's not all shot on a studio set, it feels slightly more like a drama... and seems more real.
  


• Real to life characters. My one exception: The first couple of shows I thought the Phil character was slightly over the top... Too much like Michael on The Office. But a few sweet things have happened to make him less of a buffoon, or at least a more likable buffoon and less of a cartoon than Michael is on The Office. And the fact that Phil cares so, so much about being a good dad is really touching. The rest of the characters all feel like people I know, or could know. They seem real.
  


• Snappy dialogue. I could use an example from just about any episode, actually several places within anyone episode, but this one, from the beginning of the episode I'm watching now, is as good example as any, and although there's a clear punch line, the way the entire sequence is delivered so quickly, you can almost miss the punch line. Especially since it's one you have to think about for a second, and they don't give you that second... Which is why I find I can watch these shows over and over...
  
  Cameron (gay partner of Mitchell) is filming Manny (Mitchell's ten-year-old stepbrother) during a fencing competition.
  
  Mitchell (rolling his eyes and clearly mortified that his boyfriend is going all cinematographer on them: Would it be easier if we suspended you from a crane?
  [Cut to one of the talking to the camera segments a la The Office]
  Cameron: (very proud) Any monkey can shoot a home movie. I pride myself in shooting home films.
  Mitchell: (trying to be sensitive, a good boyfriend offering advice) Cam, it's just that sometimes you get carried away.
  Cameron: No I don't.
  Mitchell: Your nephew's first birthday party
  Cameron: That's not fair
  Mitchell: You brought a wind machine
  Cameron: To be fair, my vision was--
  Mitchell: (enunciating more carefully) You brought a wind machine
  Cameron: (looking uncomfortable) Who puts wheels on cribs?
  
  And then it quickly cuts to something else. The wheels on cribs line is totally dropped, and we're left to imagine what might have happened.... but so funny. (At least to me.)
  
  A few minutes later, Mitchell is talking about how he and his older sister Claire used to be a figure skating duo when they were kids.
  
  Mitchell: We were called Fire and Ice. I was Fire because of the red hair, and Claire was Nice (tiny pause and then adding quickly) because it was ironic and she wasn't.
  
  That line says everything you need to know about the still existing sibling rivalry between Mitchell and Claire even now they are in their forties. The series is LOADED with show don't tell moments like that.
  
  Another one from this same episode (actually, all these three examples are from first two minutes)
  
  Alex (about 13, a middle sister and technically step-niece of Manny): Did you know that fencing goes back to the twelfth century?
  Haley (her older sister, texting beside her on the bench instead of watching): Do you know what's even nerdier than fencing? Knowing when it began.
  Luke: (little brother and sitting on other side of Alex): I don't think you're a nerd, Alex.
  Alex: Shut up, dork.
  
  Masterful show don't tell. A tiny segment, but shows so much about these 3 kids and their relationship. And it's all so typical of siblings. It's something anyone who has siblings can relate to.
  
  

Okay, I'll stop now. Love this show.

Anyone else watching?

If you do watch, what's you favorite moment? For me, it's between a) the lion king moment in the first episode (okay, just about any moment in that first episode. When Phil shoots Haley's boyfriend, made me spit take), b) Mitchell cheating at blocks, or c) when everyone ends up in the pool (that's an episode that made me tear up a little).
I have so many more favorite moments.... In fact, I just hit play and Alex is getting Haley to "statically defracticate" her phone battery by rubbing it on her hair. So freaking funny.

Running as a metaphor for, well, damn near everything, but specifically writing in this case

I ran a half-marathon on Sunday. I'm pausing here for all your applause

and oohs and ahhs. I totally deserve them.

I am a big girl and I mean that euphemistically. I weigh a lot and I have

a relatively bodacious set of tatas, if I do say so myself. I was not

built for this sport and I pretty much suck at it, but I keep doing it. To

run any kind of race at all (and by race, I mean participate) I have to

push past my own perceived limits, just like I have had to push past my

own perceived limits as a writer. I never thought I could write a romantic

suspense novel. I didn't think I had the logic to create a linear plot

that had twists and turns and reversals. I didn't think I had the

imagination to write an urban fantasy and create a shadow world within my

own. Now I've written both, one that Publishers Weekly says "takes off

like a rocket" and one that it says is an "exciting, sexy, and hilarious

debut."

Sometimes running isn't much fun. While there are days where I breeze

along, feeling strong and healthy and in control, there are just as many

where I feel like a decrepit old woman who can barely put one foot in

front of the other. It doesn't matter. Weekly mileage is important and the

only way to achieve that is to run on days when it's not fun as well as

the ones when it is fun. Writing is just the same for me. I have to lay

those pages down every day whether or not I'm in the zone or struggling

for each word. Weekly page count matters if I want to end up finishing my

book on time.

I will never win a race. I am slow. Really really slow. I've been running

for years and while I occasionally have times when I'm a little faster

than I was, I'm never fast, and as an overall trend, I get slower every

year. I get such a tremendous amount of satisfaction from just being out

there, though! I doubt I'll ever "win" at publishing, either. The chances

of me becoming a NY Times Bestseller seem slimmer every year (which is

more than I can say for myself despite all the running!). I feel seriously

lucky, however, just to be able to get my books published. I have an

inkling of how many people are trying to do what I'm doing. Even if I

never hit a bestseller list, it's an achievement to just get a book

published.

I should probably quit running. I have a heel that acts up and it's hard

on my hips and knees. I just can't though. It's insinuated itself in my

life. It's part of my social life. My schedule is built around it. In a

lot of ways, I should probably give up writing, too. It's a tough way to

make a living. I might well be better off getting a "normal" job with

benefits and regular hours and all that stuff. I can't seem to get myself

to do it, though. It's insinuated itself into the way I see the world and

the way I think. I'm not sure I can stop writing.

