Long Island Romance Writers

Getting by with a little help from my friends

2012-02-11T06:43:00.000-05:00

Well – the first few months of 2012 are under our belts – how’s it going for you so far? Are you on your way to achieving a few of your writing and/or editing goals?

If you are like me, 2012 is starting off as a mixed bag. Mine is colorful and striped – perhaps yours is plaid, denim, or a lovely V e r a B r a d l e y™ paisley. My virtual bag is filled with some highlights, some low lights, and several promises to do better next time thrown in as well.

There is something exciting in my bag, too – I have a shiny new tool given to me by wonderful friends (some of whom I have never met in person). This tool wasn’t in my writer’s bag of tricks on January 1st – but now that it is in my possession, I am making good strides in my writing goals.

On pins and needles yet? I’ll divulge the trick. It’s all about writing sprints, called the #1K1HR. What’s that, you say? What is a #1K1HR? I know, this looks like a lock combination, right? In a way it is – it’s a key to unlocking your productivity.

Those of us on Facebook and Twitter may be somewhat familiar with this acronym. It stands for 1,000 words written per hour. A #1K1HR, then, is basically a mini writing sprint lasting one hour, where participants all strive to write 1,000 words.

Think of it -- wouldn’t it be great, whenever you were able to grab a free hour to write, to share that moment with other writers, in real time?

Or, even if a particular sixty minute sprint didn’t work for another writer to sit down and write words alongside you at that moment – but they still posted encouragement for you as your sprint was underway – wouldn’t that spur you on?

It does, for me. Our chapter has started a closed group on Facebook called #1K1HR RWA Chapter (send an email to l i r w c h a p 160 (at) gmail.com and we will add you to the participant list – all romance writers are welcome, the more the merrier!). Any time of day (or night), a writer in this group (which has multi-published, newly published, and aspiring to be published members, by the way) can log onto Facebook, enter this closed “group” area, and announce they are starting a sprint at the :00 or the :15 after the hour. Or in five minutes from now :-).

This first sixty minutes often grows into 120 minutes for the participants – doubling their output and motivating everyone at the same time. Then, after the timed sprint is over, the writers post how many words they achieved. Before we know it – we are 5 or 10k further along in our manuscripts than we were a week earlier!

For Twitter users – a similar challenge is announced in “tweets” about writing sprints periodically during the day (or night). This is not a chapter or RWA sprint – but a public one, for writers in all genres. The sprints are announced by someone “tweeting” or sending a message containing a similar acronym: #1K1HR (or “hashtag” as it is called on Twitter), somewhere in the message.

For example, my Twitter name (based on my pen name) is @J e n n a V i c t o r i (no spaces). I would compose a tweet: “working on chapter six in ten minutes. Any takers? #1K1HR.” Then, writers would respond to that “tweet” using the same hashtag in their message.

(If I am confusing you, I apologize). Tweets are building blocks of conversation on Twitter. The link that holds all the tweets from people all over the world, together, in this one conversation I started, is the #1K1HR hashtag.

There are other writer hashtags, by the way, but that is a post for another day.

At the appointed time, I announce in a new tweet, “Ready, Set, GO! #1K1HR” – and all the participants who are following that label, or hashtag, are off and running. Or writing as the case may be. Ha ha.

After the hour, I send out another tweet announcing how many words I was able to accomplish (making sure I added the same #1K1HR hashtag, or label, to the message). And I bask in the applause. Sort of.

The use of group writing sprints helps turn writing from a solitary endeavor, to a shared community effort.

Why not try out #1K1HR on Facebook, or Twitter, for yourself? It’s an incredible, free motivational tool. It helps you churn out those words! You’ll be sure to see some names you recognize in the mix. Or was that mixed bag? :-)

Reach Out...

2012-01-29T19:46:00.000-05:00

And now, a brief stroll down a personal memory lane...

In 1979, my High School had a talent show. I was small and flat-chested and had a bad perm, and I wore glasses so thick Stephen King would've felt his own were weightless in comparison. But I could sing and play piano, so I entered the show.
    Many of the acts were not memorable. What is memorable to me is this: I had to follow a popular senior rock band named Blitz. They did their numbers and closed to a screaming chant of "BLITZ! BLITZ! BLITZ!" Imagine being at a football stadium with 90,000 people yelling "DEFENSE!" at the top of their lungs and you get a sense of what I felt I was hearing.
   I had practiced my piece 140 times in the previous two weeks and I knew I had the goods. But when you are standing in the wings and people don't want the previous performance to end and you are about to come out on stage with your Xeroxed sheet music and your bad fashion (I might have actually been wearing plaid over a training bra, but that's another horror-story blog) after what might've just been the re-birth of Led Zeppelin, you can get somewhat shaky.
   Then something miraculous happened. My friend Laura, one of the quietest people I'd ever met, elevated herself to best friend status for life. She got up out of her third-row seat, turned around, and in a voice nobody had ever heard her use before, shouted "SHUT UP!!"
   Everybody did.
   I went up to the piano, sat down, and played. After the first few measures all the shaking was gone. I sang a rendition of the old Eagles' song "Desperado" pitch perfect, to the very last wavering note. Every last bit of me went into those three minutes. At the end I got a standing ovation. Laura, by the way, is still my best friend.

I tell the story not exactly for myself -- right now there's somebody I know facing huge challenges, someone who holds a major piece of my heart. I tell that story because I was filled then with self-doubt even though I knew how good I really was and how hard I'd worked, but I was still terrified and intimidated and ready to find a rock to hide under.

Another confession, to which some other writers might relate: I entered a contest this past fall. I was picky about what I entered, had judged a few first to see how it all worked, and chose a piece I'd read in front of my LIRW pals that had been nicely received. I had not expected to win, or even to final, but I had not expected my grades, which, out of 100, were 80, 75, and 58. The two lower reviews were brutal, and from published authors, so I was knocked over for a while. These results came on the heels of a workshop that made me feel as if I couldn't put a decent word down and had nothing worthwhile to say.
   I am not generally a bouncer-backer. I do not do well with misery, which was compounded by announcements of other people's great reviews, deals, and contest wins. I spent a lot of time hitting delete-delete-delete on my e-mail list to avoid the uber cheeriness. I decided to retreat.

But I realized recently that I was being a hypocrite. I was urging this other person on without acknowledging the burden of fear and self-doubt they were probably struggling with, without dealing with my own. I knew they needed help but they would never want to ask for it and appear weak or worried or overwhelmed, but sometimes the encouragement shouldn't have to be asked for. Sometimes you just need to be a Laura, to come out of your quiet and stand up and tell the naysayers to shut up, to do what you can to bolster up, to help, to have somebody else's back. You don't even have to say "I've got your back," but just be there and do it.
    Yesterday I sat among twenty women who admitted their fears and what they thought they could do to overcome them. It was a hard task for many of us -- sometimes it's difficult to admit you don't have the answers, or that you're having a tough time --  but there wasn't one case where somebody else didn't have a solution or offer help or even just give a hug. That's what we need, all of us, no matter what stage or challenge we face.
   Now for the person with the piece of my heart: You know who you are. You know I have faith and I believe in your efforts and I am so proud to know you and to see you try. I will help you however I can. And because of you, I am determined to get out of the wings and give it a go, too -- again. I think we should all be like that, for people we care about who are doing their best and need our help. Encourage, support, listen -- and get off your own butt. Endure, accept, and try again. Face your own fear and learn from it. Be willing to be lifted. And if you can, be willing to be a Laura.

This entry is dedicated with love to the memory of Harold M. Cannon, my uncle, a man of compassion, kindness, and artistic brilliance. Here's hoping in Heaven they appreciate your stories as much as we did.

Loyalty is a Virtue

2012-01-23T11:15:00.000-05:00

“Unless you can find some sort of loyalty, you cannot find unity and peace in your active living” Josiah Royce

Loyalty comes in all forms: Dogs to their masters, friends to their friends, students to their schools, employees to their companies (most of the time), and citizens to their countries. Ernest Hemingway once said “There is no friend as loyal as a book.” But perhaps one of the most passionate is team loyalty.

I’m in the minority amongst my friends. Although I am a native New Yorker, I am a loyal San Francisco 49’ers fan. Go figure. Not wanting to be the only one wearing red in a room full of blue, I decided to abandon my Giant fan friends and set out on my own to watch the game with my people, 49’er people. But where in the world can a girl go in the Big Apple to find such people, and cheer on her team without getting beat up? Turns out there are many loyal fans out there just like me, and I found them Sunday night.

I slipped into the subway car unnoticed, my 49ers T-shirt hidden under my coat. I was off on an adventure to a place where 49’er fans are free to scream and shout and get excited. At the next stop, three people dressed in team garb entered my car and began to shout “Go Niners!” I shot them a look and for a moment I’m sure they thought I was just another New Yorker annoyed with left coasters and their misguided team spirit. But that suspicion ended when I opened my coat and revealed my true identity. I asked them if they were going to the bar I was headed to, and they clued me in that they were going to a different place that was not as crazy crowded. I opted to follow these four strangers to Brooklyn, moving way outside my comfort zone. As we walked the several blocks from the subway to the bar, I found out that these three were transplanted Californians who had moved to New York a few years ago. In spite of their new addresses, they still remained loyal to their team, and to each other, since two of them went to high school together back in California.

“The greater the loyalty of a group toward the group, the greater is the motivation among the members to achieve the goals of the group, and the greater the probability that the group will achieve its goals.” Rensis Likert

When we arrived at our destination, it was obvious that the place was already very crowded. People inside were pressed up against the glass, and others were milling outside. Packed shoulder to shoulder in this modestly sized Brooklyn bar were loud and boisterous fans wearing a myriad of team jerseys, hats, and t-shirts. But there was red everywhere…I had found my people at last! Every few minutes someone would start a “Let’s Go Niners!” chant that would gradually spread throughout the bar. Mixed drinks and bottled beer were being sold at a record pace, and the smell of buffalo wings filled the air. It was the happiest place on earth. When the game began and the Niners drew first blood scoring a touchdown, the “woo-hoos” were abundant.

“A person is born with feelings of envy and hate. If he gives way to them, they will lead him to violence and crime, and any sense of loyalty and good faith will be abandoned.” Xum Zi

The old saying “There’s one in every crowd” is true. Even though it was a mixed crowd of fans, there was respect. But alas, there is always one loudmouth guy that has to take the level of civility down a notch. And he was a Giant fan. Perhaps it was the constant flow of “bucket ‘o beers” to his table, or maybe he was just a mean spirited guy by nature. But the Niner fans remained cool, choosing to laugh it off rather than retaliate. Must be that laid back California thing. I wanted to rip his head off.

At half time, I was growing weary, standing for two hours with no food in my stomach and two vodka and club sodas flowing through my veins. I needed to eat, but didn’t want to devour wings while getting jostled by people moving through the crowd. I also failed to mention that I was just a bit older than most of the other patrons in this establishment, so while the increased decibel and alcohol levels energized them, it was sapping my strength. Time to leave. And since the Forty-Niners were down three points, my exuberance was waning along with my stamina. I said goodbye to my new friends and thanked them for letting me hang with them.

“Loyalty is still the same, whether it win or lose the game; true as a dial to the sun, although it be not shined upon.” Samuel Butler

I made my way back to the subway alone through the streets of Brooklyn, wondering if I should have left some bread crumbs in order to find my way back. But I managed to retrace my steps and make it safely back to my hotel room. I immediately flipped on the TV and was pleasantly surprised to see that my team was back on top again. Yippee! The next hour and a half were gut wrenching. At the end of four quarters it was tied 17 to 17 and we headed into overtime. More torture. But in the end, the Giants prevailed and my beloved Forty-Niners were left to pack up their gear and go home. In spite of that, I thoroughly enjoyed my adventure, and I had fun connecting with other fans, especially my subway pals. I wouldn’t have changed a thing…except for the final score, of course. I will forever be a loyal San Francisco Forty-Niners fan, and will support them through good seasons and bad. I have faith that they will once again rise to the top. That’s what loyalty is all about.

“Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart” Proverbs 3:3

T'was the Night Before a New Writing Year

2012-01-18T03:43:00.000-05:00

T'was the night before a new writing year, when all through the group;

Not a book deal was made, nor a penned, “No, thank you.”

The manuscript prep process had been followed to a “T,

In hopes that an agent or editor would be tickled pink,

Moved to tears or impressed in some kind of way,

That made them critique your work, or call you and say,

“It’s the best since sliced bread. Can’t believe what you said.

How’d those fantastic ideas come from your head?

And when can I go ahead and represent you?”

That made you spring from your chair, bed or even the “loo,”

To do a happy dance, celebrate your hard work,

And show up to our next meeting, lips curled in a smirk.

All your effort has paid off but your chore is not done.

To perhaps write full-time and just work for fun,

Or leave your job altogether, devoting all of your time,

Doing what feeds your soul and makes it sublime.

So carry on and continue with the balancing act,

With loved ones — your biggest fans.

Through the good times and bad,

For it’ll all pay off. In the end, you’ll be glad,

You’ve trudged through obstacles, however long it has taken

Because pursuing your dream had never been shaken.

We’ve survived the festivities, become distracted with good cheer,

Hope you all enjoyed your holiday and have a prosperous new writing year!

*Disclaimer* LIRW is by no means responsible for this blogger's poor attempt at Dr. Seuss rhyming :)

Resolutions, resolutions, resolutions. What writing goals do you have for 2012??

All About Change

2012-01-09T12:53:00.014-05:00

A new year brings resolutions and promises of change! By the way, I mean changes in behavior or thought, not free money. Ironically, my critique partner and I started a discussion and analyzation of character growth in romance novels. As always, she sent a list of thought provoking questions that blew my mind.

I sent her a link.

I really don't know why she puts up with me. But the point of the post is to start a discussion on change and character growth, not what a lame partner I am. It takes an entire plot to complete a character's growth...kind of like it takes a year of events to decide on a resolution.

"That is the last time I go out with that guy again!" she screamed out the window as rain pelted her head. "This I vow for 2012!"

What events led to that vow? Who is the guy? What did he do?

Events don't have to be big. A simple e-mail from my critique partner can change a pre-conceived notion I had. A simple conversation. Sometimes it is isolation...like when she goes away on vacation, my mind wanders, my stories get strange, and I wonder if it is too late to give up writing and become a prize fighter.

Sometimes change occurs when forced between a rock and a hard spot.

"If I get busted one more time I'm going to the Big House!"

I'm a sucker for those classic "Rake" stories where the guy has to change his wandering ways or risk losing his inheritance or something.

So...the more experiences/events, the more insight gained, the more opportunity to make decisions and grow as individuals. Sometimes the decisions are good, sometimes they are bad, but those crossroads make us change.

In reality change isn't always good but we are talking about romance novels with happy endings here.

And those are my current thoughts on character growth. But, you know, they can change. I should probably change and be a better critique partner...I wonder if anyone reading this post will be changed from the experience? Maybe I should use some synonyms for change. Modify? Alter? Turnover? Revise? Adjust? Deviate? Where is my critique partner when I need her?

Well, what do you think? Anyone want to share some words of wisdom or insight gained along the way? Examples of novels where the character's growth and change blew your mind?

I would love to know!

XOXO,

From Us to You

2011-12-28T01:48:00.029-05:00

Once again the calendar has flipped it's pages full circle returning us to the beginning of a new year. With the start of 2012, the ladies of the LIRW Blog team wish to share some thoughts, inspiration and little ditties with you . . .

Tuere Morton:

Out of the many, awesome quotes floating around out there in cyberspace, this spoke to that part of me where self-doubt festers until it's metastasized to every driven corner of my soul. And now I share it with you. Consider it along your journey to completing your masterpiece. Happy writing!!

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

Jenna Victoria:

For this kick-off blog post of 2012, I wanted to give my writer friends two things. First is a link to a recent blog post I found online, titled, "The Power of Daily Writing." http://bit.ly/tLwuoe. I hope you find the content as helpful as I did -- it will be a catalyst along my own writing road map for 2012. Many of us will wake up on January 1st with a huge goal in mind - finish a book in a week LOL - or something similarly crazy. We tend to start off with a bang, or take off running at 100 miles an hour and then burn out and fizzle to nothing. By setting a far simpler goal, that of writing a little bit every day, we set ourselves up for a year of productive writing. As the blog author Kelly L. Stone states, "Daily writing leads to success, no ifs, ands, or buts."

The second thought I had, is the idea of paying it forward - each one of us encouraging our fellow LIRW members. How can we do this?

Nudge those in our Push To Pro program to meet their goals
Read and comment on a member's personal blog (and this LIRW blog, too)
Send brief, encouraging e-mails to sister (or brother) writers in the chapter
Reach out to new members/new faces at meetings
Post writerly advice or insights on our Yahoo loop
Tweet one another and use hashtag #LIRW to promote the chapter
Post items/links on the LIRW Facebook page
Attend book signings of our published authors

Well, we get the idea :-) There are so many ways to get involved as an informal mentor, without even leaving our chairs. Writing can be a solitary, isolated endeavor. Our connections to one another in the chapter will make 2012 an incredible year.

Dawn Berkoski:

Make 2012 the year you prove your love for writing! Warning: Being in love with writing is not easy. Be willing to sacrifice all for your love. Know your love will drag you through the wringer. At times you will hate your love. At times you will feel like you are walking on air. The difference between lust and love is the willingness to put your all into something, even when you know hurt, insecurity, and all the things you shy away from will come pounding on your door. You are the hero and heroine of your romance novel and you will suffer as much as they do to reach your goal. I know you will find your happily-ever-after.

Happy New Year!

Lynne Cannon:

Here are a couple of my favorite quotes.

Thomas Edison, when asked how he felt about failing so much in his endeavor to invent the light bulb: "I didn't fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps."

Marion Roach, author of "The Memoir Project": "There's no right word when there's nothing on the page."

Yolanda Ramirez:

I love eat, which works out well for me since I also love to cook. I don’t usually need inspiration to cook…all it takes is my empty growling stomach. But if I did, I would either waste away or spend a fortune having others cook for me. Unfortunately, when it comes to writing I do need inspiration. I love the feeling I get when I push my chair away from my desk after completing a manuscript. It’s much like that pleasantly full feeling I get when I push my chair away from the dinner table after finishing a great meal. But when it comes to writing, it just takes a lot more effort to reach that point. So for 2012, I am going to make an effort to drum up some of that inspiration that my writing sorely needs. To start things off, I have created this poem, which of course is about food. My apologies to Clement Clarke Moore:

“'Twas Six Hours Before New Year's”

'Twas six hours before New Year's, when all through the house
it was quiet but by midnight, all would be soused.
Champagne on ice was set out with care,
in hopes that our company soon would be there.

The children at Grandma's would be snug in their beds,
while guests here danced with lampshades on their heads.
And Papa in his tux, and I in my gown,
would be having some fun really getting down.

When out in the driveway there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the kitchen to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
must be "The Big Sandwich", so I searched for some cash.

Meat and cheese all layered on freshly baked bread
with lettuce and tomato would keep our friends fed,
when, what to my watering mouth should appear,
six very large pizzas and a full keg of beer.

The little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be the caterer, Nick.
More rapid than eagles, his minions came,
and he whistled and shouted and called them by name:

"Roberto, the pizzas!
Antonio, the cheese!
Giovanni, the pastas!
Bring the sandwich…here's my keys!
To the top of the porch
and into the hall,
go put them inside and open them all!"

They were dressed all in white, from their heads to their toes,
and their clothes smelled like heaven, and tempted my nose.
A bundle of bread Nick had flung on his back,
and I couldn't resist intercepting that sack.

His eyes--how they twinkled! His dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, he had vino already!
The Cuban he held tight in his teeth,
and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
it was only his payment I would have to dread.

They spoke not a word, but went straight to their work,
and set up the pans, no duty did they shirk.
And when complete, Nick said "We're done honey!"
And giving a nod, I gave him the money.

He sprang to the van, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like a nuclear missile.
But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy New Year to all, and to all a good night!"

Christina Lorenzen:

After many years of making long lists of New Year's resolutions, I have decided that for 2012 I will not do that to myself again. My own experience has taught me that those long, ambitious lists of both small and 'over the moon' resolutions leave me feeling pressured, overwhelmed, and worse, like a failure, when on December 31st I sit down to find most of them unfulfilled. No, this year I'm going with that infamous acronym KISS. Keep it simple, stupid, despite the fact that I can't stand the word stupid.

