Writers' Wednesday: What's on Your Wish List?

Hi writers (and readers!) What's on your wish list for books this year? Do you buy books for yourself for the holidays? For others? Heck, does anyone still buy books period? Or are they all electronic downloads straight to your Nook or Kindle or iPad these days?

On my list of books I'd like to read in the next few months:

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult

What about you??

Friday Fun Facts: Shout-Outs for Writers

Hey writers - if you'd like to join me for a blog hop, let me know! I'll "tag" you on Wednesday October 24th and then you'll post on October 31st (ooh...Halloween...could be fun!) All you have to do is talk about your latest book. Easy and enjoyable, right?

And another heads-up for writers: my local RWA chapter, the Hudson Valley RWA, is now taking entries for our "Hook, Line, and Sinker" contest. More info here, but here are the best parts: only a $10 entry fee to have your first 3 pages read, and the finalists will be judged by Harlequin senior editor Brenda Chin. Published and unpublished/trained judges, with great feedback for all entrants. Deadline: November 1st!!

Happy weekend, everyone. Enjoy and write on :)

Writers' Wednesday: A Free Read and Lots of Goodies!

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I'm super-excited to share some good news for my fellow romance author, Diane Craver:

First off, her book Marrying Mallory is currently a Free Read at Amazon, so if you're looking for a good story, hope on over and download yourself a copy. It's only free 'til Thursday, though!

Second, to celebrate the release of A Joyful Break, her Amish romance, Diane's having a contest over at her blog with several giveaways – a $15 GC to Amazon, $10 for Bath and Body Works and book giveaways.Here's the link so you can find out more :)

I'm always happy to share the news when it comes to writing friends, so if you have some links or announcements, email me!

Monday Mentionables: Who's Your Skeptic?

I was talking to a writer friend of mine over the weekend, and our conversation inevitably turned to those sticky moments in a story when you know that what you're writing might not be entirely believable to the reader, but you really need the plot to go in a certain direction, so you hope your reader will suspend disbelief long enough for you to get there.

Sound familiar?

Sometimes it works; sometimes readers aren't that patient. I took an online workshop over the summer that addressed that problem in a great way, though: make sure you have a minor character who works as the "skeptic" in your story.

Simply put, have a minor character voice the doubts you know your reader will be having at any given point. Know your main character shouldn't fly to Iceland after his estranged girlfriend without a plan? Have his best friend tell him all the reasons he's being an idiot for getting on that plane. Know your reader will wonder why the heroine is letting a stranger into her apartment when three other women in the apartment complex have been killed? Have her mother tell her so over the phone (right before calling the police because her daughter's clearly lost all rational thought).

Those skeptical comments from other characters in the story will signal to your reader that you as the author are still in control of this story. You've put your characters in questionable situations, yes, BUT never fear: all will turn out well, and you know exactly where you're going with your plot.

I really connected with this piece of advice when I heard it; it made a lot of sense. And it's already saved me with a couple of plot problems in my current WIP. Try it; add it to your arsenal for those times you write yourself into a situation that seems questionable even to you ;)

Happy writing!

Friday Fun Facts: News for Writers

Hey writers, here are two links for you to check out today:

The Romance Studio is holding a blow-out Columbus Day sale: Buy One Get Four Free! Yes, Four. Looking for some advertising at really reasonable prices? Click here for more information.

America's Next Author is a writing contest judged by the online public (and some industry professional judges too). The prize? $5,000. More info here.

Happy writing, and happy weekend!

Writers' Wednesday: Best First Chapter Contest!!

Thanks to everyone who voted in D. Renee Bagby's "First Chapter" contest! My novel Summer's Song tied for Best First Chapter of August!

And if you'd like to hear part of that first chapter, go right on over here to Audible, where you can get a sneak peek!

Monday Mentionables: Favorite Covers, Favorite Lines

Hmmm....what's mentionable in the world of my writing today? Well, I did finish proofing the audio files for One Night in Napa over the weekend - and the coolest thing about that was that I didn't want to stop listening. I love that story :)

I also love that cover:

I also finally had a chance to dig myself out from under a ton of student paperwork and do some writing of my own. I'm back at work on the sequel to Beacon of Love, starting  at the beginning with some major changes needed, but I did work my way through 3 chapters. So I'm feeling as though I accomplished something!