When Buzz becomes Hype

Buzz= good
Hype= bad

At least in my mind. Everyone wants buzz and I suppose should you have enough buzz that for a few people it turns into hype - well, you'll be too succesful to care.

Riding this sci-fi wave for as long as I can, I managed to convince husband to watch District 9. Academy award nominated! And don't get me wrong, good movie, AMAZING performance by the lead male. But, Adam and I sat there going - 'huh. Academy Award? Really?' The buzz became hype. And the movie just wasn't the second coming we were told it was going to be.

Simone, cool your jets.

Expectations are a tricky thing. Getting in on the ground floor of something and having no expectations and then being blown away by the little gem you managed to discover - that's the best feeling in the world. But, coming in too late and being non-plussed - no fun. And you can't control it as the writer, the quality of your work hasn't changed. It's just what happens.

So, anyone else have a movie/book/tv show killed by buzz gone bad?

Do we really change our process?

I'm starting a new book. I'm always excited at this stage of the process, eager to start my new shiny idea, intoxicated by the possibilities and the idea of getting words on the screen takes precedence over all other non-essential parts of my life.

I'm so eager, I've written the first thirty pages without knowing where the book goes, what happens through the middle, and, this is rare for me, even the ending.

I tell myself those first few chapters give me a handle on the characters, start me thinking about them and their backgrounds, and why they do what they do.
But really, those pages are about my own excitement. I always do this, start a book without really thinking it through and then, moaning and groaning, end up re-writing the beginning over and over.

And during the re-write of each book, and this includes the one I just finished, I promise, the next time, I'm going to think it through, plan it out, create white boards, character notes, backgrounds, work the plot back from the beginning, and then, and only then, will I start writing.

So this time, maybe not at the very beginning, but soon, very soon, I'm going to create a white board, and really, absolutely, 100% create a fluid plan for this book.

Confession Time

Do you all talk to yourself? That’s sort of a leading question isn’t it?

I mentioned last week that I’ve got this new book on the brain. I’m working out the opening. How I want to handle pacing. Plot elements I want to incorporate. Plus all the research I’m going to need to do. The usual.

What I’m not thinking about are the characters. No thinking really necessary for them. They are nearly fully formed, completely quirky and sometimes (shhhh don’t tell anyone) they talk. I mean I’ll just pop open my mouth and out will come this line of dialogue that I know is coming from one of them.

Now, I live alone with my two cats. They don’t mind this so much. But it occurred to me last night that this is a little strange. There I am thinking about this scene, and out comes this line from one of the characters (which actually made me laugh). I quickly put my hand over my mouth afraid that the loony bin people would come to get me.

It is sort of crazy. If not downright schizophrenic. I know the oddest facts about these characters. I can hear them. I can think of memories they had as children. And obviously I know what they’ll say in certain circumstances.
People always ask… Where do you come up with your ideas? As writers we just smile and say “I don’t know. It just happens.” Sure sometimes we can push it a little, egg it on, use dream therapy or whatever. We can identify elements in people we know or see and incorporate them into our characters. Or we might even start off with an idea and develop a character around that. I want to write about a blind person, or someone with a speech impediment. Something like that.

But at the end of the day, when we're writing this stuff down and the words are coming out (on paper this time which is perfectly acceptable) do we really know know where this stuff is coming from?

I don’t think I do. Do you?

Work Expands

For me, work always expands to fill the available space.

No matter how much time I have, no matter how hard I feel like I'm working, no matter how "ahead of the game" I feel at times during the process, I seem to be incapable of finishing anything early.

Does this happen to anyone else?

Right now, I'm praying this rule also works in reverse. That the number of hours it will take to write my current WIP will contract to fit the available space. Cause it's small.

Wish me luck.

The Good, the Bad and the WTF??????

So the reviews are starting to come in for my March release, Don't Kill the Messenger, and I am pretty darn excited. Romantic Times gave the book four and a half stars! I've never gotten four and a half stars from Romantic Times. Four, yes. Four and a half, never. I am thrilled.

Then I found out that Publishers Weekly gave it a STARRED review! I've had one previous Publishers Weekly review and let me tell you, I was excited about that. Having a starred review? Put me right over the moon.

So that's the good and honestly, there isn't much bad yet. I've found most review sites would just as soon ignore a book they don't care for as publish a snarky review. There will be something, though. Someone will post something unpleasant on Amazon and someone trying to be helpful will tell me about it and I will break my rule about never ever reading Amazon reviews to go look at it and then be upset by it. But that's later.

As for WTF, well, Harriet Klausner reviewed my book. This is not a surprise. Harriet reviews every book or at least it seems like she does. She posts hundreds of reviews on Amazon and Barnes and Noble and several other websites every month. In hushed back room circles, people complain about the numerous errors in her reviews and about her willingness to give away major plot points.

Case in point, she got the title of my book wrong in my last review from her. This time, however, she says that my book, " is a fun lighthearted formic even with blood flowing freely on the California streets."

What's a formic? According to dictionary.com, it means "of or pertaining to ants." There are no ants in my story. There is one aunt, but she's a tertiary character at best. I'm guessing she meant "frolic" or "comic" or maybe even "frolic comic," but she has plastered "formic" all over the freaking Internet.

And all I can say is WTF????

LEGION - Genre Done Right

I was going to say my brain is still on vacation - but the truth is, my brain is still on a layover in Charlotte with two kids. About all I'm capable of is pushing a stroller and handing out treats. We were in Florida this last week (FREEZING OUR BUMS OFF!) with my kids and my folks (husband is barely speaking to me) but we got out one night to see a movie and much to my amazement Adam agreed to go see Legion. Sci-fi is soooooo not his thing.