I've decided instead to make a short list of goals for 2012 and, to make it easier to meet them, break them down into months. A published author friend of mine shared this with me and says doing so was the turning point in not only her writing career but her personal life. She keeps a list of personal goals and professional goals and then integrates them into each month of the year. She explained that instead of looking at one long, daunting list, she found it less overwhelming to break that list down into a handful of goals for each month. And being gentle on herself, she allows herself to 'carry over' a goal or two from one month to the other. "Usually, seeing that goal again motivates me to meet it so I can get it done," she told me during our monthly phone call. And instead of listing overwhelming goals like 'write 1500 words a day' she says listing 500 words a day is an achievable goal that she can meet, making her feel productive and inspired to keep going.

So this year I'm saying goodbye to the old resolutions just as we say goodbye to 2011 and keeping it simple. And later on this year I hope to share with you in a blog post how this new, simple system is working for me. Wishing you a productive 2012!

Donna Coe-Velleman:

Be kind, patient and forgiving to yourself . Know that failure and disappointment are just a few of the stepping stones to success. Tenacity, sharing and learning are a couple of others. And to write and write and write.

To wrap it up I saw this, Your Three Words, tonight on ABC World News and it brought me a smile. Hopefully it will do the same for you.

May you all have a safe, happy and fruitful year.

Holidays On Our Minds

2011-12-26T19:14:00.015-05:00

The moist roast turkey and savory bread stuffing flavors of Thanksgiving are only a distant memory now. Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, fully passed on Dec. 22nd, ushering us into a time of rebirth.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day have now gone by -- all of the red and green fuzzy Christmas stockings un-stuffed, the colorful wrapping paper roughly torn away from gifts, the paper now scrunched into balls and tossed into the recycling bin.

Receipts are being pulled out from wallets to facilitate gift returns that weren't the right size, or exactly what the recipient hoped to get. Santa is no doubt taking a well-deserved rest after traversing the entire globe in only 24 hours (including a stop at the international space station).

Hanukah, the remembrance of a miracle where a small amount of oil burned for 8 days instead of a few hours, is almost complete… it ends this year on Dec. 28th.

Kwanzaa began today, and continues through Sunday, and prompts celebration of 7 guiding principles – one for each day of the week-long observance. They include unity self-determination, collective work & responsibility, co-operative economics, purpose, creativity, and earth.

Next up is New Year’s Eve, the night that heralds anticipation of 2012 goals and expectations.

Each of these holidays combines one or more elements (food, festivities, gifts, rituals, traditions and gatherings) in ways that are highly personal and individual.

For me, well, this was a unique holiday season. Losing a loved one is always difficult; encountering the "first" celebratory events since a patriarch's passing is truly an odd experience. I let go of some of the old traditions (I never did put up a Christmas tree, for the first time in my life) and made some new ones. Amid the sadness we were able to cultivate moments allowing us to honor my father and feel a bit of revelry in the season.

I made a point of visiting "THE" tree in New York City, and watched energetic ice skaters glide over the surface of the rink in Rockefeller Center. I slowly walked the inner alcove-filled perimeter of St. Patrick's Cathedral, studying the statuary, inhaling the calming scent of burning candles and concentrating on the peace that seemed to float above my head and rise towards the cathedral's majestic arches.

As Christmas day approached, I chose to create a new tradition – going away to a bed and breakfast inn, and enjoying a mini getaway with my husband. This photo is of The Glasbern Inn in Pennsylvania. I even managed to get some writing done while I was there.

For 2012, I will be participating in LIRW’s “Push to Pro” program, and am committing to emerge with a completed book (or 2!) by the end of December.

What about you? What are some of your 2011 holiday thoughts and recollections, or 2012 predictions or hopes?

Overwhelmed, Under the Weather but Still Writing

2011-12-19T11:21:00.001-05:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year! So the song goes. But most of us see little of the wonder of the season as we shift into high gear to get all of our holiday preparations done.

It's stressful enough facing a mile long holiday to-do list, but then being told you have pneumonia and need lots of rest - well, it's enough to throw anyone into a full blown panic. Several author blogs I follow have recently talked about writing through the holiday hustle and bustle. The general consensus is that the holiday preparation is overwhelming enough. Now add to that writing a novel, meeting deadlines, blog posts and a myriad of writer duties. If you're under the weather on top of overwhelmed, your writing could easily fall to the wayside. With a little pacing (because you are supposed to be 'resting', right?), it doesn't have to.

Though I'll admit to napping a bit the first day or two, after that I was feeling restless. After all, how many Hallmark movies can you watch? (answer: felt like hundreds but it was close to 50). Though those movies are worthy of a post on learning GMC (goal, motivation and conflict), I soon found myself yearning to be with the characters in my newest novel. Though not ready to sit for hours at my desk, my lap top was a blessing. If you're fortunate enough to have one, prop yourself up on some comfy pillows and start small.

On my third day of rest I wrote up character sheets for the lead characters in my new inspirational novel. Normally I write anywhere from 1500-3000 words a day. Not quite up to that, I 'let' myself write one scene. I say 'let' myself because I've found that many writers, myself included, place great demands on themselves. And that often leads to not getting any writing done at all. When you're sick and confined to your house/bed, you're already feeling like you're off your game. Why stress yourself any more?

That one scene led to another scene. When I found myself blocked, instead of beating myself up, I put the story aside. I pulled out a completed novella in need of edits and some highlighters and went to town. And somehow that sparked an idea for yet another scene for that new novel. So, despite feeling overwhelmed by a to-do list that had to be delegated to hubby and children, and feeling under the weather, I still managed to write. One scene at a time.

How do you keep writing when you are overwhelmed or under the weather?

Makin' a List, Checkin' it Twice

2011-12-12T15:07:00.000-05:00

I suspect I am not alone when I admit I am far behind in my holiday planning. The days between Thanksgiving and Christmas (and Hannukah) seem to fly by faster every year. And there's more and more to do -- this year at my house we're contending with renovations and larger than usual workloads (for which we are very grateful; don't get me wrong), while retrieving one kid from college and helping the other with first-time high school musical auditions. We are also hosting both Christmas and a family visit over New Year's, so there's extra pressure to make the place look less -- let's euphemistically settle for "lived in."
My Christmas list for family and friends is woefully incomplete. I've made a little progress, but not much. There's also the problem of what I would love to buy versus what my wallet can handle: I have a nephew I would buy a kayak for in an instant if I had the money -- he'll probably get a nice UnderArmor shirt and a Kindle card. He'll love those, but I still wish I could get the kayak, even if wrapping it would be a challenge. I'd also love to take my daughter to Venice, Italy -- in my alternate universe we are probably making gondola ride reservations as I write, but here and now she's getting roller blades and ghost-hunting equipment.
I love to give books. This isn't always easy. I always want to give a book I hope the receiver will open and yell, "This is GREAT!!" after reading the first page. It's a wonderful feeling when that happens. I give books to people based upon what they like to read, what I think is great writing, what I want to share with them or hope they'll enjoy or learn something from.
That being said, I want to know what books you've read that you thought were gift-worthy. They don't have to be romance. Tell me why you loved them, what you think makes them something you'd want to pass on. As for me, I read a hundred or so books a year -- I am a voracious reader, not only for my personal interests but professionally as well. Here are a few that I've loved over the past several months, in no particular order:

"Beat the Reaper"/ Josh Bazell -- a darkly humorous story about a doctor in witness protection confronted by his mobster past. The footnotes alone are to die for.
"First Contact, or It's Later Than You Think"/ Evan Mandery -- Aliens come to Earth and the President is a dummy. There's also something in the snacks. Hysterical, but with a beautiful message.
"A Short History of Nearly Everything" / Bill Bryson -- The Universe and everything in it explained. Now if I could just find something on this level to help me understand my 401K.
Pam Burford's "The Wedding Ring" series --I like to think of these as "Wow, Pam explains how to write a romance series by producing gems." Not kissing up, by the way. These are delightful. "Speak" / Laurie Halse Anderson -- Her debut novel. The craft and beauty of the writing are apparent from page one. A teenaged girl is sexually assaulted at a party and spends the following first year of high school misunderstood and outcast by everyone around her; a teacher's compassion ultimately helps her through her isolation. I have to admit I initially had a problem with this being on my daughter's 9th grade English list, but presented properly it's important and devastatingly moving.
"The Unnaturalists" / Tiffany Trent -- this one isn't out yet, since I only finished proofreading first pass this morning, but wait for it. Dark fantasy YA, dystopian, intelligent, inner-visuallly gorgeous.

There you have mine -- tell me what you've read, what you'd make a gift! Happy Holidays!

Parting is, Yet Again, Such Sweet Sorrow...

2011-12-05T19:21:00.006-05:00

So my last rant repelling the innovative wave of technology was all about hanging onto the romantic flow of letters which joined together to comprise cursive handwriting. And I thank those of you who weighed in and expressed your heartfelt chagrin regarding the whole business but I’ve got another sign I’m probably getting old and set in my ways — Post Offices.

On the verge of extinction, it appears they may be next on the “obsolete” list. Not that we’re there just yet, but you know when you have that feeling something’s coming??? Especially after reading an article in the paper and watching a news program about, not only shut downs but delays and cut backs in snail-mail service in the foreseeable future. And ironically, my town has (or maybe had by now) two post offices where we staged a version of “Miracle of 34th Street” in an attempt to save the one that was selected to be closed.

It was built following the Great Depression with all of the original architecture, and our Chamber of Commerce prez led a movement to have everyone (local businesses, both hospitals, children in the schools and residents, etc.) send bulks of mail through the building to demonstrate its significance to the community.

Needless to say, it didn’t work. But it was a valiant effort nonetheless.

In the end of the day, the thought of one day not having a local post office to stand in line in and browse the novelty Disney package options or choose which group I want to support by ordering their special book of stamps, saddens me. So, for a limited time only, like eight-track tapes, Hagstrom maps, records, cassette tapes and VHS (to name a few) you may be privy to knowing what a post office was that your grandchildren may not!

Is there anything you think you might miss about going to the Post Office??

A Little Thanksgiving Trivia

2011-11-27T22:26:00.014-05:00

The big event is over. All the preparation and anticipation is behind us, along with the thousands of calories that passed over our lips. With leftovers consumed, frozen, given away, or discarded, and the myriad of plates, platters and ladles cleaned and put away, we have yet another Thanksgiving under our belts, and also around our waists and thighs.

Whether your celebration is large or small, bringing family members together can sometimes result in dinner conversations ranging from awkward to downright violent. People who have a lot of history but not a lot of recent face time, thrown together in a room with alcohol and a heavy meal could be a recipe for disaster. We all know the cardinal rules…never discuss religion or politics at the table, never bring up old wounds from childhood, etc., but we find it hard to abide by them. Perhaps interjecting a little Thanksgiving trivia into the conversation could help diffuse some of the tension:

INT. GRANDMA EMMA'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM - MID AFTERNOON

UNCLE FRANK:
Where the hell is the damn turkey? I'm starving.

ME:
Uncle Frank, did you know that Thanksgiving was once called Franksgiving?

UNCLE FRANK:
I never heard anything about that. What did they serve…frankfurters?

ME:
No, but in 1939, in order to help retailers during the Great Depression, FDR declared that Americans should celebrate it a week earlier. But of course the public did not want to do this and there was a lot of confusion, especially since he didn't make this announcement until October. So that year, people enjoyed two big meals; Thanksgiving, and a second one they called Franksgiving.

UNCLE FRANK:
Well that was a plum stupid idea.

ME:
But Congress straightened that out two years later when they adopted a resolution setting the fourth Thursday of November as the legal holiday.

AUNT MARY:
You mean Congress actually did something?

Laughter erupts

ME:
Good one Aunt Mary! Grandpa Henry, you were in the army during World War II, right?

GRANDPA HENRY:
You bet. Stationed in Germany during double-ya double-ya 2, fightin' the Nazis.

ME:
Did you know in 1942, Thanksgiving services were held in Westminster Abbey for more than 3,500 U.S. troops stationed in England at the time? The soldiers filled the church pews and sang America, the Beautiful and The Star-Spangled Banner .

GRANDPA HENRY:
I spent the holiday in a muddy foxhole. I'm glad I didn't know about that back then. Damn fly boys feasting on turkey, while I'm eatin' Spam right outta the can.

ME:
But I'm glad you made it back home safe, Grandpa. Otherwise I wouldn't be here.

GRANDPA HENRY:
Well bless your heart, girl. What a nice thing to say to an old man like me.

Grandma Emma sets the turkey down on the table.

GRANDMA EMMA:
I slaved over a hot stove all day to cook this meal, you know. Took me hours, I mean hours to get all this done. Not that anyone appreciates it.

ME:
The turkey is delicious Grandma. It's so moist.

GRANDMA EMMA:
Thank you! At least someone appreciates me.

ME:
Grandma, we all appreciate you. By the way, did you know that Benjamin Franklin liked turkey so much that he tried to make it the national bird?

COUSIN BOBBY:
And if he had succeeded, we'd be eating Thanksgiving chicken, and going to the zoo to see a turkey.

COUSIN ALICE:
Why would we have to go to the zoo? I'm sitting next to one right now.

COUSIN BOBBY:
Ha ha ha. That was so funny I forgot to laugh.

Bobby lets out a loud burp

COUSIN ALICE:
You're such a pig!

COUSIN BOBBY:
Well pardon me for letting out a little gas. You're lucky I let it out up top.

ME:
And speaking of pardons, the annual White House tradition of pardoning a turkey before Thanksgiving started in 1947. President Harry Truman felt sorry for one lucky bird. But some historians say Abraham Lincoln was the first to grant a pardon to a pet turkey belonging to his son, Tad.

AUNT BETTY:
Oh I'm so full! I feel like I'm going to explode.

UNCLE RALPH:
Maybe you should have thought of that before you had your ninth helping of stuffing.

ME:
You know, they say that the first Thanksgiving in 1621 was not a feast. Thanksgiving in the 17th century was actually a fast.

UNCLE RALPH:
Take a lesson, Betty.

AUNT BETTY:
Oh, shut up Ralph. Shouldn't you be watching football with your pants open right now?

COUSIN ALICE:
Who is playing today?

COUSIN BOBBY:
The Detroit Lions dumbass. They play every Thanksgiving.

Cousin Alice picks up her butter knife and waves it at Cousin Bobby

ME:
Actually, 1934 was the first year that the NFL held a game on Thanksgiving. It was the Detroit Lions versus the Chicago Bears. And the Lions have been playing on Thanksgiving ever since.

But if none of this works, try telling jokes!

Writer's and Reader's Rights?

2011-11-20T20:19:00.014-05:00

In recent weeks, I’ve had several discussions on First Amendment rights. As writers, freedom of press is a topic close to our hearts. If asked which country has the most freedom of press, many Americans would proudly shout, “USA!” To my surprise, the United States isn’t ranked first on the Reporters without Borders “Freedom of the Press” report. In 2010 the US didn't make the top ten.

Which raises the question: Are constitutional rights being protected? What is freedom of speech, especially when it is now so entwined with "text"? As videos of protesting students, being beaten and doused in pepper spray on campuses, spread across the Internet and television these past weeks, along with reports of media being restricted and shoved, some writers are concerned about protecting their first amendment rights. Some now live in fear of saying the wrong thing on-line or expressing themselves while trying to make a living. Can you do both?

Some consider social networks like Twitter, Facebook and Blogs press. They are thought to fall under the same rights. But what you say/type can be held against you as seen in recent cases of cyber-bullying and teachers being reprimanded for voicing opinions on social networks and personal blogs. Are the reprimands legal?

It is difficult to walk an unclear line.

Supreme court cases have gone back and forth in history on the issue of the First Amendment. The Espionage Act of 1917, The Sedition Acts of 1918, and The Smith Act of 1940, resulted in the arrests of thousands who questioned the government. Bringing up the court ruling of “clear and present danger.”

Then Vietnam came, and along with it the Civil Rights Movement. The Supreme Court questioned what exactly terms like “clear and present danger” meant. More questions arose. Shouldn’t everyone have the right to speak? There was even a ruling as to whether or not college students could wear armbands protesting the war to school. Can people say what they want on their clothing? What does protecting and serving the people mean?

Then 911 happened. We saw the passing of the USA Patriot Act. As if we went back in time, profiling of “suspect” individuals came back. Instead of terms like “communists” persons thought to be “a clear and present danger” were labeled as potential terrorists. Wiretaps merged with Internet monitoring and the searching of business and library records.

We went to war once more.

Now, as the case after every war it seems, new questions are rising. Why is the government allowed to monitor what I read? Are books being marked/censored? Are authors being blacklisted? What about my rights of privacy?

As social networking continues to expand, the world grows smaller. Today's students are taught to think globally, not in terms of physical borders. They question what is right for the entire environment, not just the space and soil surrounding one country. We see increased activism and human response to catastrophic events across the globe, money exchanged freely between countries. We are seeing global groups, global outreach, global movements, global education, global awareness, global spirit, a global economy.

Global Laws.

All of which may test the courts to once again re-evaluate first amendment rights and what "freedom" means.

What are the rights of today’s writers and readers? Can the government censor an idea? Is there such a thing as universal freedom?

By the way, I love my governement! Long live the USA! Long live democracy! And the opinions expressed in this post are my own and in no way affiliated with the views of LIRW. I'm doing research for a fictional story on freedom and would value input. No judgement!

America rocks!

A Kiss, a Spider, and a Cook

2011-11-15T01:19:00.007-05:00

As romance writers we always look for the HEA in both the stories we read and write. No matter what the hero and heroine went through they have to come together at the end preferably in marriage. So it’s not surprising, armed with that outlook and with the announcement of my daughter’s engagement last week in my head, I started wondering what some of the traditions of the engagement ring and the wedding were and where did they come from. Here’s what my quick, informal search found.

In 1477, the Archduke Maximilian presented Mary of Burgundy with with the first recorded diamond engagement ring.

The custom to wear both the engagement ring and the wedding band on the left ring finger originated from Greece, whose citizens believe that the vena amoris, a vein located in that finger, was a direct line to the heart.

“Gimmel”, or twin rings (a pre-wedding ring) - During the Renaissance period, sections of this ring were worn by both the bride-to-be and groom-to-be, and sometimes by a third party, a witness. The parts were united on the wedding day to become the wedding ring. In 1525, Martin Luther wed Catherine Bora with an inscribed gimmel ring.

The smallest engagement ring ever recorded - Customary in earlier ages, many mates were chosen and agreed upon by the families of the bride and groom. Princess Mary, daughter of Henry VIII, was betrothed to the infant Dauphin of France, heir to the throne of France, when she was only two years old. The engagement, which took place in 1518, resulted in a gift of a diamond set in a tiny gold ring. (Imagine being two and your whole life is set?)

Ancient tradition thought it was unlucky to marry in the month of May because in Romans times the Feast of the Dead and the Festival of the Goddess of Chastity both occurred in May.

The tradition of tying tin cans to the back of the newlywed's vehicle originated long ago when items which would produce noise were tied to the back of the couple's carriage to scare away evil spirits.

Queen Victoria started the western world's white wedding dress trend in 1840 -- before then, brides wore their best dress.

Finding a spider in your wedding dress is very lucky. (Except for the spider)

The use of a veil had several origins, so take your pick. 1) Ancient Greeks and Romans thought the veil protected the bride from evil spirits by obscuring her identity. 2) It relates back to the time when the groom would throw a blanket over the head of the woman of his choice when he captured her and carted her off. (Who said romance is dead?) 3) When marriages were arranged, the bride's face would be covered until the ceremony was complete, so it would be too late for the groom to run off if he didn't like the look of his bride.

The bride’s placement to the left - When a bridegroom secured his bride and prepared to marry her, she was placed to his left in order to protect her, leaving his right hand (sword hand) free for defense if necessary.

The word bride comes from the old-English word for ‘cook’. (They never saw me in the kitchen or they would have changed the meaning)

The Kiss - In ancient Rome, a kiss was seen as a legal bond that sealed all contracts.

The Wedding Cake - Cakes have been associated with weddings throughout history. Traditionally the wedding cake is made of fruit(s) and grains – to symbolize fertility in the marriage.