Favorite lines from what I wrote this weekend:

Waverly breathed deeply, and that's when she saw it. A small wooden cross, faded with weather and years, sat embedded in the ground near her feet. She kneeled. No words, no writing at all. Was that for us? She touched it and waited for a jolt of memory to shock her. It didn't. She closed her eyes, and her chest ached at the emptiness. She'd never realized that the loss of memory, even a horrible one, was a loss all the same.

Happy Monday, everyone!

Friday Fun Facts: Small Town Charm

Happy Friday! I'm so swamped with school work I can barely breathe these days...Septembers seem to get crazier every year. Still, I try to take a moment or two each day to tear my mind away from work - and yesterday as I was leaving school, I happened to catch sight of this:

They waited patiently for the light to change, then turned onto Main Street. I love the rush of city life, but oh yes there is something about small towns that absolutely charms the heart :)

Enjoy your weekend!

Writers' Wednesday: Call for Submissions from Lyrical Press

Hello all writers! One of my publishers, Lyrical Press, has just announced the opening of 4 new lines, and they're seeking submissions for all of them! Here's the skinny:

Embrace

• Fresh take on popular contemporary romance tropes.

• 40,000 – 70,000 words

• Tropes considered, but are not limited to: Enemies to Lovers, Boss/Employee to Lovers, Reformed Rake, Millionaire Playboy, The Love Triangle.

• Engaging hero. Alpha male preferred.

• Believable, relatable and likable heroine.

• Heat level can range from sweet to spicy.

• Erotic romance will not be considered for Embrace.

• Digital. Print option based on digital sales.

• Please include Embrace in the subject line of your query, word count and trope used in the body of your email.

 

Detailed submission guidelines here: http://www.lyricalpress.com/submissions.html

Please submit to: submissions@lyricalpress.com

 

Once Upon

• Erotic twist on fairytales, myths, legends and folklore.

• 30,000 – 95,000 words

• Tortured hero/heroine is always a plus

• Alpha males are a must.

• Heat level can range from sensual to red-hot.

• Erotic romance welcome for Once Upon

• Digital only.

• Please include Once Upon in the subject line of your query, and word count, fairytale, myth, legend, or folklore used in the body of your email.

Detailed submission guidelines here: http://www.lyricalpress.com/submissions.html

Please submit to: submissions@lyricalpress.com

 

Hometown Heroes

• Fresh take on small town contemporary romance.

• 40,000 – 70,000 words

• Tropes considered, but are not limited to: Best friend’s sibling…all grown up, Childhood enemies to lovers, The bad-boy next door, Just came to town.

• Engaging hero. Beta heroes welcome.

• Believable, relatable and likable heroine.

• Heat level can range from sweet to spicy.

• Erotic romance will not be considered for Hometown Heroes.

• Digital. Print option based on digital sales.

• Please include Hometown Heroes in the subject line of your query, word count and trope used in the body of your email.

 

Detailed submission guidelines here: http://www.lyricalpress.com/submissions.html

Please submit to: submissions@lyricalpress.com

 

Vintage

• Modern take on retro-style period romance.

• 40,000 – 95,000 words

• Authors we love: Johanna Lindsey. Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Julie Garwood, Rosemary Rogers)

• Periods considered: Regency, Viking, Victorian, Medieval, Tudor, Pirate, Western, Native American.

• Tortured hero/heroine is always a plus

• Alpha males are a must.

• Heat level can range from sensual to red-hot.

• Erotic romance welcome for Vintage.

• Digital and print.

• Please include Vintage in the subject line of your query, word count and period used in the body of your email.

 

Detailed submission guidelines here: http://www.lyricalpress.com/submissions.html

Please submit to: submissions@lyricalpress.com

 

 

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Reply to Lyrical Press

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Monday Mentionables: Avoid the "Threes"

"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” (Ernest Hemingway)

Have you ever heard that expression, "Bad things happen in threes?" I actually looked up the origin, and here's what I found: This is a well-attested folk superstition on both sides of the Atlantic: [1891 Notes & Queries 7th Ser. XII. 489] . It does seem to happen that way, doesn't it? We twist our ankle going downstairs, run out of gas on the way to work, and then wait for the third lousy occurrence to happen later that day, whether it's dropping lunch on the floor, losing a client to a competitor, or even missing the elevator so that we're late to our favorite class at the gym.