But halfway through he leaned over and whispered "this is so fun!"

And it was. It is. Legion is a great fun movie. Angels; good, bad and totally freaky, Tara from Friday Night Lights, Denise Quaid and Paul Bettenay looking fantastic - what is not to love? It was scary, funny, moving, thought-provoking and all around good fun. And I sat there with my sort of converted husband and thought - this is what good genre does. It does everything!

When genre - of any kind - is supported by great actors, great writing and a great twist on an old idea - it's the best kind of entertainment there is. It's also why fans of genre - of any kind - are so smart and at times hard to please - because they know what they want (and have incredibly fond memories of when they were totally satisfied by a storyteller) and should you fail in anyway, they turn on you.

This made me think of Dollhouse - which I really liked, but it fell down somewhere along the way and fans turned away from it. I think it's because Eliza what's her name, as the main character, wasn't enough to support the story/concept.

Anyway - go see Legion. And get in the stroller and eat the Spongebob Treat I just gave you and stop poking your sister!!!

I'm a little ashamed

Sorry for the late blog. Somedays just do not come together the way you hope and plan..

In fact make that some weeks...

I have been wracking my brain, searching for a highbrow topic to post on, but the truth is, all I want to talk about right now is The Vampire Diaries,
seriously, love this show and the more episodes they air, they more I really enjoy it.

I'm always curious when a new show does really well right off the bat, and this one did and while the cute vampires have a lot to do with it, it's more than that.
These writers know pacing. Nothing gets dragged out, the show continually surprises me with how quickly they resolve mysteries, and at the same time, drag three more into the spotlight. It reminds me of the best of the YA books I've read recently.

And they've reduced the amount of teenage diary love annoyance that was my problem initially with the show.

I still find the two main leads bland, but it doesn't bother me much. They have an unrepentant bad boy( and he is actually bad,) and they haven't even explained why he is the way he is, haven't even really hinted at it much, and it doesn't detract from the character much at all.

It doesn't make him unredeemable, they just aren't weighing him down with tortured backstory.
Something I think, would be interesting to use in the romance world. Sometimes a guy is bad, and he can still be redeemed.

Ocassionally I feel like a teenage girl while watching the show, but I find I'm anticipating it each week. I think right now, it's my absolute favourite show on tv.

The Girls in the Basement

I first heard that expression at an RWA National Conference. I’m not sure who was credited with it, but it’s a brilliant analogy. Then NINC adopted an article for their monthly newsletter titled the Care and Feeding of the Girls in the Basement, which reminded me that just because I had left them down there didn’t mean they were forgotten. Only that they weren’t ready for action yet.

I remember a conversation I had with my Dad about the idea. He passed this past year after a very long battle with Parkinsons. And he also suffered from dementia. But before things got bad he asked me about my writing. (My family mostly just accepts that I do it, loves to brag about it, and hopes it pays off.) But he asked about the process like he really wanted to understand how it all worked. I tried to explain to him about all these “girls” in the basement and how I pick what stories I’m going to tell.
Later when we eventually had to put him in assisted living I would visit him and he would say things like… “Is that witch still in the basement at your house?” My mother would shake her head to let me know that it wasn’t a good day for him, but I knew exactly what he meant. “Yeah Dad, she’s still there. Waiting.”

I recently called up a “girl” from the basement. An idea that had simmered down there for almost two, maybe three years. I know the characters. I know the story sort of. It sat down there because of the time period. (Victorian – which only recently has come back into play) It also sat down there because I knew I didn’t have the chops to pull it off. Four character POV. Just writing that scares the crap out of me.

Naturally, now is the worst time. I’m in midst of another proposal – which I should be focusing on. But it’s like I don’t have a choice. This “girl” is banging loudly and wants out. So I opened the door, let it into my head and now there is all this pressure on me to execute. Part of me is tempted to slam it back down, lock the door and never let this idea see the light of day. But of course I can’t.

So here I go again down a path that in reality is mostly likely to lead to failure. It’s an odd odd thing being a writer. I’m grateful I have a place to come like DWT and share stories that I know other writers will get.

I sent a silent prayer to my Dad last night to let him know the crazy suffragette, her detective maid, the Irish seaman who is afraid of water and the brilliant bastard lord are about to have their time in the sun.

Good luck guys. I hope I do right by you.

OMG I forgot to blog -- AGAIN

But it's still Wednesday, right?

I was excited to get an ARC of my friend Chevy Stevens' upcoming debut in the mail yesterday. Thanks, Chevy!!! **Maureen waves across the continent**

STILL MISSING, her debut thriller, is coming out in hardcover from St. Martin's on July 6, 2010, and is destined to be a bestseller. (And I already have a copy. Nya-nya-nya-nya Nya Nya.)

I'm sure we'll have Chevy stop by for a guest blog closer to the release date. Chevy, consider this an official invitation. You name the date. :-)

In other random thoughts. Does it bother anyone else that the Bachelor dude keeps taking these girls for dates on the back of his motorcycle? Picture this: he's dressed in a leather jacket, jeans, boots, gloves. Girls dressed in strapless cocktail dresses and high heels. I shudder thinking of the road rash. Even if he's careful, accidents happen.

Oh if that were the only thing that drove me crazy about The Bachelor! Why do I waste 45 min a week on that show? I can't help myself.

Best. Workshop. Ever.

I spent Saturday at the Sheraton Hotel in Sunnyvale, California at a workshop given by Donald Maas. You've probably guessed by the title of the post that I liked it.