Carrying the bride over the threshold - It was tradition for the bride to enter the house through the front door before the groom, and if she tripped or stumbled it was seen to be very bad luck. It became a duty for the groom to carry his new bride over the threshold. (What happened if he tripped while carrying her?)

Seeing an open grave, pig, or lizard on the way to the ceremony, or hearing a crow after dawn on the morning of the wedding are all thought to be omens of bad luck. (I guess the route going past the cemetery or farm is not as good idea, huh?)

Though some of these origins are amusing, they have grown together over the years to frame one of the most important events of our lives –our wedding day. Three cheers for tradition!

It's Raining MEN(tors) in November

2011-11-06T06:00:00.008-05:00

Ernest Hemingway had it rough. Back in the day, there weren't too many writing resources at his disposal. He's pictured here, with three elements of his key support system: an outdoor setting, a manual typewriter, and an afternoon alcohol-laced pick-me-up (who knew one of his favorite cocktails was a mojito, way before they were trendy?) Back in Hemingway's day, there was no internet. No RWA chapter writing classes. No "New School" in NYC. No You Tube videos of writing events. Not too many mentors, to say the least.

Thankfully, today we are surrounded by wordsmith wealth. We have dozens (upon dozens) of options to find a writing mentor, or pick up a new writing skill. And for much of this - we don't even need to leave the comfort of our chairs and keyboards.

Those of us who are RWA members have 145 chapter resources at our disposal. Yes, 145 chapters, most of which offer writing courses or conferences or online classes. Nonmembers can attend, typically, for a slightly higher fee. If you are an RWA member, have you checked out the member resource tab lately? Of you click on http://www.rwa.org/ under the conference & events tab, and click on Chapter programs.

You will be amazed at the variety of courses available, usually for less than $40.

Many of our favorite bestselling authors also provide access to writer's tips on their websites and can be found as instructors at in-person and online workshops. I recently completed two of note. The first was held by my local RWA Chapter, entitled From Personality to Plot with instructor Laurie Schnebly Campbell. Many of the participants walked away with a brand new plot skeleton magically in place for an upcoming manuscript, one that they had no idea was brewing before this class! http://www.booklaurie.com/workshops.php

The second (which I highly recommend) is an online class with best selling author Cheryl St. John entitled "Conflict Makes The Story" - and she is repeating this class in November. (I was lucky enough to take this excellent class for the sale price of $10 (regularly a $30) and although I am not sure if Cheryl is going to continue the sale, even $30 is a bargain for what I learned in that workshop, hands down. http://cheryl-stjohn-workshop.blogspot.com/

Even editors are getting into the groove of presenting phenomenal courses - I can also recommend one by Angela James of Carina Press called "Before You Hit Send." It is a fabulous workshop on preparing your manuscript before letting hit the inbox of that editor or agent.

EXTRA PLUG HERE! Angela James is going to be our Special Guest speaker at the Long Island Romance Writers' annual editor/agent luncheon on June 8, 2012. Mark your calendars!

http://nicemommy-evileditor.com/before-you-hit-send/

A few other best selling authors who will be holding online writing workshops in November are Virginia Kantra, Candace Havens, and Shirley Jump.

http://virginiakantra.com/Workshops.html

http://www.candacehavens.com/index.php/workshops/ (Candace's Fast Draft workshop at RWA National was not only standing room only, it spilled out into the hallway!) Anyone interested in that workshop (starts Nov. 7th) specifically can take it through the North East Ohio RWA chapter online class calendar:

http://www.neorwa.com/index.php/Workshops/UpcomingWorkshops

Shirley Jump's class: http://www.writersonlineclasses.com/?page_id=655

Last but not least, an exciting educational event is starting Nov. 7 - 11, 2011, sponsored by Harlequin books. "So You Think You Can Write 2.0" is their second annual online writer's conference and it's totally free. Five full days will feature opportunities to write romantic fiction, introductory level and master classes, crafting the perfect synopsis, daily writing challenges with feedback, etc. Check it out at http://www.soyouthinkyoucanwrite.com/

Hemingway is quoted as saying, "The hard part about writing a novel is finishing it." Hopefully, with all these resources at our disposal, that hardest part will now become a lot easier. Happy studying. I know where I'll be in between NaNoWriMo bursts of creativity-- drinking at the online well of writing resources out there.

"FEEED me...."

2011-10-30T19:47:00.012-04:00

I was hoping to write something historical, enlightening, and informative about Halloween, but I bought the candy a little too early this year -- early translates to any time before two hours before I have to start giving it out -- so there are Tootsie Rolls calling my name from the front hall right about now and they're making it very hard for me to focus. Also, this morning I somehow got it into my head that we might not have enough candy if there are a lot of trick or treaters, so I purchased a backup bag of York Peppermint Patties. They're still in their plastic, and I hid them in the blanket chest and didn't tell anyone else I bought them, so they're a little muffled, but I can hear them too. Oh yes, yes I can.

Hallween has never been my favorite holiday, but I married someone who opens the season within minutes after I've taken the Labor Day flag out of its post. Up goes the Jolly Roger, tacked into the front window of his studio. We live on a hill, at the top of a "T" formed by the insection of two streets, so our house looks like a pirate safehouse on nights when he's up late and the skull and crossbones is backlit and seems to float over the road. I know the men in the neighborhood appreciate its presence. I've heard muffled "Arrghh"s that they try to cover by pretending lifting bags of leaves is heavy work. We may not end up with the most or the scariest decorations, but we certainly have the earliest.

Did you hear that?

No?

Damn it. I've been typing about 140 words a minute but I have to keep deleting all of what amounts to gibberish because the call of the dum-dum pops is maddening. Their sweet treble voices belie their sturdy stems and solid juicy flavors....

Where was I. Right. Halloween traditions. I live in a neighborhood where the kids still trick or treat. Whole families go out together. One family even totes along a wagon full of "hot cocoa" and "cider" in big carafes. Other families frequently join them, and eventually there are several adults swaying ganglike down the streets, happily slurring their children's names and singing pre-school Halloween songs.

For many years I made our children's costumes. They were vikings, pumpkins, geishas, princesses, Pokemon characters, the Black Knight from Monty Python (pre-amputation), and of course, pirates. Many years my husband accompanied them, in matching costumes (um, not the geisha or the princess). They came home with bags full of --

What was that noise.

Everything looks undisturbed. The foyer is quiet. I'd go lock the door between it and the living room, but the Twizzlers have proven too seductive before, and their shiny, empty little wrappers litter my workspace. I must stay away...

A few years ago, we came home for Halloween dinner and discovered a severe lack of groceries. We took the daring "combine what you find" approach and ended up with what became a legendary hot dog omelette. Every year since, we've taken eggs, hot dogs, green peppers, onions, tomatoes, shredded cheese, salt, pepper, and -- I can't even remember what else -- and made this our Halloween gourmet treat. It may sound kind of gross, but the fact is we were starving. It might have been the cold air and all that hiking from house to house-- and anyone who's gone camping can tell you that given the scent of fallen leaves, a trace of woodsmoke, and a light touch of frost, you can pretty much believe anything's a gourmet treat.

For heaven's sake! How am I supposed to concentrate around here? I'm trying to relate evolving traditions and scary characters to creative wordplay and it's proving an impossible task. Someone told me yesterday that he gave up on giving out candy years ago. He said now he gives each kid two nickels. I thought he was kind of bah humbug, but then he doesn't have those mini-Snickers bars bothering him with their singing, does he...

Hey! Working here!

Better.

The final trek, after dinner, is to the three houses at the bottom of our hill, around the corner. They are mini-mansions, all set high up long steep, drives. You have to time it just right, but if you're willing to make the challenging journey, facing a dangerous dark climb, random sprinkler systems, the occasional crazed squirrel, your rewards can be sweet. The lucky and daring child willing to endure this trial finds himself with nearly an entire bucket's worth of full-size Hershey bars! Sweet glorious Great Pumpkin! Surely the extra sodium and protein in their omelettes has given my offspring the extra strength they've needed to meet this challenge, to come home with their breaths puffing out in little white clouds, their straggling capes and heavy pillowcases of booty lit by intermittent street lamps, their trip back guided by the beacon of their father's flag. They --

Wait. Something just moved out there. I'm not kidding. Something papery, scratchy... along the wooden floor of the foyer.

Was that just the lid of the blanket chest?

Listen, I have to go find out what's going on. Give me a moment or two. Tell me your halloween traditions.

If I'm not back, it just means I was overwhelmed by the Tropical flavored Skittles...

Fare the well, Cursive...

2011-10-24T15:05:00.003-04:00

When I went to public grade school — back in the stone age — writing cursive was called writing script. At least I thought that’s what it was called as a wee one. And probably like most Catholic school nuns who were sticklers when it came to extremely neat penmanship, debating whether or not to teach it in the schools any longer makes me…sad, for some reason.

Yes, with the use of smart boards and computers as a staple in the educational system, using a blackboard at all is becoming passé. In fact, the question I'm hearing posed is why bother to teach this generation to write cursive when they’ll never have to use it? Between cell phones, video games, laptops, kindles, etc., could they be right? Who knows? I’m probably just being the dinosaur that I am and resisting change again.

Perhaps, this is because I’m a writer and therefore love every facet of writing, down to the way in which it’s done. Or maybe I’m channeling Obi Wan Kenobi from Star Wars when he compared fencing with a light saber to shooting a phaser as being uncivilized. I think I’m feeling the same way about cursive versus the keyboard. :P

How about you? Will you miss cursive?

Back To The Future?

2011-10-16T20:22:00.004-04:00

Time travel. What a great concept. Some of my favorite movies and works of fiction involve time travel. If time machines were ever invented in my lifetime, I would hop in that contraption in a New York minute and set sail for the past. So why go backward and not forward? Why not take the Dr. Emmett Brown route and see beyond my years? Imagine all the developments in technology, and the advancement of our species, everything I will most likely never live to see. Getting my hands on the winning Powerball numbers would be cool, but remember what happened to Marty McFly in "Back to the Future II" when he bought that sports almanac. As Kyle Reese told Sara Connor in "The Terminator", "the future is not set". It is just a black hole of uncertainty. For instance, remember the original "Time Machine" movie from years ago? When Rod Taylor as H.G. Wells set sail in the 19th century for future destinations unknown, one of his stops was in the 20th century, smack dab in the middle of an imminent nuclear attack. And it just went downhill from there. Scary stuff. The past is safe. It's a done deal…no surprises there. Or are there?

Apparently, I am not alone in my love of time travel. When I did a search on books with those types of story lines, a multitude of links appeared ranging from book recommendations and reviews, to groups and clubs formed exclusively for lovers of time travel fiction, especially in the romance genre. Time travel romance can summon up in our imaginations all sorts of wonderful scenarios with handsome hunky heroes and beautiful heroines. For lovers of time travel, this type of fiction can satisfy their need to escape the mundane aspects of their lives in the present, by taking a journey to a past that matches their expectations of a place where everything was better.

This past Friday night I stepped into a time machine of sorts. I attended a reunion of friends from Bayside, a neighborhood in an outer borough of New York City. We all grew up there, went to the same schools, hung out in the same places, dated the same people. As I walked into the venue, a former bar and grill dive transformed into an upscale restaurant, I imagined I would see the faces from my old photo albums, but instead I saw a room filled with fifty or so much older people who had some resemblance to my old pals. Of course, they were probably thinking the same thing about me, but I guess my residual self-image is years younger than my chronological age. In spite of my expectations, I had a great time reconnecting with friends, catching up on what everyone has been up to, and reliving those happy times while looking through old pictures and talking about the crazy things we used to do when we were younger.

This reunion was made possible by social networking, Facebook in particular. An event was set up; messages went out, this friend connected with that friend, and so on, and so on. It demonstrates that a large portion of the population has a need to reach out and connect with those people that have become lost in the folds of time. What once was a long and tedious research task can now be accomplished relatively quickly and inexpensively. But when it comes to the past, do we have "selective memory"? Is there a tendency to remember only the good stuff? When we are very young, we look to the future, always wishing we were older. When we get older, the opposite is true. We look to the past. Sure, we were younger, better looking, thinner, and healthier. However, is the past really as good as we remember it to be?

In the world of fiction, my reunion could have played out differently, maybe something like this:

"As I walked into the restaurant, my eyes locked on his. His face, slightly older but still as handsome as ever glowed from the warmth of his smile. He separated himself from the circle of friends around him and moved towards me. I extended my hand to meet his outstretched arm and he pulled me close. An army of goose bumps ran down my arms when his soft lips gently brushed my neck as he whispered, "I was hoping you'd be here." It was obvious to both of us that the dormant passion between us was now bubbling to the surface."

Through fiction, we can paint a picture that leaves out all the bad stuff. That hot shirtless Duke probably hasn't taken a bath in weeks. The old flame from twenty years ago is the same jerk he used to be, only thirty pounds heavier and with much less hair. Oh yes, imagination can be better than reality!

Stolen Moments

2011-10-12T12:46:00.004-04:00

This past Monday night, I participated in an internet chat room discussion where a handful of multi-published and non-published authors traded tips and suggestions for ways to find time to sit down and write – and also how to stop procrastinating and start writing once we get there.

Here are "top ten" suggestions for you (and I) to consider putting into place -- just in time for National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo!

(1) If you cannot get solid blocks of time, then chip away at your manuscript with stolen moments - Find stolen moments while waiting for a load of laundry to dry, while in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, while at your son or daughter’s game and there’s a lull in the action, when meetings are delayed and you have time to kill. Another writer said she was able to complete NaNoWriMo solely by getting up 1 hour early each day and writing in that 60 extra minutes. Writing coach extraordinaire Margie Lawson recommends that writers prepare a writing tote bag that you carry with you at all times. Inside, you can put the latest printout of your manuscript, a blank notebook, pens, highlighters, red pencils, index cards, etc. and use it whenever stolen moments arise.

(2) Honor your writing time, and insist others in your life honor it, too - If we do not give priority to our writing sessions, our family and friends won’t feel obligated to respect it, either. Schedule brief writing sessions several times a week and ask your family to refrain from interrupting you.

(3) Ask family members for help with chores and housework – I know, you are likely laughing yourself silly at this one. But seriously. How else can children and husbands (smile) be taught independence? One of the chat room participants said she allowed herself to accept the less-than-perfect attempts her family made at completing chores (towels not folded as neatly as she would do it, dishes not put back in the right cabinet) etc. because the trade-off (free time for her writing) made it worth it.

(4) Hang a humorous sign on the doorway to keep family out – In addition to the old standby, “Careful, you may just end up in my next book” – a few others suggested posting similar signs that take the bite out of “what part of ‘do not disturb’ do you not understand?” One woman used a sign saying, “Shhh… I am listening to the voices.”

(5) Ask a writing friend to become an accountability partner (AP) – this is effective for writers who need an extra nudge. One writer said she wrote more at each session, because her AP was writing at the same time as she was, and knew her AP was going for a higher word count and that spurred her on.

(6) Set an egg timer – this works not only if you are procrastinating the actual start of a writing session, but also if you hit a snag while writing. Tell yourself you are going to set the timer for 15 minutes – no self-editing or hitting the backspace bar. That’s it. You can do anything for 15 minutes, no matter how much of a drudge it is. You may be surprised to find yourself turning off the bell when it rings, and keep going well beyond the 15 minutes.

(7) Give yourself detention / delay a reward – One writer forbade herself from watching American Idol each week (something she enjoyed) unless she had completed a certain word count. Another turned it around and said, “You can get a pedicure if you finish three chapters this week.” The goal is to set up a reward you really want, or deny yourself from something that is important to prompt you to complete your writing goal.

(8) Set up a small, attainable goal – tell yourself you will write 2 pages a day, or complete 1 chapter a month, or complete an entire book in a year. Goal setting provides purpose and direction. Once you complete these smaller goals successfully, you restore trust in yourself, in your ability to achieve the bigger goals.

(9) Join a book-in-a-month club (writing, not reading!) or sign up for NaNoWrimo (November is nearly here).

And then there’s #10, my favorite, even if it did cause me to turn red with embarrassment when someone brought it up.

(10) Bring a voice-activated recorder into the car, for dictation while commuting. That’s really making great use of stolen moments – we can plan out our plots and devise pesky roadblocks for our characters – all while stuck in that awful LI traffic.

Why did I turn red? Well, I suddenly remembered the never-opened, still-in-original-box Sony recorder my hubby bought me last December. The one I insisted I needed.

Ooops. Sorry honey. I’ll get on that right away. Anyone have fresh batteries?

-----------------------------------

(and special thanks to my online friends at My Book Therapy (dot) com. Your Monday night writer's chat, and, well, the entire website, really, is incredible.)

Workshop: Personality to Plot with Laurie Schnebly Campbell

2011-10-03T22:28:00.016-04:00

Laurie Schnebly Campbell

“I learned so much. I also realized how much more I needed to learn. It tied together so many loose ends for me.”

“She was wonderful. I loosely plotted an entire story during today's class.”

“The story is something I never would have thought of were it not for Laurie getting my mind working in a new way.”

There you have it ladies and gents, some of the unsolicited praise for Laurie Campbell’s From Personality to Plot workshop given on October 1 at the first Long Island Romance Writers all-day workshop.

Beginning with Starting with Personality, Laurie led the trusty band of writers through how birth order and priorities shape a personality.

Then went on to Ennegarams, nine personality types, and what their characteristics would be, and how all this could be used to create conflict in your hero and/or heroine and also between them.

Moving on to Plotting via Motivation, she taught us to keep asking why the character wants this goal of theirs until you get to an un-heroic reason. Those answers are what make a character more interesting and believable. It is that human flaw that makes them real.

Laurie rounded out the day with From Plot to Finish worksheets, how to handle writer’s block (something everyone can relate to) and ideas on how to bust it plus a bonus talk on alpha males.

Unfortunately it was over by five and we all had to leave. But many left with ideas sprouting, stories plotted and a big THANK YOU LAURIE on their lips.

After the Happily Ever After

2011-09-26T10:13:00.004-04:00

When I was a teenager, my brother read MAD magazine. That was a long time ago.

I remember a comic from that magazine that has stuck with me since then. In the first panel was a young woman, swooning as she looked adoringly at a young man smoking a pipe. The caption said something about how there was nothing so attractive as a man with a pipe. In the second panel, they were emerging from a church, her in her beautiful white dress, he with his pipe rakishly held between his lips, both of them beaming. The final panel had her shrieking at him about his smelly pipe, her frazzled hair in curlers while she struggled with the vaccuuming and he sat in his easy chair -- you guessed it -- smoking his pipe. The message, even to me in those formative years (no comments here about being exposed to MAD during formative years, please), was that sometimes the thing you love most about a person is the thing that drives you crazy later. There might have even been a caption to that effect -- I wasn't THAT insightful at thirteen.

Sometimes I wonder about what happens to couples in romance novels after they've decided to stay together forever. I know the story on the page is over, but didn't you ever wonder how your favorite hero and heroine might manage in later life? Do they go forth blissfully, true love sustaining them throughout their future? Have they really solved all of their issues and conflicts? Will they fight about the color of the siding on the house, for instance, or who gathers the most firewood, or where they'll live or how they'll deal with one of their mothers-in-law?

Sometimes in series stories you get a reassuring glimpse of a couple from a previous book, which is nice. They're on their first baby or starting up their business while their friends, the couple of the current book, go through all of their own issues. But I'm talking about single titles. Don't you want to know if the heroine can handle castle matters while the hero's off fighting in yet another clan feud? She loved his daring adventurous side, but now look who's having to deal with his stubborn steward and all of those pesky peasant dependents. Who stays home if the covert operative couple has a child? He loved her sleek body in that catsuit and the way she could take out someone at 100 yards in a single shot, but now -- not so happy that she's always at the gym working off the baby fat and big deal, she can get the dirty diaper in the pail across the room underhand. And that scent -- that one each lover found so appealing in the other -- that masculine, heady aroma or that mysterious feminine aura-- at some point is the female going to walk into their bedroom and realize what she was attracted to was Desenex foot powder, or will he realize she just spent a lot of time in front of the chai-scented Glade touch-release in her apartment when she was getting ready for a date?

Let's not even get into in-law issues, because you just know there're going to be some. There always are....