Consider this: A sequence of threes is not a good thing in writing either.

I've been spending the last couple of weeks proofing the audio files for my books One Night in Boston (my first) and One Night in Napa(my fourth). Both are coming out as audio books in early 2013 within a few weeks of each other, just sort of the way the timing worked out with the narrators. First off, I'll say that it's interesting to revisit books I haven't read through in years. Interesting and cool, too. It's also obvious that my writing has grown since that first book, most notably in my reliance (or lack of reliance these days) on the use of series of threes:

"I need that list. I need a map of Boston. I need to find out if anyone named Dillon Murphy is listed in the phone book."

"He should have known better. He should have waited for Sam to leave. He should have locked the door behind his friend."

"What do you need to say? That you're going to whisk her away from her life? That you're still in love with her? That everything will be just like it was back in college?"

See? After awhile this pattern of threes becomes sort of like the adage's "bad things" - you want to avoid it. So for newer writers, especially, keep an eye out. Do you fall into patterns, like the use of a series of threes in your descriptions? Consider cutting and varying those patterns whenever you can. I found that there are hardly any in One Night in Napa, and I do think it's better for that.

It's cool to see your own writing mature over the years and over the books...so soldier on, fellow writers! Keep writing and keep learning :)

Friday Fun Facts: I'm up for "Best of "August"!

Happy Friday, readers! My first chapters and book covers that were featured over at D. Renee Bagby's "First Chapter" blog are now up for "Best of..." voting for the month of August. I'd love for you to help me win bragging rights!

The poll is right here (and hey, if you don't feel like reading all those chapters, maybe possibly you could just vote for one of my covers? Please? I do love them...and I have a few in the running).

Please share the news with your followers too - it's always nice to gain a little recognition in that big bad publishing and marketing world!

Writers' Wednesday:Another Place to Promote

Hey fellow writers, just a quick mention for a possible promo avenue: Affaire deCoeure magazine is actively soliciting writers to participate in a variety of advertising options. Looks like they have both online and print options, for pretty reasonable prices, so you might want to check it out.

Also, Samhain Publishing is looking for readers!! Want to receive their newsletter? Sign up by clicking here. Though I haven't published with them in a while, I still stand by the quality of their product. If you're looking for a good read, Samhain is a great place to start.

Happy reading!

Monday Mentionables: What Does Your Place Say About You?

“I've heard that it's possible to grow up - I've just never met anyone who's actually done it. Without parents to defy, we break the rules we make for ourselves. We throw tantrums when things don't go our way, we whisper secrets with our best friends in the dark, we look for comfort where we can find it, and we hope - against all logic, against all experience. Like children, we never give up hope..."
(Meredith Grey)

Well, it's Monday of a 3-day weekend here in downstate New York, since the local schools observe Rosh Hashanah. I had never gotten Jewish holidays off from school before I moved here. Nor had I gotten 2-hour delays (in the event that weather is bad in the morning but improves so that the roads can be cleared) or, to be honest, snow days to speak of. I grew up in an area of NY where winter comes...and comes...and comes. If they closed school because of a few inches (or feet) of snow, we'd be going to school in July. So snowplows go out at 3 in the morning to make sure the roads are clear for the schoolbuses a few hours later. Actually, I have a very clear memory as a child of hearing the plows out on the roads before dawn, on a regular basis from December to March.

Here? They don't really clear the roads - not until the snow stops, anyway. And schools tend to close if there's even a hint of bad weather in the forecast. All depends on perspective, I guess. And I'm not really sure where I'm even going with thisblog post except that I find it interesting how we can be so shaped by the places where we grow up. When I was revising my novel One Night in Napa, my editor said to me, as I was cutting out parts of one chapter, "Please don't touch the paragraph on page....."

These are those lines she wanted me to keep:

"...Did children who lived in the shadows of a mountain range spend their earliest days looking up, dreaming, watching the clouds make shapes? If you moved those same children to a seaside home, would they lose that distant vision? Would they start looking out rather than up, or develop a rhythmic gait that matched the waves they slept and woke to? Did growing up inside a city of skyscrapers create tunnel vision from the day you were born? Or did living your earliest years inside gated walls mean that you looked at the world in fragments, in sliced-up pieces, so that you could never see the whole of something for what it truly was?"

I do truly believe in that influence of place on a person, and it's something for writers to consider as well. Where do your characters hail from? What does that say about them?