I am a bit of a workshop junkie. I love them. I've learned so much going to workshops. I'll never forget my first RWA conference and what a total mind-blowing experience it was because of all the awesome workshops. Admittedly, I didn't know sh*t from shinola at that time, but while I now know that shinola was a shoe polish, I am always looking for some bit of information, some new way of looking at things, some special secret that will suddenly make this job easier or make my writing better.

I am often disappointed.

Sometimes I go to a workshop and the information is too basic for me. It's stuff I already know. Sometimes it's over my head. Saturday was perfect. I felt like the workshop was specifically for people just like me. People who understand a lot of the basics, but are looking for a way to take their writing to the next level.

I cannot wait. Can. Not. Wait. To start putting the techniques he taught to add tension to every scene into play. I've decided not to go back and rewrite the first 100 pages of the manuscript (I do have a deadline, after all), but will go forward using the techniques. I'm hopeful that I'll be able to get to those first 100 pages in revisions.

If he's in your area, run to his workshop. It rocked.

Robert DeNiro, voice and touching center

I was watching the Kennedy Center Honors for about the 80th time the other day (Springsteen was honored and oh! the speech by Jon Stewart! oh! the singing by Ben Harper oh! The close ups of Bruce's misty eyes and strange underbite.) But alongside Bruce they were honoring DeNiro. I'm a DeNiro fan, though his movies of late have been disappointing.

But I am totally aware of what he means to film acting - as Meryl Streep said - he took the lessons from Brando one step further. DeNiro is a trailblazer and the clips from all those early movies are simply reminders that this man created characters that are part of not only pop culture, but our collective consciousness. One after another - Raging Bull, Godfather II, Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, Goodfellas, Casino - seminal movies, seminal characters.

So, I was watching these clips, thinking - Bobby? Where have you gone?

And then Scorsese got up and talked, saying how - in their minds, at that time - there was nothing more dangerous than making those movies. And it dawned on me. Obviously, what was so amazing about those characters and DeNiro's portrayal of them was that he touched center. He got the danger and the fear and the violence. Something in his life connected to something in those lives. His art was dangerous so he got right under the skin of the dangerous characters.

Now, I'm guessing there's not much danger or fear in DeNiro's life these days - which is why his more recent characters seem cookie cutter. Except for those characters in which he makes fun of the old characters - Analyze This, The Fockers. Those are just good fun.

Which reminded me of something Eileen said about voice. That part of what makes up our voice are the characters and stories that we create time and time again. The themes that we always return to. Those things, on which, we touch center. And I think it's why some books we write are better than others - because some aspect of it our subconscious fully understands what we're trying to convey.

Sinead has this thing about really understanding what we're good at and trying to capitalize on that - and so far we talk about things like plot and characters and emotion. But I think we need to go one step further - what are the things we "get." Those books or scenes or ideas that come together like a boulder rolling downhill - why? And if we can distill the magic of why something works - can't we apply it to things that aren't working?

Or maybe, like DeNiro, somethings work and somethings don't. Be grateful when they do.

This scene is killing me

I thought I'd finished my current WIP. Truly believed it was done, was feeling pretty good, ready to send it out.
And then re-read the one scene I have now re-written at least five times. Five bloody times.
And it still sucks.
And now I'm looking down the ass end of another re-write of the same scene. And I know I've lost all perspective on the story, and very specifically, that scene.

But I can't send it out as it is. So I'm looking into ways of getting it right. I'm going to start writing it by hand, because obviously, writing it directly into the computer hasn't worked for me.
I might get up really early and see if some pre-dawn sleepiness will work on my head. (this is a serious sacrifice for a person with a baby, so you can see I'm desperate)

Other than that, I'm out of ideas. This is a pivotal scene and I can't get it wrong. Anyone have any suggestions for me.

Writing Fears...

Not a new topic I’m sure, but one that I’ve been experiencing more and more lately. When I started on this journey of writing romance I can assure you I believed by the very ripe age of (cough cough 40) that I would have my beach house (the only thing I want) and I would be a perennial bestseller (just because it would be really cool). How could I not? I was published at 26. I had a business plan. I was going to write category romance like Linda Howard and Jayne Ann Krentz and then I was eventually going to move into contemporary romantic suspense. I was going to build loyal readers and as I said by 40 I would be on top.

I still rent a shore house. I’ve only written 12 category romances for 5 different lines. I think in those same amount of years JAK must have written 100! I’ve developed no following whatsoever and the bestseller list is about as far away from me as Saturn. Those books that were supposed to “make it” - all currently collecting dust in a folder on my PC appropriately named “Someday Stories”. I prefer this to “Reject Folder.”

And because of this dramatic veering off from the “plan” it’s brought a lot of fear into my writing.

I’m about to try and write for another line. I’m nearly paralyzed with fear. Can I do this? This is not what I thought I could do. Will it work? Will I like it? Will I get half way through this story and realize it sucks?

As a kid – and let’s face it all 26 year-olds are kids – I had no fear. I wrote the story. I had confidence it would sell. I LOVED it when it was done. Now older and wiser, I worry if it will sell, if it will be reviewed well, if the numbers will be all right.

In a way – I want that cocky kid back. I want the writer who just did it because she loved it with no worries. Who was so confident that it would all work out in the end.

But in another way – a very strange way – I’m glad she’s gone too.
I don’t know what comes next. I have no idea if I can pull off this new story in my head. I’m scared sh**less. And it feels … exhilarating. There is a certain thrill about NOT having a plan. Anything can happen. I can write any story.

So I’m afraid… but I’m loving it. Make sense?

Momentum

Momentum is a fickle thing.

Your best friend when you've got it, or at least when it's moving in the right direction, and your worst enemy when it's stalled.