Last week my family watched The Princess Bride for the umpteenth time. It's a go-to movie, and we use a lot of the lines in our daily life. At the end, Wesley and Buttercup ride off on white horses into the sunset with Fezzik and Inigo, who might just become the next Dread Pirate Roberts, taking over for Wesley. So I wondered: How far did they ride? Where did they go? Wesley was now jobless; did he have any treasure put aside to support them or would they just be going back to Buttercup's farm? Was she going to be okay with that, now that she'd been exposed to court life? Would Wesley settle back to farm life, or would he miss the adventure of being at sea? If they decided to live on the boat, would Buttercup get seasick?

I worry too much. These are fictional stories, after all. It's just that the good ones can really stick with you, like that comic.

Are there any romances that you wondered if the couple would have realistically made it? Are there any you wish you could write a sequel to, and what would you write? Are there any where, when you closed the book, you thought, "well, the wedding will rock, but I have a feeling they're going to have serious issues with who folds the laundry/steers the ship/gets the bad guy first some day"?

Cookin' in Brooklyn

2011-09-19T12:02:00.006-04:00

Sunday Sept. 18th began with rays of pale yellow sunshine and a crisp chill in the air. The sky was a brilliant blue, promising a nice fall-like day ahead, and it didn’t disappoint. At 9:30 a.m. Donna Coe-Velleman and I made our intrepid trek from Suffolk County to Kings County to represent Long Island Romance Writers at the 2011 Brooklyn Book Fair. (The title of this blog is a nod to celebrity chef Alan Harding’s TV show, of said fair city. At lunch time, I looked high and low for his “Food Truck @ Hot Bird” on Atlantic Avenue - coincidently the street that housed our parking garage - but came up empty. I suspect we were on the wrong section of Atlantic, but I digress). The title also refers to the pleasure we had interacting with the public and educating them about the LIRW chapter in specific, and on the romance genre in general (as in the phrase, “now we’re cookin!”

The ingredients of the outing were simple, and delicious. We shared a congenial vendor table with a handful of published authors from “Big Heart Writers” - a group of New York-based authors who write about romance. Our tent sat elbow to elbow with those from small and independent publishers, area booksellers, writing collectives, poets, essayists and lots (and lots) of authors selling and promoting “Literature.” Yes, that’s “Literature” with a capital “L”. They used words like “exemplary” - “outstanding” - “distinctive” - “radical” or “feminist” among other superlatives, in promoting their work.

Not surprising, our romance genre was in the minority on the tasting menu of the day. But that wasn’t a bad thing. I like to think we provided a refreshing change of pace to the staple fare that makes up the majority of this annual festival’s menu -sort of like a mouth-watering Mister Softee cone in the middle of a platter bearing bowls of tart pomegranate sorbet. Both desserts are delicious in their own way (but truthfully, who can deny the complete sensory satisfaction of a creamy vanilla soft-serve on a hot summer’s afternoon?)

Our main goal was to offer festival-goers an amuse-bouche – or “small taste” of what our chapter is all about, and to get the word out about our incredible day-long writing workshop coming up on October 1st (From Personality to Plot with Laurie Schnebly Campbell – still time to register!) I’d like to think we earned a Michelin star in meeting those goals. It was gratifying to have folks come up to our table, take a brochure and let us know they had relatives on Long Island who would love to hear more about our group. Others were happy to discover most of our meetings occur near enough to LIRR train stations that we can provide volunteer pickups should they wish to attend from points far west, and most grabbed a flyer about the workshop besides.

Donna and I enjoyed networking prior to our timed session at the Big Heart Writers’ table, wandering around to every booth and talking about our chapter with other vendors. (Must have been the gorgeous LIRW lighthouse pin that caught their eye!) We met writing friends of LIRW member Marilyn Levinson at the NY Sisters in Crime chapter table, and chatted for awhile with popular mystery author Rosemary Harris, president of the NYC chapter of Mystery Writers of America at her table. It was surreal meeting and getting a photo taken with one of my Facebook friends, Susan Berliner, author of the supernatural thriller DUST.

Well, the term cookin’ also denotes heat, and fire, and we had a little bit of that, too, discussion wise. Being surrounded by the literati -- heat is a given! One older woman dressed in a black dress and thick black sweater, with a strong Russian accent, spoke to me in revered tones about the brilliance of Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoyevsky and said she didn’t read “romance” because, really, it wasn’t valuable literature. Shortly after, a middle-aged professional woman insisted that any book she read must also provide intrinsic value (truth, education, knowledge) so that the time she spent reading it wasn’t wasted. Although it remained unsaid, she clearly felt reading romance novels was a waste of her time.

Both times I demurred, saying a retreat from the world’s troubles with a cup of coffee and an absorbing, character-and-plot-driven love story with twists and turns and emotional connections was to me more valuable – priceless even -- than any bone-dry tome by a long dead overrated hack. Okay, I didn’t exactly say that. I instead smiled politely and let them have their time on the soapbox. I did thank them for stopping by the booth, and gently mentioned that all genres of writing have a spot in the marketplace. What great training for when our books our published and we hold book signings of our own!

Driving home after the festival we rehashed the day’s interactions and opportunities. Would we attend as a chapter again? Probably not. The cost of the table – given the low return on investment – just cannot justify it. The published authors we sat with had the same assessment – they barely sold a half dozen copies of their books. But – to plan a day trip for LIRW members in the future? Absolutely!

We had a great time being surrounded by books and words and people who love to read. Not to mention the odd, memorable (AKA bizarre) people walking around the quad. As writers, seeing them was better than sampling at a Viennese dessert table. Plenty of goodies to digest for characters in that future manuscript!

And besides, I have to go back. I know Alan Harding’s yummy mobile eating venture must be on Atlantic Avenue somewhere and I am determined to locate it!

Never Forgotten

2011-09-11T01:00:00.003-04:00

It’s funny how there are certain events in history — throughout the world — that will forever be ingrained in your mind, always orienting you to where you were living at the time, what you were doing and how you felt.

Now, I was too young to remember when JFK died, but my parents remember the day like it was yesterday. I forget which teacher told me to go home and ask them about it, but he’d been so sure they’d recollect it with such clarity that my young adolescent mind was convinced he was psychic when they did!

The earliest profound memory for me where the nation seemed to stand still was during the Challenger disaster in January 1986. The teachers in my school were so excited to have one of their own making history, they had televisions in every classroom following it live (which was a big deal to have live TV streaming into the classroom, mind you). As a kid, my memory of elementary school teachers was comparable to how Charles Schultz portrayed them — monotone, authoritative beings who bellowed out the occasional “womp, womp, womp…”

But after the shuttle exploded, I will never forget the somber expression on my teacher’s face and sad tone of his voice for the rest of that day. Another tragic event I’ll always remember was Lady Diana’s car accident while I babysat for my neighbor.

Although, I didn’t personally know anyone involved in the 9/11 tragedy, it still hit close to home. And of all of the catastrophes in history, I don’t think I've ever before seen such a nationwide display of patriotism and unity as I have during that year as a result. On this day, I’m reminded of how proud I am to be an American and happy I am to know all of you. Oo-rah!

Do you remember what you were doing during a pivotal time in history?

A Sad Farewell to Summer

2011-09-05T09:12:00.005-04:00

"Then followed that beautiful season... Summer....
Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood."
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Summer. That short-lived, wonderful time of year. Where did it go? I know it's not officially over until September 23, 5:05 A.M. eastern daylight time, but when that last day of August takes its final breath, it just feels like it's all over.

"A life without love is like a year without summer. ~Swedish Proverb

Is there any greater time of year for romance than summer? Hot sun and warm, supple skin glistening with perspiration and desire has set the scene for so many great novels over the years. "A Summer Place", written by Sloan Wilson and turned into a motion picture in 1959, examines the complicated romantic lives of Ken and Sylvia, former teenage lovers from Pine Island, Maine, torn apart by their class differences, only to be reunited years later one summer when they give in to the passion still smoldering between them. To complicate matters, when their respective children Molly and Johnny meet for the first time, sparks fly between them and another great romance is born. Throw in a frigid, vindictive wife and an alcoholic husband and you've got quite a page-turner.

Then there's "The Great Gatsby", F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic 1925 tale of romance on Long Island's glamorous Gold Coast. Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan, their young romance also a victim of the social conventions of their time, are reunited one fateful summer within the backdrop of the indulgent lifestyle of the roaring twenties.

"The Notebook" written by Nicholas Sparks in 1996, skillfully tells the story of Noah and Allie, and their epic love that began one summer in the sleepy town of New Bern, North Carolina. The passion between them could not be extinguished by the misguided actions of Allie's parents, or by Allie's engagement to her devoted fiancé.

And on a much lighter note, there's "Gidget". That fictional character was created by screenwriter Frederick Kohner and was based on his own daughter, Kathy who at the time was involved in the surfing movement on the West Coast. He penned the novel "Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas" in 1957, and it was turned into a motion picture in 1959, starring Sandra Dee as Gidget (nee Franzie) and James Darren as Jeff, or "Moondoggie", Gidget's endearing nickname for him. Although the novel and movie might be a little dated, it still depicts the age-old theme of teenage summer romance, complete with the angst and drama of jealousy and puppy love, but minus the gratuitous sex and graphic language of some of today's Young Adult tales.

So do not mourn the loss of summer, but instead maintain anticipation and hope for its speedy return!

Writing in the Dark.

2011-08-30T12:44:00.016-04:00

At the height of our season, my village turned into a ghost town.

Driving through the empty streets, I imagined what it would be like if a town went under.

The cost of life, property, and business was worse than I imagined.

I couldn't look away.

Road after road was blocked. No electricity for miles.

While the wind swirled around, slamming waves into the shore and trees at houses and cars, I called one of my best friends, a graphic novelist, and he was drawing in his basement by candlelight. A fellow writer was working on her story, praying her computer battery would last. Such is the drive of those who live for their work. They plow through their stories like a powerful storm, feeding off their environment, not stopping until it is time.

They write in the dark.

Our hearts go out to all those affected by Hurricane Irene. Please share your storm experiences with us. We would love to know.

"Dingbatter"

2011-08-23T02:25:00.004-04:00

I just got back from visiting my mom. She lives in Smyrna, a little town that is part of the “Down East” section of North Carolina. Besides the southern twang, Down Easterners have their own vernacular. In the film “The Carolina Brogue”, you can learn the origins and hear the unusual tones and phrases used. I particularly like the terms “off” and “dingbatter” used to describe someone not being born from that area. Unfortunately with the islands within easy reach, the influx of tourists and more outsiders moving into the area, this specialty of theirs is slowly disappearing.

So why am I telling you this besides quenching your thirst for knowledge or the possibility it may be an answer for Jeopardy? When you write you need to make sure of the patterns of speech used by different peoples. You have to convey the rolling or abrupt structure of the sentences or words to get the right feel for the culture. I’ve read scenes where the writer has gotten the details right for the location, dress, etc. but when the character opens his mouth, he/she sounds like a homogenized newscaster. Listen carefully to the nuances. Try to pick up the rhythm of the words when someone speaks. See if you can repeat it correctly. Do you sound like that person? If not, what are you getting wrong? Watch their body language too, it often emphasizes the words.

All of this develops your characters into a firmer being for the reader, making them more believable. And that’s what you want, right?

What types of speech do you like to listen to? Which gives you the hardest time to reproduce?

Hoarders & the zen of writing

2011-08-15T06:37:00.003-04:00

Thanks to a recent bout of insomnia, I found myself awake into the wee hours, oddly riveted to multiple back-to-back episodes of the popular reality show, Hoarders: Buried Alive. I was transfixed, even while enduring those annoying, repetitive commercials about mesothelioma lawyers, life alert alarms, and previews of the upcoming season of the Hamptons-based show, Revenge, until well after 3 a.m.

This was surprising for many reasons - besides the fact that I like my sleep - I loathe commercials, and I normally detest reality television of any type (American Idol aside). Add to this the “ick” factor of seeing walls laden with black mold and rodents and mouse droppings appear close-up on camera, and I usually cannot click the channel selector quick enough.

I don’t recall what initially stopped me from switching to another show, but once the first episode of the evening began, I couldn’t look away. To my surprise, five episodes later (yes, my name is Jenna and I AM now a hoarder TV show addict), I dragged my tired self to bed. When I woke up – I had made some surprising connections to what I had watched on TV to the craft of characterization in our novels and as a writer in general.

It’s all about the set up. Clearly, I was drawn to the women and men first of all. What was their story? Why did they do this? What had placed them on the pathway of this hoarding disorder? Each of the hoarders on camera expressed a pivotal moment in their lives that launched them into the start of mental illness. One man expressed how his father hated him, and had taken back a train set he’d given his son, to pay bills. He vowed nobody would ever take away his possessions again. Another woman shared how her parents disliked her and her grandmother came and got her one day and brought her home to live with her. She idolized her grandma and kept everything intact in that home for fifty years.

It got me thinking. The show was compelling to me, because of this "WHY". I need to make sure whatever has wounded my Hero or Heroine or Villain, which provides the reader with an extra layer of internal conflict, is compelling enough to help keep them turning those pages. Is my novel's "WHY" equally strong?

Our character’s actions and dialogue have to make sense to the character. Even though a hoarder’s behavior makes no sense to their family or friends, it makes perfect sense to the hoarder. In every case, when faced with a monumental 2-day or 3-day cleanup of a home, with six or eight trash haulers standing by to cart stuff away -- the hoarder concentrates on the minutia of the cleanup effort. They may spend four hours going through one box of items containing trash (translating to a failure of the cleanup effort overall). They must touch each piece of paper, read what it says, recollect happy memories related with each item. They exist through their possessions. If it is taken away, they fear they will cease to exist as a person.

In our stories, as well, our main characters need to say and do things which make sense to them. It may not seem logical to others -- but the reader can sense when the hero or heroine is not behaving true to their core being.

Is the Happily Ever After believable? I have to say I was not encouraged watching any of these episodes, that the hoarder would eventually find their way out of their mess (literally). Most of the shows ended with children being taken away, spouses divorcing them, homes being condemned and in some cases the hoarder becomes homeless. At best, the show provided a small band-aid for a massive hemorrhage.

As I write, I need to keep in mind that whatever my final HEA or resolution to the conflicts are -- they need to work for the long-term, and provide a reasonable explanation that is tied into who my main characters are as people at the beginning of the novel, and then at the end. I must provide an arc of growth for the hero and heroine. Hoarders, at the end of the show, often have not grown, have not changed -- and that brings real tragedy to their lives and the lives of their families.

So there you have it. What other tie-ins can you find between the stories we watch on TV, such as Hoarders and Hoarders: Buried Alive (or any other reality TV show) and those we put to paper? I'll check back later. But right now I have to go and clear off my desk. I may have some compulsive hoarding tendencies of my own to clear up!

"Call Me"

2011-08-08T10:50:00.003-04:00

Naming something or someone can be a huge undertaking. There is so much to consider, based upon your ideas about their potential characteristics, your values, your feelings about what sounds pretty or cool or honors a predecessor or close friend or some celebrity you like. Or there might be other considerations. For instance, when we had our children, major criteria for choosing their names were a) no naming after family members -- some of them would be pretty annoyed about not being a namesake and we had conflict enough in our lives; and b) no one was going to beat our kids up on the playground for being named something that begged for bullying.

One has to be practical. You should never name a pet "Stay" or "Yes". One name makes for a very confused dog at obedience classes; the other means that if the puppy gets loose, you will be running around the neighborhood sounding like Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally in the diner scene.

You know the scene. Take a moment to envision yourself making this particular mistake.

When we invent characters, we have different ideas about what they should be called. A lot of the time names for particular character types become stereotypical -- I've never read of a butler called Spike or Meat; nor have I encountered any alpha male Navy SEAL types named Morty or Wilberforce. They might be out there, but it's more likely you'll run into butlers named by surnames: Roberts, Jeeves, Winston, perhaps. Modern Alphas tend to get firm, hard-consonant names: Dex, Ranger, Clay, Nick... even the historically iconic are unique and forceful: Heathcliff, Darcy, Rhett. Some names carry extreme baggage -- would anyone name a romantic hero Adolf, or his low-key, supportive wingman Ted Bundy?

Back to Meg Ryan -- maybe another consideration is picturing your romantic leads in the long-awaited clinch and someone shouting someone else's name at a critical moment. How awkward is it for a heroine to scream, "Oh, Aloysius! Aloysius!"

The naming of females is just as important -- I know authors, and parents, who've made long lists, analysed name origins and meanings and how each name sounded, trying to match them with what might reflect their heroine's (or future daughter's) personality.

One thing which shouldn't change a decision, but might mean you (or your child) will be instructing people throughout their lives, is pronunciation. My cousin has a daughter he named Siobhan. She was born prematurely, and when my daughter was christened and Siobhan was still in the hospital, we asked the pastor to include her in his prayers at the service. He did. He said her name a few times like he had something stuck in his nose and couldn't get it out -- like "See-obb-HAN". The correct pronunciation is a beautifully soft "Sh-VAUGHN." Years later I still think of that when I consider names for characters -- it isn't that I wouldn't ever use an unusual name, but I wonder if a reader might stumble over it or be distracted by it. I think about ways to get around a difficult pronunciation -- do I put my character in a scene in a classroom or a doctor's office, where he or she has to sound out their name, just so the reader will get it right? Hmmm.

I wonder if a writer is more daring about this sort of thing if their own name is unusual. My name is simple, although people always forget the "e" at the end. I was originally supposed to be a "Linda", but my namesake, a cousin in her very early 20s, died in a car accident three months before I was born and my father's family thought it would be bad luck to name me after her. My parents modified, and I'm glad, because there are a lot of Lindas out there and not so many Lynne Roses. Still, it's not very complex, and I am not so adventurous when it comes to naming characters -- or the aforementioned children.

So the questions I have are these: How do you choose your characters' names? Where did your own name come from and do you know how or why it was chosen? What are some of the best or worst character names you've ever encountered and why did they stick with you either way? What would you NEVER name a character?

2011-07-31T00:00:00.003-04:00

So. To date, it’s been a month since RWA Nationals and I wonder what everyone’s been up to…

Aside from some of us, frustratingly, having our comments deflected by Blogger, where are you in your writing process? Did you take all of that invaluable information from the workshops and apply it to practice? Are agents/editors sitting with pieces of your works and deliberating over whether they’ll take you on as we speak?

I’ve heard we have up until about 4 – 6 weeks post-Nationals to send in our submissions after making connections @ the conference. So, I’m figuring around “now” is crunch time for many of us. Well, I certainly don’t want to add to your, already, very stressful time. But to simply sit on the sidelines, holding big fluffy pom poms of your favorite color, wearing pigtails and a miniskirt (painful visual, I know). And cheer you on!!

It can’t be easy for many of us who are still working — while the kids are out of school — to maintain our twitter, facebook and personal blog accounts AND remain focused on polishing and preparing our work. Trust me, I know. Just know you are SO not alone and in the good company. Not that I’m a seasoned writer with a couple of best-sellers under my belt, but I truly believe in my heart of hearts that many of us are on the right path. Success is within our grasps.

Split the "V"
Dot the "I"
Curl that "C"
T-O-R-Y, T-O-R-Y

Split the "V"
Dot the "I"
Curl that "C"
T-O-R-Y, T-O-R-Y

Yay, victory!! Go LIRW!!!

Farewell

2011-07-25T03:25:00.003-04:00

Alas poor Borders, I knew it well.

As you all know by now Border’s is going under. Some say it’s because it was poorly managed, others blame ebooks. As with most things it’s probably a combination with a dash of other tangible things mixed in.

All I know is I’m going to miss it. There's always the online booksellers. And yeah there’s still Barnes and Noble to visit, but I liked Borders better. In my opinion, B&N seems a bit slicker, slightly in your face. Borders was more kick backed. Okay, so I wasn’t the type of patron Borders could count on to help pay their bills. I didn’t go often because I can’t afford nor can I house a large quantity of books. But when I did go, I made sure I had plenty of time to browse. It was an oasis of words and ideas surrounded by a comfy cocoon. It was a place where I could s-l-o-w down.

Am I idealizing Border’s? Perhaps but I sure don’t get the same feeling roaming through Amazon as I did at Border’s.

Are you going to miss Border’s? Which store did you like better? Do you feel B&N will have the same fate?