I'll be spending Rosh Hashanah not at school, thinking about it and working on my next project. Happy writing!

Writers' Wednesday: It's Audio Book Day!

"What if everything you knew about your past turned out to be wrong?"

Wow, well for me today it truly IS audio book day, in more than one respect. First and most exciting, Summer's Song releases in audio book format today from Audio Lark! That means if you haven't read it yet, and perhaps you have a commute or a trip coming up where you'll be plugged into your iPod for a while, give it a download and a listen! (P.S. - this is my favorite book :) (Another P.S. - I think my cover is the best one on the front page of the website today....what do you think??)

Also, today over at Savvy Authors you'll find my third blog post in a series about audio books that's appeared over the last 3 months. This month is an interview with the owner of Audio Lark, Jennifer Feddersen, and she shares some really interesting tips and insight about the world of audio book production.

Finally, I'm in the midst of audio book file proofing as we speak! I'm going over the files for both One Night in Boston and One Night in Napa over the next 2-3 weeks, and they're scheduled for release in early 2013. I've done it a few times now, but I have to say that it never gets old, hearing someone else read your words out loud. Such a cool thing :)

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Buy yourself an audio book today!!

September 11th: Do You Remember?

Tomorrow, of course, is September 11th. Do you remember where you were 11 years ago on that day? It's amazing to me that I can still recall exactly what I was wearing, where I was standing, and who told me when the first plane hit the first tower. I remember so much, so many details as the hours unfolded, and I can't believe it's been 11 years. Feels like it was just a year ago. I still have a hard time thinking about it or reading about it without getting choked up.

Prayers today for all those were lost, all those who said goodbye to a loved one that never came home, and all those who worked tirelessly for days and months afterwards to try and help the country heal. We keep moving forward, but we never forget.

Friday Fun Facts: Going Back to Work

"If you would thoroughly know anything, teach it to others."
(Tryon Edwards)

Ah, here we are: at the end of the first week of school. And what have I learned? Let's see....

That I don't talk nearly as much during the summer as during the school year. My throat is killing me after a full day of teaching!

That it's a challenge to wear heels again, after a summer in flip flops or bare feet. Ooh but legs are letting me know they're there!

That's is exhausting to be "on" for seven hours at a time, answering questions and fielding responses and having to constantly think about writing and words without much of a break.

That a classroom is a very cool place to be, because you never know what's coming out of a student's mouth at any given time.

That it is VERY difficult to teach in a room that's 80+ degrees and sweat is running down your back and you're really thinking about how soon you can walk down the hall to the air-conditioned office instead of helping students understand what a thesis sentence is and why it's so important.

That's it's nice to have the support of other teachers in the building who are bemoaning the same issues you are, and who desperately wait for the coffee to brew in the morning the same way you do.

That I have the best job in the world. Years ago, when I first started teaching, I used to think to myself that as long as my basic bills were paid, I would do the job for free. 15 years later, I still feel that way :)

Writers' Wednesday: Tips on Blog Tours and How to Deal with Being Orphaned

"We can smile even though we are hurting and we can feel happy even though we are unhappy. It's called strength." -Thea Destiny


OK, I did take Monday off in honor of Labor Day (and did some labor-intensive writing of my own...anyone else?)

For all you writers out there today, I wanted to pass share some info from the latest Romance Writers Report:

My local chapter member Jennifer Probst (and author of the wildly popular best-seller The Marriage Bargain) has a feature article on Successful Blog Tours. Among her pieces of advice: don't spread yourself too thin when you take on a blog tour for a new release; target your posts to the audience of the individual blogs; don't just re-process information in your posts (readers follow you!); give something away, because followers love prizes; and don't forget to thank your blog host!

Also, the article on being "orphaned" as an author hit home for me. If you are a writer, chances are you might lose your editor at some point. They move on. They make changes, they work up to other positions, and while that's great for them, sometimes it's not so great for their authors. I went through 2 editors at one publishing house. Both were great to work with, but my second one really "got" me and my books. She was a dream to work with, she loved my writing, and she contracted my projects and championed my work. I was so sad when she left :(

I approached my newly assigned editor professionally and with high hopes. Unfortunately, she and I didn't mesh. Over the next 3 years, she wasn't interested in anything I submitted to her. Finally, I moved on. Now, I have a new editor and a new publishing house, and I'm excited about the possibilties. What did I learn from this experience? The same things that are echoed in the RWR article: Always be professional, and don't give up. There are so many editors out there. Sometimes your new editor won't be a good match for you. That's just a sign that you're meant to sell that work to someone else. Don't be discouraged (believe me, I know it's tough not to be). Keep writing, keep going to conferences, keep honing your craft. You will sell again. You will!