But the really great thing about momentum (sometimes) is that once it gets moving, it keeps itself moving and even builds. Until, of course, it decides to stall out and stop. Fickle.

And yes, I am trying to project control of my brain's and fingers' collective ability to get pages done on this new WIP onto some outside force. Trying to make it "not my fault". But the truth is that I've been struggling getting going on this one, and can hardly blame momentum. Inertia maybe? Something in science must be to blame, because it can't possibly be my creative juices, or my dedication, or my work ethic. ;-)

According to my trusty spreadsheet/plan, I was supposed to complete the first draft of said WIP by, well, tomorrow. And let me tell you, even if I pulled an all nighter, that ain't gonna happen.

But I did finally feel today (yesterday) like I finally found some forward momentum. Yippee!

Any tips for keeping it rolling in the right direction?

Too much of a good thing

Last week, I posted about relatability, specifically how important it was to be able to relate to a character to get into the story. This week, I'm posting about how a story can have too much relatability, at least for me.

My book group (Love you, BDBC!) decided to read The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion. Actually, they've been trying to read this for a while and I keep talking them out of it. They finally scheduled it for this month.

TYMT is a memoir about Didion's life the year after her husband died. My own husband died in 1999 of a brain tumor. To say that the year of his illness and his eventual death was a watershed event in my life doesn't begin to sum up how losing him changed me. I will never be the same person I was before the day that he had that first seizure and we ended up in the emergency room hearing words like occipital lobe and gliosarcoma.

It's been more than ten years for me. While I've reconciled myself to the idea that I will never be able to put all of it behind me or truly "get over" it, I have gone on. Didion's book sucked me right back to that year after Fred died. I have read other books with widows in them and even cried at their loss, none of them has hit me like this book. At 35 pages in, I found myself starting to hyperventilate. At 82 pages in, I woke up in the morning with the pit in my stomach and the rock in my chest that I had thought would be my permanent state of being in the two years after Fred's death.

I stopped reading it. I can't go back there. Part of me would love to reread some sections to see how she did what she did, but I don't think I have the emotional fortitude. In one of those bizarre twists, I am not the only widow in my book group. There are three of us. I e-mailed on of the other women and she's not having the same experience with the book I am. She finds the parallels between Didion's experience and her own comforting for the same reasons I find them devastating.

So how much is too much? Have you ever read a book that affected you so strongly that you had to stop reading it?

Stress And You...and Me...but Mostly Maureen

At the latest Drunk Writer Talk (Steph, Eileen, you were missed. We toasted you often) Maureen was talking about her stress level due to the deadlines for her books but as of the third pint she was going to try and stop living her life in a writer's panic.

And I said: "wait a second! I'm living in a writer's panic"

And then Sinead said: "more cider!"

Or something like that. But we did talk about stress and frankly, how utterly unavoidable it is.

I'm not even going to discuss the stress of waiting, of being on submission and spending every moment of your life denying the deadly siren call of booze, chocolate and your email inbox. And I'm not going to talk about the stress of rejection which can, in turn, make you fighting angry, or reduce you to a quivering mass of insecurity. I'm not going to talk about bad covers, bad reviews, low sell-through numbers or option books. Because, frankly, those are the given stresses. The kinds that come with the business of writing and we all know - business is stressful.

It's the secret stress that's killing me. The writing stress. Coming up with crap that is interesting and in some way unexpected, but also totally satisfying - stressful. Then remembering that crap when you're in the process of switching it all around. Sure, you can have notes and programs, but things are going to slip through the holes in our Swiss cheese brains. Knowing something is wrong, but not being sure how to fix it. And then realizes what will fix it requires pretty much a total rewrite - which means coming up with new crap.

And it would be one thing if we could all go to our office, work for a few hours, go to lunch, come back work a few more hours and then leave all that work behind and get back to a life. But we can't because we're writers. So, we're writing in the car on our way to holiday parties like Eileen. We're waking up at some stupid hour so we can get ten pages in like Stephanie. F***ing Sinead, has a new baby, is moving next week and she's heading to her computer every night to work on a new project. What the what???

Maureen and I are both on deadline - Maureen's is insane. She's got to write 23 hours out of 24 and the few hours she spends getting plastered with her writing buddies - are hours she should be thinking about fairy tales. Every minute I'm not at my computer right now is a minute that stresses me out, because I'm sure with just three hours in a row I could get past the hump in my rewrite. But all this life is getting in my way.

The agony of a writer's life is that when things are going well - we live in a panic. Of course, when things aren't going well - we also live in a panic.

Writer's stress - totally unavoidable.

The Biggest Loser and Legally Blond

I just started watching the Biggest Loser and I have to admit, I find it pretty compelling tv. I like that, on the whole, the competitors develop a real caring for each other, and seem genuinely distraught when one is voted off the show.
But what the Biggest Loser really does is give us the perfect hero/heroine at the beginning of the show and then shows us them overcoming odds and adversity, and one screaming woman, to become the person they want to be.
So smart. On the first show, they bring in these very overweight people and on national tv, show exactly what they weigh and in agonizing detail, show us the shame and hopelessness on their faces.
Then they torture them for weeks on end. Seriously, those workout sessions go on for hours every day. (and yet whenever I watch it, I feel the need to workout)
In the process, our hopeless, overweight protagonists gain what they want the most, weightloss.
It's a pretty classic story structure.

I watched the beginning of Legally Blond the other day, and yes, the pretty, thin blond girl has little to do physically with the overweight contestants on The Biggest Loser, but the movie does something very similar to Elle.
They take everything from her, her boyfriend, her popularity, her success in school, until she is miserable, and then they give it back to her.