Roots of Riting

2011-07-18T15:05:00.009-04:00

In the spring I was accepted onto a committee made up of teachers, administrators and parents to evaluate the writing curriculum in our school district. I volunteered because I had a problem with the way many of the children in our district can't spell or correctly construct an English sentence, much less an entire report, paper, or written communication. Another parent there, a college professor, told us of how she had first-year students whose skill levels were so low that the teachers had to do reviews in writing skills at the sixth grade level during the freshman year of college in order to get them up to workable speed.

One of the attendees -- very high up on the administrative and instructive hierarchy --reported that while they did adhere to approved rubrics and grade-apropriate goals, it was more important to let the children be creative than to stress grammar or structure. It was important not to harm the self-esteem of the developing writer, and as it was, there really are no rules when it comes to writing.

I spent several minutes listening to this with my hand over my mouth, an action I have discovered I unconsciously take when I most want to blurt out, "Are you kidding me!?" Sometimes there are expletives in that (silent) sentence. Eventually, I realized both of my hands were over my mouth. I was really trying to let her speak.

What I ended up saying, while the pulse in my neck beat along the rhythms of what I imagine the Spartans might have used inspirationally on their way to battle, was this: We are responsible, as users of the English language, to provide ourselves with the tools necessary to communicate effectively with each other. Without rules about punctuation, vocabulary, sentence structure, spelling, and cohesive thought, writing just becomes gibberish. It becomes like the sound you hear when your cell phone wavelength is breaking up before a thunderstorm or on the way into a tunnel. Misunderstandings ensue from something as simple as the loss of a period or the wrong word. We need those foundational skills beginning at an early age in order to become creative, efficient writers and communicators.

Perhaps I am old-fashioned. I have a lot of resources I use, both as an editor and as a writer, and I do try to make my creative efforts clear so that my reader understands what actions, feelings, and motives stir my characters. That's what writers do.

And, by the way, I told her, there are thousands of rules, thousands of resources. I suspect I had a bit of a psychotic glint in my eye because she shrank back when I mentioned dictionaries, or something as pocket-friendly as Strunk and White's Elements of Style.

We all know that as writers, we use voice and personal style to create a story. There might be unorthodox forms of sentences, important dialects or spellings, or quirky phrasings to get our story across to our readers. I think they're important -- a lot of the time these are necessary to put forth an accurate or compelling portrayal, right?

What I want to know is, how important do you think the fundamentals are? If you have children, how important is it to you that they learn grammar and spelling and constructon?What are resources you use or have used to help you in your use of language when you write? Did you get your skills when you were young, say, from a teacher, or did you learn them yourself -- and how do you think they evolved into the way you write today?

Hail to the Wives

2011-07-10T21:37:00.018-04:00

The passing of former First Lady Betty Ford this past weekend reminds those of us who are old enough to remember her, and reveals to those who are not, what an impact she had on society. In spite of the fact that her relationship with her husband, Gerald Ford, was very strong and loving, she stuggled with many personal issues. Her admission about her addictions led to the founding of the now famous Betty Ford clinic, allowing people with similar demons to seek treatment. In addition, her battle with breast cancer raised public awareness of the disease, leading to an increase in the number of women getting mammograms. Although her dependency on painkillers arose from a physical injury she sustained long before she became First Lady, her addiction to alcohol was a response to the stresses and pressures of being married to the "P.O.T.U.S.", as well as the commitments and hectic schedule related to his career.

But what about other first ladies, especially those who were around when America was in its infancy? How did they feel about the role they were thrust into? Were they supportive of their husbands and vice versa? Did they rebel against the social conventions of their time, or simply accept their position and do what was expected of them? Here are some quotes:

1789 - 1797 - Martha Washington, who did not support George's candidacy and did not attend his inauguration: “The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions and not on our circumstances."

1825 - 1829 - Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams, wished her husband was a diplomat instead of a president. He did not value her opinion or seek her input and they spent many of their summers apart: “There is something in this great unsocial house which depresses my spirits beyond expression and makes it impossible for me to feel at home or to fancy that I have a home any where.”

1845 - 1849 - Sarah Polk, wife of James Polk, preferred discussing politics with her husband and other prominent men of her day, to socializing with other women. Although it was not normal behavior for a woman, she was never criticized for it: “If I get into the White House, I will neither keep house nor make butter.”

1853 - 1856 - Jane Pierce, wife of Franklin Pierce, hated Washington D.C. and her husband's chosen career, in spite of the fact that he loved and understood her: “Oh how I wish he was out of political life! How much better it would be for him on every account!”

1921 - 1923 - Florence Harding, wife of Warren G. Harding, thought the role of First Lady should be more than just a hostess and felt it was her duty to take an active role in politics: "I know what’s best for the President. I put him in the White house. He does well when he listens to me and poorly when he does not.”

1953 - 1961 - Mamie Eisenhower thrived in her role as hostess of the White House. In spite of the fact that she believed married women should not pursue careers outside of the home, she also felt that women were more adept than men were at handling finances. I like her quote the best: "Every woman over fifty should stay in bed until noon."

To find out more details about all the First Ladies and to see more quotes, check out my source: www.firstladies.org

RWA Nationals in NYC!

2011-07-02T19:25:00.054-04:00

This year, several LIRW members headed to Times Square for RWA Nationals!

All business by day...

Top row: Patty Blount, Jolyse Barnett, Jeannie Moon, Jennifer Gracen

Bottom row: Jenna Victoria, Dawn Berkoski, Donna Coe-Velleman

"One of my most memorable moments was standing with Dianna Love and Sherrilyn Kenyon at the Literacy signing."

Donna Coe-Velleman

Readers for Life Literacy Autographing

Jeannie Moon and Jill Shalvis

Times Square

"One of my most memorable moments at Nationals was when the elevator broke. The hotel staff showed us the service elevator, pushed the button for our floor, and left us! The next thing I know, we are in some strange laundry room with no idea how to get out. I made LIRW members, Jolyse Barnett and Jeannie Moon, pose to remember the occasion. They are such good sports."

Dawn Berkoski

The stuff stories are made of!

"Start spreading the news. I am leaving today. I want to be a part of it. New York, New York..."

Frank Sinatra

Enjoying the sights in Times Square!

Leslie Bard, Patty Blount

Top row: Dawn Berkoski, Jenna Victoria, Jennifer Gracen

Bottom row: Jeannie Moon, Patty Blount, Donna Coe-Velleman

Jolyse Barnett, Tuere Morton

Lisa Shulman, Dawn Berkoski, Jolyse Barnett, Jeannie Moon, Jennifer Gracen

"If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere."

Frank Sinatra

Lisa Shulman, Maggie Van Well, Leslie Bard, Dana Weinberg, Patty Blount

Pam, Lisa Shulman

Patricia Ryan and Friend

"It's up to you New York......."

Maggie Van Well, Jennifer Gracen

Jennifer Gracen, Dawn Berkoski, Jolyse Barnett

"New York.......!"

Happy 4th of July!

Quintessential Summer - Write it down!

2011-06-26T07:55:00.000-04:00

The day that many of us have longed for in 2011 has arrived - the first day of summer. It seemed as if those dreary, cold, bone-numbing mornings would never end. The day's arrival got me thinking....What does summer mean to you? Are there any quintessential summer day memories that hold a special significance?

I vividly recall one hot, steamy summer day in 1969. It was probably in August, our typical month of renting old Mr. Johnson's bungalow in Seaside Heights, NJ. Each summer for years our extended family pretty much took over Johnson's for the month... my Dad's sister took the first week, his other sister the second week, and so on. Till our week -- the last week that butted up against Labor Day (giving us an extra day!) It was open season for the month, every weekend. August's coming meant the whole huge extended family (my aunts, my cousins, and family friends) descended for Saturday and Sunday and then left quickly on Sunday night, giving the week back to whoever's turn was next.

Anyway, this particular day we were in our sweltering car, along with thousands of other holiday goers, heading south on the Garden State Parkway. Back in the day, there were no metal guard rails - they were comprised of unused telephone poles laying onto their sides, end to end, mile after mile. Our car windows were down to catch any stray breeze, as not too many cars had air conditioning in the 1960's. I was 9 years old (almost ten!) and my shorts were sticking to the vinyl seat of our Chevy. I still recall the tar smell rising in the heat from the roadway, the silver mirages shimmering at the edge of my vision as the line of cars stretched forward and back in an endless march. Traffic was at a dead halt -- nobody was going anywhere, and we were still a long way from our exit. This was well before the road widening projects of the 1970's -- two lanes: one north, one south -- that's it. I remember the Fifth Dimension's "Won't You Marry Me, Bill?" playing over and over on the radio and my teenage brother groaning, "Please marry her, Bill so we don't have to hear that song any more."

At one point, a few car lengths ahead, a pied piper of sorts got out of his car and sat down on a nearby pole divider. Dozens of passengers in dozens of cars quickly followed. A festive mood began to grow -- as frustrated fathers and whining kids spilled out onto the Garden State's surface. I felt energized. This was forbidden territory; exciting to a little boy or girl. Oh, to be able to play in the middle of the parkway! I threw open my car door and got out, skipping here and there, mindful of my mother's instruction to not get too far away.

Then, an enterprising entrepreneur even further transformed the day. A loud sounding engine caused me to turn my head, to look behind our car. Who or what was actually moving in this parking lot on the parkway? Crawling slowly, southbound, on the shoulder, was a dilapidated Good Humor truck. We were saved! Sustenance had arrived in kid-friendly form. Children were jumping up and down in eager anticipation of cold treats, parents were rapidly opening their wallets and purses. And an ice cream vendor turned a traffic jam into a sellout opportunity. Shortly after (all too soon it seemed) the traffic began to open up, and we were all on our way to our final destinations.

I offer this post partly because my father, pictured with me above in Seaside Heights on our last trip there 2 years ago, passed away on May 21st. I have many quintessential summer memories of him that will stay with me always. But the greater part is to encourage all of us to put the "unexpected" in our stories. To put those fragrant, sensory details we recall about summer, into our scenes.

Let your characters play on the Garden State Parkway - figuratively. Have a Good Humor man show up unexpectedly.

I think our stories will be all the more memorable for it.

Homage to the 80s...

2011-06-19T00:00:00.004-04:00

Plunking down in front of my plasma television, I got lassoed into watching a Beverly Hills Cop marathon. And how interesting it was to see Eddie Murphy in his earlier years, starting out. In fact, Coming to America has also been airing on cable lately. He must be coming out with something new. But, as usual, I digress.

I suppose with the diverse group of LIRW members of all ages, different eras mean different things to different people. For me, the eighties was that pivotal and most memorable decade. As far as I’m concerned, it served as the precipice for what television, movies and the arts, as a whole, have evolved into today.

And talk about a walk down memory lane… Nostalgia just doesn’t quite encompass the medley of emotions stirred up when I happen upon a program from the eighties. It’s almost like visiting with an old friend. How is it when you run into someone who may have known or hung out with you from the “old neighborhood”? You’re reminded of the trends and fashion of that time. The popular jargon. Where you may have lived and what you were doing. How you looked.

The list is endless.

I guess, as a writer, I enjoy observing the details in the background of a picture, TV program or movie. Like the colossal size of Roy Scheider’s glasses in Jaws (but that was really the seventies). Or the black screen computers with green lettering…and that’s it. No Google or colorful websites. Just black screens in the Beverly Hills Cop and Lethal Weapon franchises. Ironically, it makes me wonder if The Matrix was written in the eighties when you see the same black screen that Neo was working on. Hmm.

I remember our first computer was the Commodore 64 and it was a big deal when we got it. Nothing like the iPads these kids are getting as random birthday presents. Heck, I remember in middle school (which we called junior high school at the time); it was a big deal to get a beeper — never mind a cell phone.

I love where we’re going but as you can see, I also cherish where we came from. What time period do you look back on with the fondest memories and why?

2011 Annual LIRW Luncheon

2011-06-11T17:46:00.098-04:00



The June 10, 2011 Editor Agent Luncheon was a wonderful success-- An afternoon of fun, friends, food, and lots of requests! Thanks to Donald Maass for his insightful talk on Macro Trends in 21st Century Publishing. As always, our agent and editor guests were charming and gracious. We thank all of our guests for attending and we look forward to seeing you next year! Industry professionals joining us in 2011 were: GUEST AGENTS Jennifer Weltz -- Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency Anne Hawkins -- John Hawkins & Associates, Inc. Carlie Webber -- Jane Rotrosen Agency, LLC Christina Hogrebe -- Jane Rotrosen Agency, LLC Louise Fury, Literary Agent -- L. Perkins Agency Jennifer Didik -- Loretta Barrett Books, Inc. Lori Perkins -- L. Perkins Agency Miriam Kriss -- Irene Goodman Literary Agency Sandy Lu -- Lori Perkins Agency GUEST EDITORS Leah Hultenschmidt -- Sourcebooks, Inc. Aubrey Poole -- Sourcebooks, Inc. Kristin Sevick -- TOR/Forge Treva Harte -- Editor in Chief of Loose-Id Megan Records -- Kensington Books

The June 10, 2011 Editor Agent Luncheon was a wonderful success--
An afternoon of fun, friends, food, and lots of requests!

Thanks to Donald Maass for his insightful talk on Macro Trends in 21st Century Publishing. As always, our agent and editor guests were charming and gracious. We thank all of our guests for attending and we look forward to seeing you next year!

Industry professionals joining us in 2011 were:

GUEST AGENTS

Jennifer Weltz -- Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency
Anne Hawkins -- John Hawkins & Associates, Inc.
Carlie Webber -- Jane Rotrosen Agency, LLC
Christina Hogrebe -- Jane Rotrosen Agency, LLC
Louise Fury, Literary Agent -- L. Perkins Agency
Jennifer Didik -- Loretta Barrett Books, Inc.
Lori Perkins -- L. Perkins Agency
Miriam Kriss -- Irene Goodman Literary Agency
Sandy Lu -- Lori Perkins Agency

GUEST EDITORS
Leah Hultenschmidt -- Sourcebooks, Inc.
Aubrey Poole -- Sourcebooks, Inc.
Kristin Sevick -- TOR/Forge
Treva Harte -- Editor in Chief of Loose-Id
Megan Records -- Kensington Books

SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER
Donald Maass
President, Donald Maass Literary Agency

Loni Ramirez, Donald Maass, Debora Dale

"It was a lovely day with lots of people not only from LIRW but from other chapters as well. Everyone was in good spirits, friendly and helpful. LIRW members were as gracious as ever.

The agents and editors were warm and approachable. Donald Maass, himself, came over for a chat with myself and three others. He spoke about breaking out of the restraints of genre in order to write the story we feel in our hearts, sharing emotion, gripping readers with the passion we feel for our stories and characters. He spoke about promotion in this age and how it's less about shouting "look at me" and more about genuinely helping others.

After a great meal served by white-gloved staff, we had another opportunity to pitch. Many of us did and were rewarded with requests for partials and/or fulls which left us feeling giddy. At least, that's how I felt. :-)

It was a wonderful event that allowed us to be nervous, excited, daring, professional and simply ourselves all at the same time. "

~Debora

June Weiss, Jenifer Levine, Dana Weinberg, Dawn Berkoski

Julie Debragga, Maggie Van Well, Anna T. Sweringen,

LIRW President, Donna Coe-Velleman and Donald Maass,

At this table: Jennifer Didik, Louise Fury, Myra and NealPlatt, Lauren Festa,

(If we missed your name, please e-mail us at longislandromancewriters@gmail.com.) Thank you!

Front: Lisa Shiroff, Aubrey Poole, Marilyn Levinson

Back: Anne Hawkins, Dana Weinberg, Marianne Petit, Debora Dale, Gwen Johnston-Petrarch

Front: Sandy Lu, Margaret Malone, Melissa Quimby

Back: Judy and Harris Fischer, June Weiss,

Don Velleman, Leslie Bard, Kathleen Ryan, Donna, Donald Maass,

Lots of Don's!

"I was really nervous about sitting with Donald Maass but he turned out to be real easy to talk to. The whole table participated in many interesting conversations. It was a great group that made it a fun day."

~ Donna

Front: Talia Gill, Treva Harte, Beth Glash, Maggie Van Well, Jennifer Weltz,

Back: Julie DeBragga, Monica Hope, Tuere Morton,

At this table: Kristin Sevick, Michele Lang, Lynne Cannon, Debora Nolan, Lisa Shulman, Bernadine Fagan

Pamela Burford, Jenifer Levine, Christina Hogrebe, Megan Records, Cristina Spatero,

Front: D.L. Cocchio, Carlie Webber,

Back: Leah Hultenschmidt, Chris Lorenzen, Jeannie Moon, Patty Blount, Danielle Koziol, Liz Slawinski,

Loni Ramirez, Lori Perkins, Barbara Metzer, Joseph Nasta, Dawn Berkoski, Jean Ryan, Lisa Jo Brennan,

"I had such a wonderful time! Miriam Kriss and Lori Perkins graciously answered questions about the industry. I learned a great deal while dining on sorbet."

LIRW Blog Team Member, Dawn Berkoski

Cocktail Hour

LIRW President, Donna Coe-Velleman

"The LIRW Annual Luncheon @ the Fox Hollow was beautiful. Positively gorgeous from the professional service down to the ornate décor. The food was exquisite…and the company even more so. Seeing my chapter mates shine up like brand new pennies is always a pleasure. Although I did not get to meet our keynote speaker, Donald Maass, personally, his speech was just as innovative and inspiring.

Kudos go out to every member of LIRW who are on the executive board, luncheon committee, helped out the day of the luncheon or just attended by purchasing a ticket. Heck, even to the few who purchased tickets but couldn’t attend. To repeat another member…we rock!!"

LIRW Blog Team Member, Tuere Morton

Guest Speaker, Donald Maass

Mary Malone, Lori Perkins, Myra Platt

Lynne Cannon and Marilyn Levinson

Melissa Vanderaa-Quimby, Kathleen Ryan

Closing from the Luncheon Chairperson:

Being a foodie by nature and inclination, I especially enjoyed a recent article listing the top ten qualities of a master chef. I couldn't help but correlate the qualities as being equally important for a successful LIRW luncheon chairperson.
These nine chef-centered characteristics (creativity, passion, attention to detail, ability to take criticism, multitasking, commitment to quality, practice, business sense, ability to make quick decisions), are all secondary, though, to the number one element of the LIRW luncheon "recipe": being a team player.

Just as a master chef knows that he or she is figuratively holding a wooden spatula as conductor's baton- the work on the "line" prior to the LIRW luncheon (as well as the hundreds of tiny tasks the day of the event) couldn't be accomplished without an army of volunteer sous chefs. And LIRW members stepped up to volunteer with open hearts and open hands. I thank each and every one of you!

The committee started whipping up LIRW's literary main course almost immediately after the closing bell on last year's luncheon- by blending in the unanimous choice of Don Maass of the the Donald Maass Literary Agency, as our special guest in 2011. Creme de la creme!
My heartfelt thanks and admiration follow him forever.

We then measured and poured in those unique elements making our luncheon so successful and well-regarded--the generosity of the editors and agents who take the time to listen to what our authors have to say, to smile graciously (and encouragingly) as we served up helpings of hope and nerves and had minds that went totally blank during pitches. My words of thanks seem very inadequate.

And then there were our writer guests. We couldn't do this without you. We hope the connections you made last Friday will lead straight to a publishing contract.

We listened, we learned, we sipped at champagne and discovered that there were other people out there as dedicated and hopeful and talented as we are. And that maybe our dream of being a published author (or multi-published author) wasn't so far-fetched at all.

As the sweet taste of sorbet and berries fades from our tongues and our memories, I cannot wait to see what the new luncheon committee will announce about next year's luncheon- If the last
14 years have been any indication-2012's Editor/Agent luncheon is sure to be a culinary masterpiece deserving of a dozen Michelin stars.

Beth Glash

Luncheon Chairperson, 2011

2011-06-06T19:47:00.013-04:00

Back when I used to travel to Massachusetts on a weekly basis for my job as a software consultant, like many Long Islanders I chose to avoid the traffic of New York City and opted to drive out to Orient Point, NY and take the ferry up to New London, CT. It was on a sunny Thursday afternoon in June on my return trip home when I drove my car up the ramps of the Cape Henlopen, parked my vehicle where I was directed, and made my way up to the passenger area for my one and a half hour sail back to Long Island. I made this trip every week, but this day was special. It was the anniversary of one of the most significant and bloody battles of World War II, June 6th, D-Day.