Write on, friends :)

Friday Fun Facts: Favorite Lines!

Well, despite school starting up again, I did manage to squeeze a little writing in this week. Here are some favorite sections:

"He grinned, and that was even worse, the last piece to the puzzle that lit up his face and made his green eyes dance with flirtation. I wonder if I felt this way back then? If I just walked into a room or saw him on the beach and melted? Probably. Ten years didn’t change that much. It wasn’t a century, just a slim ol’ decade tucked into her back pocket. Barely any time at all."

"At nineteen, he thought he’d been caught in something silly and young. Thought it might last, thought it might grow, and if by chance it didn’t, thought he’d say goodbye without regrets. Took him ten years to realize that something like that, and someone like Waverly, came along once in a lifetime. Now, older and grayer, he had no intention of screwing things up again, of letting someone else tell him what he could and couldn’t do or have or want."

*****

And here are some things I realized I need to adjust/change/delete when I go back through the story:

1. I need to make the heroine's inner fear more apparent in the small ways she acts from the start.

2. I need to hide the antagonist from the hero earlier in the story.

3. I need to give the antoagonist a few likable qualities instead of being purely bad.

4. I need to make the hero more flawed (even as my inner self wants him to be perfect! from the start!)

And so the writing journey continues...

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Writers' Wednesday: The Persevering Heart

Hi folks! Because I am busy preparing lesson plans (and soon, grading first papers) AND trying to do a little writing on the side, today's post will consist of a fantastic picture/saying I found on Facebook the other day. I love it because I think it's true in so many elements of life: personal, professional, in terms of relationships and writing and moving on and new adventures and dealing with loss etc...

"No matter what happened yesterday, life’s relevance does not diminish. The persevering heart always gives it a new beginning." — Dodinsky

Monday Mentionables: A New Year Begins!

"There's no word in the language I revere more than 'teacher.' My heart sings when a kid refers to me as his teacher, and it always has. I've honored myself and the entire family of man by becoming a teacher." (Pat Conroy)

Ayayayay....where did the summer go? yes, I know: I was remiss last week in blogging, but I'm back now only to say it's the first day of school for me which means my whole lazy summer schedule has vanished for yet another year :(

Don't get me wrong; I love teaching. I also love that there's an ending to every year and a chance for rejuvenation before a whole new group of students arrives. And yes, I know many people out there will tell me to stop grumbling, because teachers have it so easy with summers off. To them I say, then you should be a teacher! Kidding aside, while it's certainly nice to have time off, I don't get paid during the summer, which means hubby and I either need to work side jobs  to pay the bills or save and budget very carefully from September to June so that we have enough in our bank account to cover them. We don't, as some people think, get paid for sitting home and doing nothing.

Not like we're doing "nothing," by the way. More likely, if teachers aren't working a second (or third) job during the summer, we're spending our own time and money learning something we can use in school, taking classes, reading, visiting potential field trip sites, buying supplies for our classroom (out of our own money), or meeting with others to plan for a new year.

I'd also remind non-teachers that unlike many other professions, it is not a 9-5 job that we leave behind once we shut the classroom door for the day. After 7 or 8 hours of teaching, we either stay late to plan lessons, grade work, or prepare for the next day, or we load up our bags with work to do at home (sometimes both). This doesn't include the emotional ways we bring our work home with us either, contacting students with questions or concerns, emailing support staff for ways to reach troubled students, lying awake at night trying to think of a way to deal with the student who acts out because he's desperate for attention or failing every subject or thinking of commiting suicide or so panicked about getting into college he has anxiety attacks every week or...

Sigh.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to school starting up again, heartache and hard work and all. However, this also means I have less time to write, a definite downside, but it also means I will take full advantage of those slivers of time I do have.

By the way, we had a great time in Boston. One place we visited was the Sam Adams Brewery, and our tour guide, a fantastically energetic young guy who knew every detail of the place and all the beers, was none other than........a high school history teacher working a summer job!