Seeing someone at their lowest point, and watching them regain what they have always wanted is fascinating, compelling entertainment, in any genre.

Different types of heroes...

I’m cheating a little bit by using a blog post I already posted this week on eHarlequin. But I figure it’s still a pretty good topic.

I’m on record as being a reality TV fan. (Frankly, I thought the Bachelor was one of the most entertaining moments in TV this week… when confronted with kissing the cameraman the lovely model said… “I don’t think my personal life is anyone’s business.” Uh…you’re on a dating show. Yeah it sort of is.)

My other favorite, beyond Idol, is Survivor. After 20 seasons in 10 years I still go back time and time again. The reason is that throughout the seasons true heroes have emerged. Men and women who have been stronger than others, skilled at leadership and able to mentally withstand various different challenges. The “alpha” is alive and well and this show highlights that.

As a fan of romance that features alpha characters, both male and female I love watching to see how they emerge and the different characteristics these people can have. Some are straight up, honest, hardworking stalwarts. Some are charismatic and charming. And others are devious and manipulative and don’t pull any punches to get what they want.

This next season will feature Survivor All Stars: Heroes vs. Villains. And it brings back two of my all time favorites. Tom the fireman and Boston Rob. I was so excited these two particular men were returning because for me they really showcase the opposite spectrum of the romance heroes we love to read about.

Tom dominated the game. Through strength and mental toughness. He was simply bigger than life. A man in his late forties he schooled the younger men with his prowess and never once had to lie or connive to make his way to the top. He was the leader from day one and he won with a unanimous vote.

Boston Rob also dominated the game. Through his strength but also his charm. He attracted people and made them loyal to him, even though they knew he wasn’t always trustworthy. He found the strongest woman on the show, aligned with her and then (much to my delight) fell in love with her. They became an awesome power team. When it was over the outcasts hated him, so they gave her the money. But it was too late. Rob had already proposed so in a sense the money was his. At one point mid-season he said to the camera…. “At the end of this thing either she’s going to be spending my money or I’m going to be spending hers.”

Now I get to watch as these two types pit their skills against each other. Throw in some strong women, some sinister folks and you’ve got a recipe for great drama. At least I hope so.

So tell me – are you an alpha fan? And what aspects of the alpha attract you the most?

Stuff I Like

So, I missed all the best of 2009 posts because I was scrambling to meet a deadline. I'm scrambling toward an even scarier deadline now, but figure I'd better get something posted on this blog this week, or I'll be replaced. And at least I'll have written something today. (Don't ask.)

Unlike Molly and Stephanie, I'm not so good with lists. Every time Molly asks me for a top 10 list I panic. The pressure's too high. What if I miss something really great?

Okay, the truth is that my brain's simply not quick enough these days to come up with a list on the spot.

But here are a few random great things from 2009.

The Hurt Locker

Okay, just looked up a review I wrote about this film when I saw it, only to realize that I actually saw this film in 2008. Ooops. But it was released in theaters in 2009 and might be up for Oscars this year, and let's just say, I think it deserves some. Stunning performance from the lead actor, some great cameos by famous actors and a non-traditional storytelling structure that really worked.

Star Trek

Okay, how's that for jumping from a limited release movie to a blockbuster. But I grinned all the way through this fast paced, smartly written movie. Fun. Fun. Fun.

500 Days of Summer

Another clever, funny, smart movie that's not what you expect, had a cool storytelling structure, and made me laugh out loud before the title even appeared on the screen. (Seriously. Do not miss the "disclaimer" at the very beginning.) This film gets the slightly satirical tone perfect, being both romantic and a send up of romantic comedies at the same time.

Avatar

Unobtanium aside (OMG did they really think it was a good idea to call it that???) I loved this movie. Spectacular to look at, sure, but felt like more than merely a special effects movie to me, and certainly didn't feel like an animated film like the very creepy Polar Express from a few years ago. I actually thought the acting in this film was believable too, and while the story is fairly predictable, the context and world were different enough to make it fresh.

Mad Men

Continues to raise the bar for good TV. I was blown away by the final episode this past season and can't wait for it to come back.

Battlestar Gallactica

Can't believe it's over. But also glad they didn't keep going until it got dull or jumped the shark.

The Wire

I know this is old, but I watched all five seasons in 2009. Awesome. Idris Elba aside, I think Season Four was my favorite. Heartbreaking. I liked the idea and theme of Season Five, but it jumped the shark a bit for me in terms of the things the cops did. Hmmm... Just realized I believed the "Hamsterdam" thing in season 3, but didn't believe that fake serial killer thing in season 5. Or at least not that those particular characters would've done it.

Modern Family

I think the pilot episode of this new show is the best written 30 minutes of TV I've ever seen. (Okay, maybe even with the pilot episode of Mad Men.) I still have it saved on my DVR and although I must have watched it 5 or 6 times by now, I laugh out loud every time. To me this is a show where the writing and acting are so good, I see new things every time I watch. I wish I'd saved the second one where Cam and Mitchell take Lilly to the playgroup and Mitchell cheats at blocks. Seriously. Will have to buy this show on DVD. Cracks me up. And I think it's because most of the comedy comes from the characters not the situations... Hmmm.. Will have to think on that some more.

Glee

Most weeks just plain fun. And so audacious. Love it. I'm having trouble believing they'll be able to carry this show over multiple seasons, but who cares. We'll always have 2009. ;-)

Vampire Diaries

This one falls under the category of big surprises for me. Did not expect to like it, but really got hooked and looking forward to when it comes back on. Blogged about it here.