The Cape Henlopen is the oldest ferry in the fleet with a very storied past. Originally known as the USS Buncombe County, or LST-510, she was the namesake of Buncombe County, North Carolina. An LST-491-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II by the Jeffersonville Boat and Machine Company, her hull had its first taste of what was to come on November 30th,1943 when she was launched in Jeffersonville, Indiana. She began her military service on January 18th, 1944, three days before she sailed down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, where she was placed in full commission on January 31st with Lieutenant George P. Andrews as her commander.

After stopping at several east coast ports to take on crewmen, supplies, and ammunition, she left North American waters on March 29th in a 64-ship convoy. Encountering fog, sleet, icebergs, 50-foot waves, and U-boats in treacherous North Atlantic waters, she reached her destination and participated in the battle of Omaha Beach. Her cargo of personnel and equipment were unloaded offshore, and as the battle ensued, served as a makeshift hospital to treat the wounded.

She returned home to the U.S. in June of 1945, and was scheduled to continue her service in the Pacific. However, the surrender of Japan in August 1945 put an end to those plans and she was decommissioned in July of 1946. For her service in the war, she received one battle star.

As I sat on the upper deck basking in the bright sunshine, I tried to imagine what it must have been like for those young men heading across the Atlantic to fight for their country. Then I realized there is no possible way I could imagine what it was like. Unless you have been through something as horrendous as that, you can have no idea. As I walked through the ship, I could feel the spirits of those brave men around me. I felt the same way when I toured the USS Constitution up in Boston. As I passed the full service bar, I smiled, thinking about how those seamen would have taken full advantage of that if it were available to them.

Even though this majestic lady no longer resembles the military warhorse of yesteryear, she has been given the makeover that every great lady deserves. She thankfully received a reprieve from spending the rest of her days rusting away in dry dock. Instead, she is now equipped with a multitude of seats and coin-operated telescopes, running smoothly with her engines overhauled and modernized. On a daily basis, she transports families and pets on vacation, as well as commuters like me. It was an honor to sail on the Cape Henlopen that day, and I thank all those who served and who lost their lives back in 1944, for their bravery and their service, as well as those who continue to serve in order to keep us all safe. We must never forget them.

664,863 Final Goodbyes

2011-05-29T15:14:00.017-04:00

Our obligations to our country never cease but with our lives.
John Adams (1735 - 1826)

Today is Memorial Day - a day to remember. Let the numbers speak. Let them show what it takes to protect her borders and ideals. Let us not forget the lessons and those who taught them .

In honor we remember. . .

MAJOR WAR_ _ __ _ _ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _DEATHS *

AMERICAN
REVOLUTIONARY WAR _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 4,435

WAR OF 1812 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _2,260

CIVIL WAR_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _214,938

_ _ _ _ _ _ 140,414-Union _ _ 74,524 Confederates

WW1 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _53,402

WW2_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 291,557

KOREA _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 33,741

VIETNAM_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _58,479

IRAQ/AFGHANISTAN _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _6,051+
(ongoing)

* I tried to verify the numbers using several sources; unfortunately for some of the wars I found conflicting totals. Please forgive any errors if my numbers are different from what you know.

Also, my choice to use only the major wars was to make a more dramatic showing and is in no way belittling the losses incurred during smaller wars, skirmishes, police actions, etc.

Pitching Time!

2011-05-22T15:05:00.015-04:00

LIRW members gathered at the Westhampton Free Library on Saturday for an amazing workshop: Pitching to Editors and Agents, presented by romance author, Pamela Burford.

Afterwards, writers braved pitching their stories to the room, receiving tremendous feedback, suggestions, and encouragement. The story concepts were original and creative and I enjoyed listening.

I think the agents and editors attending our 14th annual Agent/Editor Luncheon are in for a real treat. No, I don't mean the chocolate mousse and champagne, but there is that.

If you would like to join us for the event there is still time.

Long Island Romance Writers'

are pleased to announce Keynote Speaker

Donald Maass

Top agent, author, & President of the Donald Maass Literary Agency

at our

14th Annual

“Shining the Light on Romance”

Editor/Agent Luncheon

Friday, June 10, 2011

from

12 noon – 4 o’clock

in the gorgeous waterfall room

at the I nn at Fox Hollow, Woodbury, NY

Plan to join us for an elegant, entertaining and empowering afternoon

Registration is OPEN and spots are filling fast. Visit our website for details.

http://www.lirw.org

Channeling the Uber-Heroine

2011-05-15T21:09:00.012-04:00

I am not feeling the romance vibe at all. After reading a ton of American literature all week, and working on a few other romance projects, and attending a romance writers' conference yesterday, I am frankly a little romanced out. I learned a lot, but now feel a slightly crippling crisis of confidence -- it's possible I have the entire genre wrong, that I am not following the rules or the formulas or the tried and true methods to achieve a satisfying Happily Ever After. This is probably not the best weekend for me to be writing on our blog.

I heard a lot about archetypes yesterday, but most of the time about alpha males: Navy SEALS, Army rangers, pirates captains et al. But this morning I was thinking about the females -- specifically those super-spunky twenty- or thirtysomethings with the gemlike eyes and the perky boobs and the fearless manner and the witty repartee. They look great naked and they know how to cook and they never mismatch their socks or wear granny panties or burp. Their noses are always just the right size and their hair looks great even if they've been in a shipwreck.

Ed Asner said to Mary Tyler Moore on her show years ago: "You've got spunk, kid. --I hate spunk." That's just the kind of mood I'm in. I don't want cute and spunky. I'm looking for a heroine like Wednesday Addams, or Janeane Garofalo's character, the Bowler, in Mystery Men. I want to re-write scenes: Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter giving up the long-suffering secret that protects Mr. Dimmesdale and saying to the townspeople, "Oh, for God's sake, it was the preacher, okay? Honestly, I'm tired of the judging and the staring and my kid's messed up, so could we just let the past go already??!" Or Scarlet O'Hara, when Rhett murmurs his immortal "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn"-- don't you think it would've been great just once if she'd taken off her shoe and thrown it, and whacked him in the back of his perfectly groomed, retreating head?

I have to admit that when I started dating my husband there were mutual acquaintances we had that asked him why, oh why, did a nice guy like him want to date a (well, it wasn't a nice term and it rhymed with "itch") like me? I was a little more tightly wrapped then. Yes, for those of you who actually know me, that's really possible. Yet the romance flourished, and here we are over twenty years later. And I am pretty sure he would agree that I have never been cute and perky (unless there's a gin and tonic involved...), although he knows I love him fiercely.That may help him stick around. Also I never throw shoes (or anything else) at him.

Maybe my personal lack of mushy-ness plays a part in my occasional dissatisfaction with the typical romance heroine. I know most of the heroines in romance novels are created as approachable yet lovely specimens of our fair sex. They are intelligent, sympathetic, generally strong and occasionally funny. They can be goofy as long as it's adorable and tough as long as they're also kind. Otherwise they're just freaking annoying.

I have a friend who fronts a rock band. Off stage she is bright, engaging, a caring mother and a faithful wife. Onstage she is Venus unbound: charismatic, sexy, in your face. She told me that she learned she has to win over the women in the audience before she can win over the men. She has to present them with a subtle vulnerability in her performance, in her eye contact, that makes her non-threatening to them, so that when the men fall under her spell, the women don't mind. They understand the appeal. She knows both sides of the equation -- the audience -- are important, and in the end everyone loves her. I doubted her until I saw her in action.

Those covers with the hunky males on the front appeal to many of us; those characterizations of daring, charming, devilish men sell like crazy, but they're only part of a good story. It's the women in romance that give us permission to fall in love with their men, that let us see through their eyes what makes the hero (aside from his rockin' bod) worth falling in love with. What makes an excellent heroine? Why does she appeal to us? What makes us want to keep reading about her and the development of the relationship with the most overwhelming love of her life? Is it possible that Scarlet O'Hara and Stephanie Plum have something in common? What about Shakepeare's Juliet, Jane Austen's Elizabeth, Sue-Ellen Welfonder's Scottish maids, Stephanie Meyer's Bella? You may sigh at the thought of some of these characters and groan at others, but they make their impressions, and they play a part in the reader's ability to be irresistibly seduced by the hero just as they have.

So adjust my attitude and restore my faith: What's their secret? Who are your favorites and why? And when you write a heroine, how much of yourself, of your own spirit, do you think goes into her?

Your First Time...

2011-05-08T00:00:00.004-04:00

Do you remember your first time? Try hard to recollect where your mind was, how you felt, what fashions were in style. Everything. I’d like you to take this journey back to your first time when everything was fresher and newer. When you may have been less jaded, less seasoned, less everything.

What were you more of? Full of hope. Promise. Expectations? Remember seeing pictures? Did you talk to others first? Get their take on the whole thing? What about you more learned folks? Did you read up on all of the pros and cons? And how did you prepare? Did you get a hotel room? Or just meet up each day in some random room?

And let’s talk feelings. Were you nervous? Were you hotter than a summer in Mississippi? Did you dress appropriately? Break into a sweat? Did your heart race till it rung in your ears? And what about breaths? Were they shallow or did you gasp for air @ times? Were you relaxed or were you as tense and taut as a newly crafted bow?

Ever think about how it’s celebrated in countless literature? Over and over again. The whole thing seems epic, inspiring classics world-wide. This first time that’s different for everyone.

For me, it’s exciting — and scary. But in the end…it just feels right. Is that how it was for you?

Now, for those who know me, you may be utterly confused. How can I be happily married with three children and anticipate my first time? Well, I don’t see how one thing has to do with the other…

RWA Nationals is a place for writers, authors, editors, publishers, librarians, book vendors and agents. Not families, silly. ;-)

Someday My Prince Will Come?

2011-05-01T19:37:00.008-04:00

I confess. I was one of the 23 million Americans and 3 billion people worldwide that watched the Royal Wedding. No, I did not get up at 4 am, that's what DVRs are for. But I did watch the entire event, fast forwarding through the commercials and inane commentary offered by the talking media heads, witnessing the so-called "commoner", Kate Middleton marry her handsome Prince Charming, William.

A few years ago when I was in London, I attended a Sunday service at Westminster Abbey, so it was exciting for me to watch the ceremony having actually been there. Everything was lovely - from the outlandish hats worn by the female guests, to the bride's classically beautiful gown. I could feel the happiness and joy in Kate & William's respective hearts, as they glanced at each other from time to time while standing at the altar. I imagined how proud Princess Diana would have been of her son if she were still alive. The tissue I had clutched in my hand made it up to my eyes quite a few times.

Once upon a time, the story of Prince Charming was a legend eagerly propagated by mothers to their daughters. Many of us (of a certain age) grew up believing that finding him was our destiny. We listened in awe to the enchanted tales of Cinderella, Snow White and their peers. But for the average unattached woman in 2011, the quest of finding a prince amongst frogs (many frogs) is futile, right? Apparently not. There are many women (and some men too) who feel the dream is attainable. And where else but the Internet can a young, nubile girl or mature, available woman turn to help make this aspiration take on a life of its own:

For a sure fire way to catch a prince, check out http://ibnlive.in.com/news/7-steps-to-find-your-prince-charming/150622-19.html.

And if it's Prince Charming info, along with all things love related that you crave, check out http://loveaspires.com/love-poems/i-love-you/my-prince-charming.htm

If you need to connect with other lovelorn souls out there, check out www.helium.com/items/1671737-poetry-prince-charming for poems written by real women (and some men) about Prince Charming.

You can even order a full Prince Charming costume to use however you see fit - no questions asked: http://shopping.yahoo.com/search?p=prince%20charming

Even Taylor Swift, in her song "Love Story", sings:
"Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.
I'll be waiting, all that's left to do is run.
You be the prince, and I'll be the princess,
It's a love story, baby, just say, 'yes'."

But the reality is that most of us will never even meet a prince. However, we should be confident that the choices we made and will make are the right ones for us. For those of us already in a committed relationship, even though the man lying in bed next to us (probably snoring) may not have a royal bloodline, we should appreciate those characteristics that make him a prince among men: he's a good father, takes care of the laundry when you're having a rough week at work, makes sure the tires on your car are properly inflated, takes care of you when you are sick, and rubs your feet while you are on the couch watching TV. And for those who are still looking: keep an open mind...your heart will know when the right one comes along. However if you ever need a little fantasy in your life, you can always order one of those costumes!

Stalking the Wild Agent

2011-04-26T01:47:00.010-04:00

I know I’m no expert but I’d like to share some info with you because there comes a time in every writer’s life when one must pursue the mighty agent or editor. These elusive creatures gather together throughout the year in rooms at what are called conferences. But if you want to catch one in the wild you must be resourceful.

Let’s go over a couple of facts before I tell you how to corner one.
1- They usually move in small packs called a booklique.
2 - Just like a leprechaun must hand over his gold when caught, an agent must listen to you when trapped.
3 - If you badger them enough, they’ll always say yes.
4 – They never sleep or get tired.

Remember nothing is off limits when in pursuit. Here's some ideas. Large leafy ferns are great to hide behind but make sure you wear green. Soft crepe soled shoes are a must for creeping up behind the intended target. Stealth is your ally. Follow the agent/editor into the ladies room and stand right outside their stall so when they open the door they’ll immediately see your excited face. Steal a maid’s uniform, go to their room and ask if they need extra towels. Once inside throw your back against the closed door and gush about your work. They love enthusiastic writers. If they drove to the conference, find out which car is theirs, hide next to it and jump out just as they unlock it. They also love surprises. As they’re busy checking out, hide their baggage and offer to help find it. Lure them into an empty room and then pitch your heart out. They'll love your resourcefulness and will show you their appreciation in many ways.

Well that’s all I have to share. The rest is up to you. Happy hunting - trap a good one.

editors note: The above article does not reflect the opinions of LIRW, it's Board or it's members. Trying the ideas presented will be at the user's own risk.

Talking with Maggie Van Well

2011-04-18T00:56:00.013-04:00

Hi all. Yes I'm starting my interviews again and am pleased to begin with newly published author Maggie Van Well.

Donna Coe-Velleman- This is a couple of firsts for you. Your first book was released on April 11th (e-book April 29Th) and this is your first interview. You must be a mixture of nerves on end and excitement. Can you tell us a little about your book?

Maggie Van Well - Yes! This is really exciting! But I'm not nervous yet. I don't think it has sunk in yet. Here is the blurb for my book:

Midwife Kayla Morgan decides to fulfill her dream of becoming a mother. However, there is a slight snag. She is newly divorced and has no desire to take the marriage path again. What’s a gal to do? Why, ask her childhood friend, Chase McBride, to help her, of course. No intimacy, no strings, and with today’s technology the former Wall Street tycoon can be vacationing in Maui when she conceives. It sounds simple, except for one small detail. Chase, who has harbored a secret love for Kayla for years, sees an opportunity he can’t pass up. If there was ever a way to get Kayla to see him as a man and not the boy she grew up with, this is it. He just hopes he doesn’t wind up losing her in the process.

Donna - When did you start writing?

Maggie - I started writing about 13 years ago. It's odd how I started. I always had stories roaming around in my head, but I never thought about writing them down. One day I was reading a romance that was really fun and romantic - it was fast becoming one of my favorite books. Then I reached the end and it completely ruined the book for me. I thought, "I can do better than this." So I picked up a pen, grabbed one of my kid's marble notebooks and started writing. I finished two weeks later. That book was The Chase is On.

Donna - So the first story you ever wrote became your first published book. Did it change a great deal from that first attempt to the final copy that got published? How?

Maggie - Oh, it changed. Boy, did it change. I rewrote the beginning 6 times, cut the first four or five chapters because I started the book in the wrong place. After running it past my critique partners I had to make the difficult decision to revise the second half. It's now completely different from the original version, but the main plot never changed.

Donna - How many queries did you send out before it got accepted?

Maggie - It's hard to say. I wrote three books before I thought about sending them out to editors. For The Chase is On specifically, I'd guess five or six. I know that doesn't seem like a lot, but I was jaded into thinking it's very uncommon for a writer to get her first book published, so I focused on my later work.

Donna - What genre(s) do you write?

Maggie - I have a few paranormals, mostly about ghosts and angels. I have one suspense, but my first love is contemporary.

Donna - Why do you like writing romances so much?

Maggie - Real life has enough troubles. It's nice to be able to curl up with a good book knowing in the end everyone will have a happy ending. And there's nothing like the first kiss.

Donna - How do you come up with your ideas?

Maggie - I'd like to say I search through newspapers, articles and old movies to find inspiration, but the truth is, I dream them. I think there was only one book that didn't start out as some sort of dream. The idea came from my husband.

Donna - Do you have a writing routine: set time, storyboard, index cards, favorite place to write, that sort of thing?

Maggie - I'm a true pantser. I don't have a set time. I rarely take notes and half the time I don't know how the story will end (except for the happy ending, of course:). I type mostly on my laptop in my family room because my husband, Paul, said he'd never see my otherwise.

Donna - Do you have any rejection stories you'd like to share?

Maggie - I don't really have any unusual rejection stories.

Donna - How do you handle rejection?

Maggie - I'm actually pretty good at handling rejection. What I don't handle so well are nasty, unnecessarily harsh remarks. I've never encountered that with an editor or agent but I have with a few contest judges.

Donna- Do you enter a lot of contests?

Maggie - I don't really enter a lot of contests. When I was a new writer without critique partners, I entered them just to make sure my writing didn't suck. Now that I have CPs I let them tell me :)

Donna - Do you feel contests help?

Maggie - They helped a great deal in the beginning. I received some excellent advice. When two or more judges mention the same problems, you need to listen

Donna -You said you've gotten some nasty comments from some judges. How do you react to them?

Maggie - My first reaction I can't repeat in mix company :) After a while I put the nasty comments aside and looked at what she/he was really saying. At least I knew the judge read the entry. I've received scores back where it was clear the judge never even read my pages.

Donna - What other stories are you working on?

Maggie - I have a few single title contemporaries I'm running through my critique group and I plan to write a paranormal series about Heavenly matchmakers.

Editors note: Maggie Van Well is a pseudonym for Christina Goldstein. She is a member of RWA, Long Island Romance Writers and Dunes and Dreams. You can learn more about her and her work at www.maggievanwell.com and her group blog at happyendingsblog.com

A Million Ways to Say "Man-part"

2011-04-10T17:42:00.004-04:00

(Warning: If you are already offended by the term “man-part”, please do not read on. It can only go downhill from here.)

“It needs to be funny and not too long.”

“That’s not what she said.”

This from talking with my BHE Jeff, when we were discussing blog topics. Other ideas in my notes were “If Fahrenheit 451 were true, I’d be writing this from prison,” “Things middle-schoolers said at the Book Fair,” and one about procrastination, which I keep putting aside.

As romance writers, we need to research and understand our genre. Part of our job is to learn from what we read in the work our many colleagues produce. I’ve read hundreds of romance novels, where the elements of that “ultimate act” reach critical mass, so to speak, from sweet to heat.

The fact of the matter is that the male sexual apparatus is rarely ever referred to by its clinical, proper name. There is nearly always a euphemism. These may take the form of the blushing, we’re-not-really-seeing-anything, usually-preceded-by-the-word-“his” terms: “arousal”, “excitement”, or “hardness”. Sometimes there’s a nebulous reference to a “bulge”, as if there might be a head of cauliflower or a $5-footlong tucked into the hero’s pants, breeches, or loincloth.

Another is “love,” as in the rock band AC/DC’s chorus “Let me put my love into you, babe”. I once had a boyfriend who revealed he was interested in moving past kissing in his truck by announcing “I think it’s time I showed you my love.” And I thought, Really? That’s all you’ve got? And I hadn’t even seen it yet.

Where was I.

Sometimes the euphemisms are thematic: a NASCAR racer with a “gearstick,” a gamer with a “joystick,” oilmen or construction workers with a “hammer”, “piston”, or “pile driver.” Men in Historicals may possess a “sword”, “pike”, “spear”, or “dagger”, or more generically, a “weapon”. Athletes have a “club”, “stick”, or “shaft”. A fireman may have a “hose”, politicians a “cigar” (thank you, Mr. Clinton).

There are “rods” (as in lightning? Perhaps not that good an image, considering how quickly it’s over, and then there’s all that charring), “roots” (as in something to be planted), “poles” (the heroine’s head should always point due North), “manhoods” and “members” (of the Man club, I suppose). Oh, and “pickle”. Once I saw it described as a pickle.

Some images are inexplicable: Lady Gaga sings: Let’s have some fun/this beat is sick/I wanna take a ride on your disco stick in her song “Love Game”. I have never seen a real disco stick, so I am not sure exactly what it is, and Lady G. hasn’t yet returned my call.

The worst description I found was “potato masher” (The story was set in Ireland. No kidding). I thought, Does the author own a potato masher? They do not, by any means of the imagination, look like a guy’s hoody-hoo. The very act of mashing potatoes with one does not really set one’s heart a-thumping romantically, although depending upon the toughness of the potatoes one can work up a good sweat.

The best description? “Diamond-cutter.” Hard, dazzling, sort of classy… I wonder if that’s what happens to Edward of the Twilight series if he’s up for lovemaking in the sunlight. He turns smugly to Taylor Lautner’s character (since he’s always hanging around, right?) and says, “Yeah, Jacob, I know you have better abs, but can yours do this?” And poor Bella is blinded.

In any case. The whole concept is giving me a bit of a headache. I’ve discovered, through semi-embarrassing informal interviews with actual males, that men themselves just go with three or four far less interesting terms (not including “love”-boy, whose truck I left shortly after he made his play, and not including the men who just name theirs “Little insert-my-own-name-here” or, as in the case of another ex-boyfriend, “Mr. Happy.”).

So I put it to you (dear God, no pun intended) – what is the worst or best description of a hero’s happy parts you’ve ever come across? Was the image produced by that description effective or did you just groan or laugh? Why do you suppose that there are not nearly as many or as creative euphemisms for the female counterpart? Was telling you about Mr. Happy too much information?

Series Writing with Eloisa James

2011-04-03T18:04:00.009-04:00

LIRW members came from all over Long Island and NYC for a special writing workshop with Eloisa James! The award-winning novelist generously spent the entire day sharing her experience writing series. Some of her series include: The Essex Sisters, The Duchess Quartet, The Fairy Tale Series and The Pleasures Trilogy.

Candidly she discussed early mistakes and inconsistencies in her series to illustrate the importance of keeping track of details in a journal, and being as historically accurate as possible. "Readers will notice!" she warned, joking about the e-mails she received with a self-deprecating humor that made attendees laugh and fall in love with her as much as her novels.

While we munched on bagels and cake, Eloisa talked about different ways to connect a series. Locale, groups, a shared experience, common theme, and overall story arc. One example she gave was on her Desperate Duchesses series which unites stories on marriage, love, and divorce.

One of the many great pieces of advice she offered was on the business side of writing. She discussed the markability of series as far as sales, hooking readers, and that all important backlist. Hooking a reader isn't enough. You have to keep them! You want that list of other books they can buy or the knowledge a similar book is on the way.

She also talked about the importance of social media. "Publishing is changing," she said. And for the first time e-books made up a large portion of her latest book sales. Facebook, blogs--authors do well to connect to groups. If your series involves cooking, connect to cooking groups. Nascar? Connect with the racing circuit. Special interest groups can help an author make friends, learn, and sell books! And thanks to the Internet it is easier to connect than ever before.

To top the day off, Eloisa kindly autographed books for members. I will treasure my signed copy of Pleasure for Pleasure, but as an inspiring series writer, the advice she gave was invaluable.

For more information on Eloisa James and her latest novels, please visit her website.

http://www.eloisajames.com/

And a special thank you to Eloisa James for her generosity.

Book Inserts, Book Plates and Banners…Oh My!

2011-03-27T00:00:00.002-04:00

I’d like to give a very special “thank you” to our very own, Bianca D’Arc, for spending her Saturday afternoon with LIRW to enlighten us on the potential frugal self-promotion of our books. She truly outdid herself with the mélange of marketing tools out there that awaits a writer looking to advertise. She gave us a comprehensive overview of establishing an “on-line presence” as well as utilizing paper goods in the form of signs, bookmarks, etc.

Her awe-inspired, workshop was encouraging to anyone interested in pursuing their literary dreams. There are so many avenues one can venture out into once their manuscript has been completed. She made wonderful suggestions regarding non-traditional methods of publishing without it being as intimidating as it may have once been thought to be. Anyone with the motivation and determination to take their vision to the next level can do it!

The use of free nifty widgets from the author to her readers is a great way to foster a connection. Knowing how I’ve become a die-hard fan of certain authors and their work over the years, I can appreciate the value in such things. I look forward to tapping into some of the same resources available to me when I reach that stage.

When I fondly refer to ALL of the fun in the “path” of writing, this is what I’m talking about, folks.

Happy writing! :-)

Welcome Spring!

2011-03-20T12:06:00.005-04:00

Today we emerge from the long, dark days of hibernation, shielding our newborn eyes from the bright yellow orb that has returned to the sky. As our faces glow from its heat, we shed the many layers of attire donned over the months of our exile. No longer is the landscape stark, white and irregular…it is now dotted with patches of green and promises of color peeking through the hardened earth that have been, like us, veiled beneath the blanket of winter.

The journey from bulb to flower for Daffodils, Hyacinths, Tulips, and other gifts spring delivers is similar to the journey we embark on as writers when we decide to start our manuscripts. In both cases, the journey is not a quick one. Bulbs remain dormant in the earth for months, absorbing the nutrients that will fuel their rise, much like the many months we spend thinking of ideas, and honing our craft through reading and education.

When the time is right, their clandestine drive toward the heavens begins and the bulbs begin to sprout, out of view. For writers, this is the point when we put pen to paper (or laptop) and drop those first words down on that empty sea of white. At this stage, our story is in its infancy, not ready for examination by others, belonging only to us.

One day on the long ride taken by these future flowers, a milestone is reached. It happens when the darkness ends and the sun splashes its warmth over them, encouraging them to grow. There may continue to be setbacks…a sudden spring snow or clouds that abduct the sun for days at a time. But they persevere, pressing ever upward. During our creative process, we experience many days of great accomplishment, and many days where stumbling blocks stand in our way. Although lack of inspiration, time constraints, dissatisfaction with our manuscript, etc. attempt to detour us, we manage to overcome these obstacles and press on.

Finally, the transition from unassuming round tuber to beautiful blossom arrives, much like the day our journey from word one to word one-hundred thousand, ends. For flower and writer, it is a day of great joy.

As you enjoy this lovely first day of spring, consider the words of English poet and Critic Algernon Charles Swinburne in his poem Atalanta in Calydon:

For winter's rains and ruins are over,
And all the season of snows and sins;
The days dividing lover and lover,
The light that loses, the night that wins;
And time remembered is grief forgotten,
And frosts are slain and flowers begotten,
And in green underwood and cover
Blossom by blossom the spring begins.

Swinburne, Algernon Charles, 1837–1909
Atalanta in Calydon (1865), a poetic drama modeled on Greek tragedy

The Personal Touch

2011-03-14T01:20:00.003-04:00

There are many different technological ways to keep in touch ie: texting, emails, etc but they, I feel, lack something when it comes to expressing ones feelings. It's so easy to whip something out. Some people acronym the living hell out of a sentence to the point it looks like the alphabet on acid. Ok I admit I'm not up on all that jargon so I feel a bit left behind but still there's something missing in those transmissions. Maybe it's the time taken to produce it. Everything must be quick these days and we sometimes lose the details around us that make us whole.

A while back Sunday Morning had a segment on thank you notes. (If for some reason this is not bringing you to the article go to Sunday Morning, type in "thank you notes not just for the holidays". Air time was 1/25/2011) In it Steve Hartman interviewed attorney John Kralik who felt his life got better after he started giving out these personal embodiments because he became more aware of what others did for him every day. He even gave one to the barista at Starbucks because that person remembered his name. It's this personal touch that makes people feel important, that they mean something.

A note might be a small gesture but it can be generous gift and it's something we all can do.

Talking with Freelance Editor, Caroline Tolley

2011-03-05T16:53:00.011-05:00

This week, The Long Island Romance Writers are proud to present guest blogger, Caroline Tolley, who has graciously volunteered to share her experiences as a freelance editor, discuss whether or not editing is a dying art, and answer any questions you may have.

Thank you, Caroline!

And now for our special guest!

Thank you! I'm happy to be here.

I’d like to preface by saying two things. First, that hiring a freelance book editor is not going to guarantee you will get published. Second, there are no hard and fast rules about how an editor should edit. I am sure that all editors work in different ways. To be clear, the information that I am sharing applies to me and only me. I am not speaking for other professionals in the freelance editing business.

I have heard chatter over the last year or so about editing as a dying art. Much focus these days is put upon marketing books and how to increase sales in an increasingly more difficult marketplace. Some say that the younger editors don’t know how to edit and those more seasoned editors, don’t have the time or the big authors they work with, are beyond needing improvements to manuscripts. I’m sure there are truths to both statements. And I am sure there are other editors such as myself, that still enjoy very much putting pen to paper.

Many unpublished writers have shared with me their stories of manuscripts landing on desks, only to be summarily dismissed because they aren’t polished enough. Do editors edit anymore in the publishing houses? Are the writers supposed to deliver a work of fiction that is pristine? Do the agents even read the manuscripts beforehand? What is the best course of action for the writer in today’s world? My answer is: be as prepared and as well-educated about the process and the business as you can. Don’t believe everything you hear. Each person’s experiences will be unique. And don’t shy away from looking into working with outside professionals to give yourself an edge.

I am a large canvas editor. I read with two hats on; my reader hat and my editor hat. I use my reactions on both levels to form suggestions for clients. I work only on hard copy with a regular blue pen. I react as I read and clients can often find scribbles in the margins. I do not censor these comments or try to sugar-coat a reaction if it happens to be negative. I do not believe that it makes sense to wear kid gloves while working for a client.

As any reader can tell you, I am looking for a great story. Something that hooks me, holds me and lures/lulls me, to a satisfying ending. I don’t follow a formula or have a checklist. I focus on the main characters; are they likeable; are they believable; are the circumstances believable. I have no problem with an old plot with a new twist. I look for pacing. I hate clichés. I hate cop-outs. I focus on tense. I focus a lot on point of view. Are there too many at one time? Is reading like watching a tennis match? Am I with one character enough to get a grasp on that character or being moved onto someone else too quickly? Conflict is always a big issue for writers and seems to come up a lot in conversation. Does one character have something another character wants? If I am reading a love story, is there an obstacle that needs to be overcome? Does Life throw a believable curve ball at these folks?

Sometimes I do edit toward the market. Is it funny enough? Is it sexy enough? Is the police procedure creative? Is the puzzle hard to solve? Do I feel the jeopardy the character is in? Does the writer know where she/he would like this manuscript to end up? Is there an audience out there that might be the right one? Does the author peruse the shelves in the bookstore?

I prefer to complete two edits although that is not always realistic or possible. Ideally, the first is the big edit; the broad strokes. Focus is on motive, POV, pace, characters. Once revisions have been done, I like to read again. Most times it is here that I focus a bit more on the nuts and bolts of grammar and such, though that is really not something I pay that much attention to.

I am not a proofreader or a copy-editor or a fact-checker. I am not a writer. I do not have books on my desk about style and rules. I don’t pick up on dangling participles or esoteric rules. I don’t focus on margin size, font size, etc. While I do always ask that manuscripts be double-spaced, the rest just isn’t on my radar. That all comes much later.

My job is to fix, enhance, suggest, support, listen, bring to light what may be hidden. Oftentimes, in discussing a bad idea, a germ for a better idea grows. Try this; how about that; move this here; make this person funnier. It’s the larger stuff that I focus on first. I don’t make big “x’s” through sections unless totally necessary. I like to have a free-flowing style…talk off the top of my head; listen to my initial reactions. I am not a creative writing teacher. I don’t offer classes. I fix books to the best of my ability and use my 20 years in the commercial fiction business to aid clients in any way I can.

I can and do consult on career paths. I can and do consult on agents. I try to steer clients in the right direction so they aren’t wasting valuable time. Sometimes I say, “you should put this one away and start a new one.” I’ve worked with a ton of authors at all different levels of experience. Most appreciate the honest and straightforward approach which is a signature of mine. I am not a hand-holder as anyone who knows me will tell you! Although any time a client needs to talk, I try to make myself available.

A freelance job for me is not a quick thing. It takes time. I try to work at a good pace as I know there is an anxiousness to get results and move forward. But sometimes it just doesn’t work that way. I fly by the seat of my pants a lot. I listen to my immediate reactions a lot, both positive and negative. I think of myself as an author’s editor rather than a company person (so to speak). Editing for me is a truly enjoyable thing. It was always the favorite part about my job when I was in Corporate America. I think of my work as entering into short-term partnerships; helping to create something, making it great and then patting it on the head and sending it on its way.

BIO:

My publishing career began after college when I went to work for the Direct mail-order Book Clubs; The Literary Guild, The Doubleday Book Club, etc. I moved on to Pocket Books, a division of Simon and Schuster, one of the largest publishers of commercial fiction in New York, where I worked for 12+ years, moving up the ranks to the last position I held as their Executive Editor. A number of my authors made appearances on the New York Times, PW and USA TODAY bestseller lists. A large number of the romance writers were RITA nominees and winners. I acquired brand new talent and worked with authors who penned in different genres. I traveled frequently, spoke often at conventions and even had my photo in the New York Times!

I have been freelancing for ten years on all genres of popular fiction; including YA, fiction for men, mystery, cop books, literary fiction and of course, romance. I am a stay-at-home mom to two sons who are all boy, all the time and a 102 pound Rhodesian Ridgeback who also happens to be male.

Caroline can be reached via email at: thebookeditor4u@optonline.net

*Initial consultations about projects are free of charge.

Book in a Month -- Feh?

2011-02-27T14:56:00.002-05:00

Here's how it started. I got up all rosy-cheeked and optimistic on February 1, and I thought, "I'm a gonna re-write me some novel." I had turned in, on January 31st, one of the most difficult assignments I'd ever worked on -- it had gone from a projected 30 hours tops to three grueling 70-hour weeks. I cleaned the house, bought groceries, made sure the older kid's college applications were all in, made sure the younger kid had new oboe reeds, made sure I had gas in the car. I signed on to BIAM committed to brutally re-writing my far too long novel. I did some math, figured I needed to cover 20 pages a day. Piece of cake. When I'm really at it, I can do that.

Of course, when I do that, some things might fall by the wayside.

Here's how it went. The first week wasn't all that bad. I went over the first 50 pages I was already pretty happy with, didn't count those pages. I kept up with laundry, paid bills, took the dog for walks, vacuumed. Did a bunch more pages. Two proofreading jobs came in. No problemo, I thought. I can still write around these if I plan carefully.

The second week my husband and I discovered we needed our taxes done early in order to complete financial forms for one of the colleges to which my son had applied. Because we are freelancers, we had to scramble to collect all our receipts and documentation. Three days were sacrificed to this, and then we discovered a major mistake in the previous year's taxes. Sleep was lost. A kid got sick. The car started making a noise. A "discussion" at high school planning night with a counselor and several phone calls with teachers ate away at my concentration and time. I remembered to do the laundry, let the dog out, picked up something for dinner, let the dog in. Another job came in and I was grateful, because I was going to need new glasses after that last big job. I generously estimated 25 hours' work, tops, on the 250 pages the client claimed she was sending. I wrote nearly every day, even got started on a new section of a new story.

250 pages was actually 900. 25 hours turned into 80. The dog started barking at me and I began moving about like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. We were out of yogurt, and the dark wash smelled funny from hanging in the basement for so long. My mother wanted me to stand behind her at the cardiologist's in case she fell off the treadmill. I begged my son's math teacher to give him detention. Some showers were missed. I forgot to pick up the younger kid at school. We resorted to an embarrassing amount of takeout food. The older kid helped me finish the f-ing job, but I scared the FedEx guy at the drop when I came up all wild-eyed in the dark at the last minute with my crookedly sealed box. I got up in the middle of a couple of nights just to slash red pen through a few pages. In the morning I couldn't understand "gluraghlib", my worst edit ever.

This last week, I've been resigned. Life happens. I have gone through sixty pages in the past two days and fleshed out another twelve, but I know I will not finish my re-write in time. There are scholarships to apply for, something smells funny in the fridge, the new Masters candidates have been calling for last-minute reviews of their theses, and the oil bill still isn't paid so I'd better get cracking.

BUT -- I am still a writer. I am more determined than ever to finish what I said I'd do. I didn't make my book in a month, but I got much further with that commitment in the back, middle, or front of my mind (depending upon the crisis of the moment) than I ever would have without it. Would I sign up again? You bet. Who needs clean towels anyway? Bring it on!

Internal Editor vs. Inner Creator

2011-02-20T08:59:00.002-05:00

I’m on a roll, writing-wise. The words and phrases jump from my keyboard onto that blank page on my laptop screen. They zing, they sing, they soar -- until with an unexpected swerve –WHAM! – they hit a brick wall in front of them.

Splat.

Ouch… this wall, otherwise known as Internal Editor (IE), is harsh and unyielding. And unavoidable (we think).

Perhaps you are acquainted with IE’s sneaky ways? Let me explain. You sit at your writing spot (coffee shop, den, kitchen table, wherever your muse strikes). The words explode at a furious pace. For illustrative purposes, let’s say you are writing a historical scene; and you want to type the word “sandal” to describe the heroine’s footwear. Screeecchhh. Your muse slams on the brakes so hard that it leaves black skid marks on the page.

IE demands to be heard. IE: “Did they wear sandals in the 1880’s? You cannot possibly write that, if it isn’t correct.” “Me: I have no idea. I’m on a roll here.” IE: “You need to verify this right now. I demand it.”

Grumbling, your inner creator (IC) admits the wisdom of IE’s viewpoint. After all, you cannot print something that isn’t true. You swirl your mouse and click to open up your internet browser to look up fashions of the time period. (Cue Jeopardy! theme music repeatedly). Two hours later, you look up from that Google search realizing you may have gained an important factoid – sandals is an appropriate description – along with dozens of other unrelated but fascinating factoids -- but lost valuable progressive writing time for your manuscript.

Now, the IE has her place. As we write our internal editor notices plot holes, grammatical inconsistencies, when we forget a character’s name, etc. These are important errors to fix, and that is one reason why we stop, and step out of the creative process, and act as editor.

What about those paragraphs that you are now quite unhappy with? You’ve written them, so surely there is something salvageable within? So you stop and go back to agonize over them. IE wins again.

Someone recently noted we cannot wear our creative hats and our editorial hats at the same time. The one totally interrupts the flow of the other. We can’t give our best to either important role if they are moving like a ping-pong ball in our minds.

The solution is to work in partnership; for Internal Editor and Inner Creator to be the ying and yang of our writing team. We need to give both legroom – just not at the same time.

One suggestion is to quiet our inner critic by promising to fix the item later, to give ourselves permission to go back. This isn’t enough, however; the IE is a very demanding entity. She wants a promissory note, not empty platitudes. Otherwise we are stuck – needing to fix the problem she’s identified Right! Now!

So how do we give IE what she wants? To prove our sincerity, we need to give the IE an “IOU” or a promise backed up by something tangible.

By inserting a tangible character such as a “%” or “#note” at the spot where we are hung up, this placates our Internal Editor and tells her we are going to do a search on this later, so it won’t be forgotten.

For longer sentences, we can type a hash # at the start of the bit, and another at the end. Another suggestion is to use # followed by a’ (#’) for longer pieces we need to go back and address later.

Once you insert this IOU, your Inner Creator is happy because you can keep on writing -- your Internal Editor is happy because you’ll be fixing that sticky bit later on, and your writing can continue unabated.

Now when we intentionally sit down with our internal editor hat on -- it’s a quick process to search on our document for all the #notes, % or #’ symbols and then fix. If an immediate fix is elusive, keep the tag there for a follow-up editing session.

Once you honor your commitment to the Internal Editor (by going back at a later editing session and fixing all the % and #notes) she will honor her commitment to you by freeing your creative process and allowing it to go unfettered.

This tip has stood me in good stead, even today. I have agonized over my ending to this blog entry way too long. I want it to be Snappy! Creative! Memorable!

Instead I will settle for this.

#Note insert award-winning conclusion later.

That works.