Hunger Games and Catching Fire

Gobbled up these two books. Catching Fire had a bit too much "recapping" at the beginning, but I was so eager to read it, I didn't care. If you haven't tried these books, go buy them now. The third book in the series comes out this fall and I can't wait.

Relatability and the Cone of Shame

I saw UP last week. Yes, I'm aware that the rest of the planet saw it last summer, but I saw it last week. I was prepared to be disappointed because everyone had raved about how great it was and knew my expectations would be too high (WALL*E, anyone? Anyone? Buehler?).

I loved it. I cried like a baby during that opening montage. Sniffled my way through parts of it, laughed out loud at much of it and just wanted to hug everyone at the end of it although I'm SERIOUSLY worried about Russell. How much longer can Carl last? Must the poor child lose another father figure? Will the residuals pay enough to cover that much therapy? Why am I that worried about an animated person?

I can answer the last question with one word that I'm pretty sure I made up since the dictionary is not recognizing it: relatability.

We all know a Russell, a kid who is trying to achieve to win a parent's love and attention. Hell, some of us have been a Russell.

Then there is the Cone of Shame. If there is one thing from the movie I hear quoted again and again, it's "I do not like the Cone of Shame." Well, that and "SQUIRREL!!!" We currently have a cat wearing a Cone of Shame (see photo on the left). He lifted his head up and meowed when Dug said his quotable line.

We've all seen dogs or cats wearing those and can see them cringing inside them. More importantly, we have all had moments in our lives when we've had to face the world with whatever our equivalent Cone of Shame is: a bad hair cut, a zit on the end of our nose, that irritating 20 pound weight gain, the loss of a contract. We know that cringing feeling inside the Cone of Shame. We relate to it.

Yesterday, Molly blogged about historicals. I said my problem was that I often didn't relate to the problems the characters face. Their Cones of Shame don't make me cringe inside. That said, I've read a few contemporaries with Cones of Shame that didn't mean much to me either. I'm beginning to think my problem isn't genre (contemporary vs. historical), but whether or not something in the character lets me relate to them and to their problem.

I understood Russell's Cone of Shame and Carl's, so I related to the movie. Find me an historical character whose Cone of Shame makes sense to me and I'll relate to that, too!

Historical Romance is Ruining Me....

My love affair with romance started with Harlequin Desire and while I kept reading category contemporary romance, I soon found historicals and...well, that was that. As a teenager the drama and repressed emotion found in regency England ballrooms was a heck of a lot like the drama and repressed emotion found at good old RTHS.

The conventions of historical romance get me every time. I adore absolutely adore long conversations wherein the characters don't talk about what really needs to be talked about because the CAN'T. Society dictates they not talk about that kiss, or their past, or what he said at the soiree, or her drunk uncle or his bankruptcy. All that subtext is delicious. Kills me.

I also love a good misunderstanding - as long as it's short and sweet and doesn't get too ridiculous. A misunderstanding can be bigger and go longer in historicals because of all those conversations they can't have.

Forced marriages, marriages of convenience all work better in historical. They rarely work at all in contemporaries - because marriage isn't what it used to be.

And therein lies my problem. I keep trying to put these conventions to work in my books and they fail - miserably. Maybe I'm just doing them wrong. This conversation with my editor that resulted in a giant rewrite was all about the fact that characters not having a conversation they need to have - is not a plot point. It isn't satisfying and it didn't work. In contemporary romance those conversations need to be had and they need to make things worse between the characters.

I swear I knew that.

The other big change was about a secret that starts in Chapter 2 and is revealed at the end of the book. Not much changes about this secret - stakes don't get changed all that much. It's a static subplot. And I think that was part of what bugged my about the Hoyt series - that mystery was so stagnant. Who was the traitor? For four books. Anyway -that's a side note.

I have to take a historical break and get back to some contemporaries. Victoria Dahl's new one is getting rave reviews - I'll start there.

Demented fairy tales

The demented stands for the women who actually campaigned to be on the Bachelor and fairy tale, because I lost count of the number of women who used that termt to describe the situation. Twenty five women competing for the attention of one man.

It's a train wreck of low self-esteem and impossible expectations. A scary number of women admitted to being ready to marry some man they'd never met before, because they deserved him, and they wanted kids right away.

And as I watched the show, I thought, more of these women need to be romance novels. Our genre takes a lot of crap for sustaining unrealistic expectations, but the vast majority of romance novels describe a relationship worked out by two people interacting a lot, overcoming obstacles and getting to know each other and falling in love because of who the person is, not what they've seen on TV.

But then again, if the bachelor show found twenty five intelligent, reasonable women, there wouldn't be much of a show.

And I'm going to try never to watch it again. It sort of makes me angry.

Revenge...

I want revenge against a lot of things. And since I, like Molly, am a big fan of lists here it goes…

1. Valerie Bertinelli - for getting into that freakin bikini and making me think that it’s possible.
2. My treadmill – for the recent torture it has inflicted on me.
3. All people with good metabolism – including my two sisters. (Are you all sensing a pattern… day 3 of jogging sucks!)
4. Movie screen writers - the ones who make six and seven figures for writing unoriginal crap.
5. Aaron Sorkin - for leaving me without television like the West Wing. I miss you Aaron.
6. My inner muse – for handing me stories about a mute witch, an American Revolutionary and a Viking that I can do nothing with. (Not really inner muse – you know I love you. Just keep it coming.)
7. My writing ability – for failing me at crucial moments. Like when I thought I had a great idea but didn’t execute it well enough to attract anyone’s notice.
8. My assistant – for telling me I really should read New Moon.
9. My favorite authors - for not being able to produce books faster but also for not taking the time to make each book as good as the last because they’re going too fast. (Seems unfair I know, but it’s my list!)
10. Time – for not giving me enough of it in a day to sleep as much as I want, write as much as I want and exercise as much as I need. (Oh wait… that’s not time. That’s my day job.)

Who/What do you want revenge against?

The Joys of Fictional Revenge

From our guest Drunk Writer Eileen Cook

People always want to know if I’ve ever sought revenge like the main character in GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD. Obviously, due to legal implications there is no way I’m going to admit to anything. If you crossed me earlier in life and now that you’ve read the book you’re wondering if what happened with your favorite pair of jeans maybe wasn’t an accident… well, I can neither confirm nor deny anything.

What should be clear is that people shouldn’t mess with us writer types. We’re a lethal combination of overly sensitive and creative. Our imaginations are capable of creating entire new worlds, people, and futures. Coming up with a way to mess someone up is practically easy. Luckily, we’re typically satisfied to have those that cross us have their brains sucked out of their nostrils by hungry zombies on the page and don’t need to take our revenge into the real world.

I actually prefer fictional revenge. You’re highly unlikely to jail time for fiction. Plus, it can be really hard to find a hungry zombie when you need one. They’re highly unreliable. For me, writing has always been a cathartic way to deal with strong emotions: anger, passion, despair. There’s a release that comes with letting those thoughts that we normally keep locked down, tucked away from public viewing, out for some free time. On the page, unlike life you want to constantly increase conflict. You push your characters to the breaking point to show that even what seemed imaginable can be survived.

Writing allows us to put old demons to bed. (I like to picture them in footie jammies) We’re able to play things out on the page and let them go. Writers don’t need to live in the past, because we can live in any world we can imagine. And we can imagine better than just about anyone.

Thanks for having me!

Presenting Eileen Cook!

It is my great pleasure to present to all of you, regardless of your state of sobriety, the adorable and talented Eileen Cook.

I first met Eileen at RWA Nationals in Atlanta a few years ago. She had been a regular commenter on another group blog I participated in (oh, how I miss thee, Literary Chicks) and wanted to know exactly how pissed off I was at the fact that no one could tell her comments from mine. One look into her big beautiful eyes and I wasn't pissed off at all, although I did later insist that she be given a nick

name to tell us apart. Please feel free to refer to her as Shoop from now on.

What followed has been, for me, a beautiful friendship. We've done a workshop together and traveled a bit together and Shoop is a peach, even when her pneumonia is acting up so badly that she makes a funny little squeaking sound every time she inhales. Her books make me laugh in embarrassing snorts, she likes red wine and we're thrilled to have her here as our guest at Drunk Writer Talk.

As an added bonus, Eileen is offering to give away a signed copy of her latest book, GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD to one lucky commenter here this week!

Without further ado, here's Eileen!

What inspired you to write GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD?

I was an English major in college. I recently re-read THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO. It had everything- best friends, betrayal, revenge, secret identities. I started to think how interesting it would be to play the story out in a modern day high school, from there I was off and running. I also believe the desire for revenge is universal. Most people I know have been hurt at some point in their life and dreamed of getting that person back. Writing about it was very cathartic.

Your first book, the extremely funny and touching UNPREDICTABLE, was a chick lit novel. You've made the switch to writing YA with WHAT WOULD EMMA DO and now GETTING REVENGE ON LAUREN WOOD. What led you to that change? Was it difficult to make that swtich?

The change was remarkably easy to make. I don't see a huge difference in writing for teens versus adults. YA books are dealing with a range of subjects and if anything the intensity is that much stronger. When you're a teen you haven't built up a crusty exterior yet, you feel things deeply. When you love someone, no one has loved like you have, and when you hate someone...look out. This intensity makes it really fun to write. There is also the possibility that I never really grew up and that is why writing for teens feels so natural.

WHAT WOULD EMMA DO? is also a retelling of a classic. What is about retelling or re-imagining a story that attracts you to a project?

I was one of those weird people who actually enjoyed reading the classics in school. One reason people tend to dislike them is because they see them as un-relateable. They can't imagine how the characters have anything to tell them in this time. I love playing with the story and seeing how it can be played out with a modern twist. The themes are timeless. I've been contacted by a few English teachers who have used my book in conjunction with the original classic. If something I write has the opportunity to make people more interested in reading the the classic then I'm thrilled.

What's next for you?

I am very excited to announce that just before Christmas I signed a two book deal with my publisher. I'm working on a book that is a twist on THE SCARLET LETTER. I'm also working on a middle grade series with a girl who comes from a fairy godmother family. The only wish she's interested in granting is her own- to be normal. Unfortunately for her, being normal doesn't come easy.

Happy New Year - Recapturing the joy

The end of a year usually leaves me contemplative. And this year is no exception. Recessions, book publishing in crisis, people worried for their jobs, their futures, their writing careers, these are what come to mind when I think back on 2009.

Not a great legacy for a year.

But for me what I want from 2010, is a complete and total return to the joy I once got from watching movies, tv, reading a great book. This year I am going to turn my inner critic off, because I want to watch a movie and experience the sheer rush of exhileration that I got from watching Jaws, or Raiders, for the first time.

As writers we teach ourselves to be critical. How else do we get better, but there has to be way to turn it off. I used to love certain authors, certain books, and re-read them all the time. I can still read the books I loved before I started writing, but rarely feel that way about any I've read since. (I appreciate the artistry and the effort but rarely do I reread a book anymore), and I will recapture that this year. And if I'm lucky, Judith McNaught will publish something magnificent this year.
(Judith, no stress or anything)

And this year, I'm writing just for the joy. I'm writing stories and characters, simply because they fascinate me.

Not the fastest route to publication, but the one that gives me the most joy.

And much more drunk writer talk.

Hello 2010