No Strings Attached...

2011-02-13T00:00:00.006-05:00

What a delectable Godiva white chocolate-covered treat it is to have the honor of posting for a romance writer’s organization RIGHT before the nationally (and commercially) celebrated Valentine’s Day. Folks, this is what serendipity is all about. Ah…speaking of Serendipity, what are your inspirations for writing? Come on, you didn’t just wake up one day and decide to write muse-deficient. Romance no less! There HAD to be an awesome romantic story you’ve read or movie you’ve watched to have provoked you to attempt to write your own piece de resistance (to quote the beloved Spongebob Squarepants). Hey, you MAY be among the lucky few involved with or married to a “Fabio” (or a very distorted version of him or her) and living or rather throatily, panting a Harlequin romance…

For me, any well-written or cinematically scripted, produced and directed love story does the job—intoxicating me enough to stumble over to my laptop and compose to my inebriated, heart’s content. However, some believe there’s been a void in either the quality of the latest romance movies or a lost of interest among movie-goers to come out and support them. Now, unless there’s been a sudden decline in the population that I’m unaware of, I highly doubt the world’s falling out of love. I’m inclined to believe the dilemma lies in Hollywood’s ability to contemporize that same formula from classics like Gone With the Wind, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Casablanca, The Notebook, When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, Beauty and the Beast (better yet, ALL of the Disney classics), Ever After, Edward Scissorhands, Titanic, and Pride and Prejudice to name a very small few. But you get the idea.

Now, although there’s no comparison today-that I can think of-I believe that the motion-picture community is getting there with a movie I saw the other day. Normally, I reserve paying that inflated price at the box office to see my coveted, sci-fi movies like ANYTHING X-Men, Marvel or DC Comic in nature, but I had a hankering to “date” my soul mate and see an entertaining romantic comedy. Make no mistake, if a picture’s script is positively, awful with an unbelievable premise and terrible acting, I am not “entertained”. Likewise, if I’m reading a novel that’s either boring me to crocodile tears or is difficult to follow, I won’t finish reading it any further.

So, my other half and I venture out to the cinema and see No Strings Attached. Naturally, I do my research before I even leave the house because let’s face it, $15 – $20 a movie experience per person is a lot of money in these financially-challenged times. I like the website IMDB.com. It gives a comprehensive breakdown and review of everything movie-related. The tricky part is when doing any research before seeing anything—you have to be mindful of “spoilers”. That said; I’m not going to commit the same crime by telling you what the movie’s about.

This much, I will say; if you’re looking for a great chick-flick to torture your significant other through or get some writing inspiration from, I suggest you check it out. It’s smart, sexy, and funny. It may even move you to weep. I especially loved how relevant everything was made to ordinary people in such a plausible manner. It even incorporates the technologically-dependent society we’ve become without beating us over the head with it! Not to mention, you can’t go to wrong with having a Golden Globe winner in one of the lead roles and the other lead's character aspiring to become a writer.

So, however you chose to spend your holiday, I hope you enjoy it doing what you love to do most. And if you’re making plans to go out, try dinner and this movie. Stop back by the blog and tell us what you thought! :)

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

The Super Bowl Game of Love

2011-02-07T08:33:00.013-05:00

Based on a "wish it was true" story:

He was Lex Luthor to my Superman, Agent Smith to my Neo, Biff Tannen to my Marty McFly. Accompanied by his friends, he paraded though our aisle in his Pittsburgh Steelers jersey, invading our space and taking the seat next to me. I refused to make eye contact and made no attempt to hide my displeasure with this seating arrangement. Why couldn't there be a fellow Green Bay Packers fan next to me, ready to share high fives and fist bumps for the next few hours? Instead, I was stuck with the enemy and his Steeler loving cronies for four quarters.

While enjoying my buttered popcorn and chatting it up with my girlfriends, out of the corner of my eye I saw him checking me out. I remained focused on my snack and my friends but I grew curious to see what he looked like. Not that I was interested or anything like that, but when a guy checks you out it's only natural to want to see who is doing the checking. I caught the attention of my friend Mary, queen of craftiness, two seats away. I leaned over and asked her to sneak a peek. I grabbed my new iPhone and fiddled with it as a distraction while she assessed the situation. The expression on her face said it all. "Really?" I mouthed. Suddenly my phone slipped off my lap and fell onto the floor. As I bent down to pick it up, Mr. Steelers fan did the same and our heads clunked together. When we recovered, our eyes met. Oh boy. Mary was right. But he was a Montague and I was a Capulet...it could never work.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" he asked. His warm fingers touched the spot on my head where we collided. "I hope that doesn't swell up. It would be a shame to have a bruise on that pretty face."

From that point on my shields were down and phasers were no longer on stun. He had me at "pretty face".

We all went on to enjoy a great game...my friends and I cheered for the Packers while my seat mate and his friends cheered for the Steelers. We rubbed it in each other's noses when our respective teams scored, but I discovered it's a lot more fun when you put aside your differences and just enjoy the moment!

Conflict in Writing: Meet the Snowman Family

2011-01-31T12:34:00.007-05:00

Dawn here!

Meet the snowman family!

They live in my freezer and I am using them to talk about types of conflict. You know, Character vs. character, character vs. self, character vs. nature, character vs. society, etc, but also, external and internal conflict. The story of how Mr. and Mrs. Snowman fell in love is a fascinating tale of man vs. nature. You see, one minute the new couple was walking their dog, yes, that's a dog, and the next thing they knew they were trapped in a freezer.

For those who love the Saw movies, sorry, this tale is more like Blue Lagoon, or Tom Hanks falling in love with his soccer ball. They were isolated from the rest of society in a frozen compartment. But they were snowmen, so it wasn't all that bad. It wasn't a malicious act. It was simply an accident. The problem was there were lots of obstacles, one after the other. (Because every story needs some of those.) The ice machine dripped, making Mrs. Snowman stick to the slats. And Mr. Snowman was very brave, rescuing Mrs. Snowman and making them bond. Then this guy kept showing up,

teasing them with promises of escape, only to take pictures. And when the freezer would close once more, they had to deal with the drop in temperature. Mr. Snowman would hold her close, whispering that everything would be all right as they melted a little; promising they would reach their goal to escape the freezer and live in the North Pole with Frosty. All of which brought our hero and heroine together romantically.

But those are all external conflicts. Mrs. Snowman has a fear of closed spaces! She is hyperventilating and time is of the essence! See how I just upped the conflict by throwing in some internal conflict? Now it is also a story of man vs. self. They escape, almost make it outside, but the sun has risen and now they wonder if they should go back to the freezer or risk going outdoors. Choice. That choice is key in that dark moment and works with conflict on another level. Will Mrs. Snowman face her fears and go back to the confined space? Will Mr. Snowman help her by turning the Freezer into a romantic, snowflake-covered paradise for two? What makes a story is the conflict. Without it, well, you have mundane life. (Dawn tired of seeing her freezer empty all the time, and wanting to make herself happy when she opens it!)

But I digress, Mr. and Mrs. Snowman fall head over heals in love, decided to vacation in Dawn's freezer from time to time--to relive the adventure. Oh, and did I mention Mrs. Snowman is expecting? I have to start making that snow baby!

Keep Warm! And Happy Writing!

Did you know . . .

2011-01-25T02:15:00.005-05:00

I know this is going to sound more like an Earth Day post but to me some things just shouldn’t be remembered one day out of the year.

Did you know that out in the Pacific Ocean there is a huge area, by most accounts twice the size of Texas, of floating garbage? It consists of plastic bottles, bags, toys, fishing lines and nets, and more. There is also a smaller one in the Atlantic Ocean. The plastic from these items break down into tiny pieces; some of which make their way to shore mixing with that same sand you like to wiggle your toes in. If you want to check it out for yourself, google floating trash or ocean pollution to get a slew of sites.

Sea turtles think the bags are jellyfish and congest them. This can cause a blockage in their digestive system, resulting in death. Sea birds, such as the albatross, also eat the floating garbage. This junk cannot pass through their system and makes the bird think its belly is full and won’t eat. Eventually the bird will die of starvation.

If you’re not concerned over the pollution of our oceans consider this. There has been enough mercury leaked into the ocean that the FDA advises children, pregnant women or women who might become pregnant not to eat shark, king mackerel, swordfish and tilefish. They should limit their intake of albacore tuna or tuna steaks to six ounces a week, smaller amounts for children.

This is interesting and kind of a wake-up call but what does it have to do with writing you might ask.

Nothing. Nothing at all. Just a public notice. But I could stretch this post to say something lame like you could use this info to create a conflict between your heroine who’s an environmentalist and the hero who works on an oilrig or possibly owns a plastic bottling plant. Or they could be scientists at Woods Hole (an oceanographic institution) but have different views. But I won't do that.

I WILL TRY

2011-01-16T20:37:00.001-05:00

Most all of us have unspoken internal expectations for our friends, our families, and ourselves, based upon our familiarity with the habits and routines of each group and our own degree of complacency. Joey is a total goofball, Mary has always been a flirt, Harriet is such a moocher, and Dad will always yell at the TV when the Jets are on.

Most of the time we eat the same things, drive the same route to work, and listen to the same music. The satellite radio in my car features a hundred+ music and talk radio channels. When it was installed, I immediately programmed in my standard 10 channels – an assortment of gospel, broadway, country and easy listening channels and yes, the token Bruce Springsteen channel, for when my husband drives the car. I never select that button if I am driving!

We read from a narrow list of genres and frequent the same restaurants. We may like to say we are adventurous –that we are unique, or a risk-taker – and to some degree that may be true – but in the larger picture we don’t deviate much from our standard routines.

That’s fine, really – but sometimes, though, we miss out on growth opportunities, if we don’t occasionally pick what’s behind door #3 instead of always going for door #1.

Is there something you have an opportunity to do, but are hesitating to try? A turn-of-the-century publisher, George P. Burnham, once said – “'I can't do it' never yet accomplished anything; 'I will try' has performed wonders.”

Recently, a publisher put out a call for novellas – 4 novellas in each collection. Interested teams of writers (at least half of the team must be published authors with that house) pitch an idea/concept, and submit a 100-word summary, a one-page synopsis, and the unpublished writers also need to submit a first chapter. The other requirement is that half of the novella collections must be historical.

This presented me with several opportunities for an “I will try” experience. First, I am unpublished in book form. I am used to slaving over full length romance manuscripts, not novella length. I also had to come up with a concept for all four novels to tie together. Then there’s the little factoid that I write contemporary, not historical – I am not as comfortable in the “historical” zone. Lastly, I had to source and locate published authors to pitch the idea to – and hope they liked my idea enough to sign on for the proposal.

At any of these junctures I could have hesitated. But - one of my goals for 2011 is to be more open to saying “Yes” to experiences, especially those in the writing arena.

With this in mind, I said “yes” and found a team of 3 other writers excited about pitching this idea to the editor. Feedback on my novella so far has been positive. Who knew I could write historicals? Certainly not I!

So this long-winded, disjointed blog post is to encourage you to try something new – reach out for a goal that you doubt you can achieve. You will see that growth carry over to many areas in your life.

Remember, “I will try” carries a lot of potential. Achieve yours in 2011.
OH - and if your first foray into trying something new doesn't pan out like you hope? Here's an image to remember:

Another year gone...

2011-01-10T00:00:00.002-05:00

As all of the obligations start back up in the New Year whether they be the never ending kid’s extracurricular activities (sports, orchestra, etc.), community meetings, work, etc., I marvel at one of the beautiful capabilities of mankind—reflection.

Other than the December/January months being the absolute BEST zodiac months of the year (abject shameless Capricorn promotion), LIRW’s holiday party was pretty awesome! It was a great finale to the multiple invaluable workshops throughout the year, our June 2010 Luncheon and newly added annual summer writer’s retreat.

The restaurant was pretty easy to find; the festive ambiance and great food were also bonuses.

I was glad to make it and have the opportunity to become acquainted with the lovely ‘other halves’ of some of our writers/authors. It should have come of no surprise that we all had a wonderful time.

I’m happy to have known you all this past year and look forward to many more supportive and creatively, charged years with everyone :)

The Happiest of New Years

2011-01-03T00:01:00.003-05:00

3...2...1...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! The start of a brand new year filled with promise and hope and I have my list of resolutions ready:

"I will write every single day, no matter how tired or uninspired I feel!"
"I will finish the novel I have been working on for the past five years!"
"I will lose ten pounds!"

However, I wondered if I had what it takes to keep those resolutions, or would all that promise and hope simply evaporate when I fail to meet my own expectations. I knew I desperately needed some inspiration and decided to seek out some words of wisdom. Here is what I found:

"Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account." ~Oscar Wilde

"Many people look forward to the new year for a new start on old habits." ~Author Unknown

"A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other." ~Author Unknown

"New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual." ~Mark Twain

"A new oath holds pretty well; but... when it is become old, and frayed out, and damaged by a dozen annual retryings of its remains, it ceases to be serviceable; any little strain will snap it." ~Mark Twain, speech in New York City, 31 March 1885

"Many years ago I resolved never to bother with New Year's resolutions, and I've stuck with it ever since." ~Dave Beard

"May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions." ~Joey Adams

"He who breaks a resolution is a weakling;
He who makes one is a fool."
~F.M. Knowles

Wow. How depressing. Mark Twain was a pretty cynical guy, don't you think? But just because these fine people didn't believe in New Year's resolutions doesn't mean everyone feels the same way. There had to be something out there to give me the encouragement to make my vision of a fruitful 2011 a reality. I kept digging:

"New Year's Day is every man's birthday." ~Charles Lamb

"I think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the year's." ~Henry Moore

"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential."
Ellen Goodman

"The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul."
G. K. Chesterton

"Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us."
Hal Borland

"The Old Year has gone. Let the dead past bury its own dead. The New Year has taken possession of the clock of time. All hail the duties and possibilities of the coming twelve months!"
Edward Payson Powell

Finally! I felt much better. My optimism was restored. I continued to search for more and found this quote from Edith Lovejoy Pierce. I think it is the best of all:

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

I have faith that I will make good on my resolutions, and faith that all of you will be successful in fulfilling yours. I will shed my unproductive behavior and write regularly. I will shed my insecurities and have confidence in my abilities and myself. And I will shed those ten pounds.

That reminds me...there are some cookies in my pantry that need to be thrown away!

Speaking with Marilyn Levinson

2010-12-29T15:36:00.004-05:00

Donna Coe-Velleman - You wrote stories while in high school until an English teacher discouraged you. When you were pregnant with your second child you decided to take a writing course which you weren’t happy with. How did you go from that point to having AND DON’T BRING JEREMY published?

Marilyn Levinson - When my children were young, I took a few writing courses; I wrote poems and short stories. I took a writing course with Roberta Gellis, and we became very good friends. Roberta helped me write my first novel -- a romantic suspense whose premise came to me in a dream. Then I wrote a children's novel. Roberta thought I had a good voice for children's books, and so I wrote a third AND DON'T BRING JEREMY, based on a short story I'd written. I kept sending out my manuscripts, and an editor was very interested in JEREMY. At which time I contacted an agent for a second or third time, and she took me on. A different editor bought the book, and Holt published it.

Donna- What was one of the hardest things you had to overcome during that period?

Marilyn- I suppose the hardest thing was to keep writing despite rejections.

Donna- After your first publication you went on to have four more juvenile and YA novels published. How did that make you feel?

Marilyn- I was glad to sell each book, of course, but once I sold JEREMY and the book received its share of recognition, I had the mistaken idea that every manuscript I wrote would sell. This didn't happen.

Donna– That must have been a real eye opener. How did you handle that? What did you do?

Marilyn- I continued writing. What's the alternative? And I was also either teaching Spanish or subbing in local high schools and middle schools.

Donna- Do you feel it's harder to break into the YA market or adult mystery?

Marilyn- I think each is difficult. For many years, picture books flourished and YAs didn't do well. Now they're back, more popular than ever.

Donna- Which do you prefer to write mysteries or juvenile/YA?

Marilyn- I enjoy writing both. Maybe it's because I raised two sons that four of my juvenile/YA's are told from a boy's point of view. When I write an adult mystery, my sleuth is always a woman.

Donna- You now write mystery cozies one of which finaled in the Malice Domestic. Does that mean you’re not writing YA anymore?

Marilyn- I'll continue to write books for kids when an idea strikes.

Donna- Can you tell us a little bit about Sisters in Crime and your new chapter?

Marilyn- I've belonged to Sisters in Crime, a national organization for mystery writers, for nine or ten years, and to the Guppies -- the SinC online group of prepubbed and newly pubbed writers. It's so friendly and supportive, that when writers start to sell their books, they don't leave the Guppies. We have many subgroups, and some of my dearest friends are fellow Guppies whom I finally met face-to-face this past spring when I attended my first Malice Domestic convention.

I've always lamented the fact there's not a group for mystery writers here on Long Island.
I love my fellow LIRWs, but my concerns are murderers and alibis rather than sexual tension. At Malice, I spoke to a few Sisters who had started a chapter, and I received further help when I got home. I asked my friend, Bernardine Fagan if she would like to co-found a LI chapter, and felt great relief when she said yes. We got a list of names of Sisters in Crime members who live in the area, and started setting up meetings. I was delighted when Hank Phillippi Ryan, a fellow Guppy with several mystery awards to her name along with 26 Emmys for her TV investigative reporting, offered to come to Long Island to be our first speaker.

Donna– What’s next in your future?

Marilyn- I plan to write more mysteries and novels for children.

Editor's note: Marilyn Levinson is a member of LIRW and Sisters in Crime. You can find out more about her and her work at: http://www.marilynlevinson.com/ and http://dialogformurder.blogspot.com/

*I will be taking a short break from the interviews and will resume doing them in March.

Man Eating Poinsettia

2010-12-19T16:47:00.008-05:00

Hi! It’s Dawn! I’m here with my boyfriend, Michael (A. K. A. Freezer Guy) just chilling by the fire. Actually, I’m kind of warm in my hot-pink Snuggie. I never really understood that whole “chillin’ ” expression. And I’m fairly sure it isn’t “cool” to say “chillin’ ” anymore. But in writing, and in life, I get stuck on certain expressions and I have to train myself to switch it up!

Anyway… Michael is tending to the fire and I’m busy writing an important letter! Some of the best romance books have started with a letter. Here is mine.

Dear Santa,

This year, besides the pile of romance books I always ask for, I thought I might like a giant, red poinsettia. I’ll put it by computer, its ok if it blocks the screen a little, and I’ll stare at it until I’m inspired. Because red is the color of romance! Vibrant, passionate, sexy, and sweet like a cherry. Oh, that poinsettia will go a long way to helping me write the best romance novel ever written! And if not, if my humungous, red poinsettia should die along with my writing dreams, I can always eat the leaves and poison myself.

Wait a second. What is it Michel? I’m writing a letter to Santa.

Poinsettias aren’t poisonous, Santa isn’t real, and I’m overly dramatic? Are you sure? I mean, I believe the thing about poinsettias, and I did star in the school play, but people think vampires aren’t real…and yet here I am, talking to you.

Ha! Got you there!

It’s like I always say, Vampires. Santa, man eating poinsettias, anything is possible in writing. If you feel stuck, try having your character write a letter, fill out a holiday card, jot off an e-mail, deliver presents in a hot-pink sleigh. It could be the beginning of an amazing romance novel!

May this magical time of year inspire you to new heights of imagination.

Happy Holidays from the LIRW!

Everybody in the (gene) pool!

2010-12-12T20:00:00.001-05:00

Introducing my doppelganger…

Yes, for those that know me in real life, I do bear a striking resemblance to the woman at left, in photo here – despite the image dating from almost 100 years ago. (And no, I am nowhere near that old!).

This lovely (ahem) lady is related through my father’s side of the family. My paternal great-grandfather had several siblings – and this lady Bertha is one of them. (We even share the same first letter of our names). Her maiden surname matches my maiden surname. We share mutual ancestors, and from the looks of things, several physical similarities as well. Even more hysterical, is that her husband in this photo bears a strong resemblance to my own husband!

I am in the minority -- given where I live in the USA – that I adore country music, avidly follow the Royal Family in Great Britain, and enjoy faith-based activities and entertainment. These are not the typical hobbies or interests for someone living in a major metropolitan area and who spends a lot of time in the Big City and shares an island with celebrities like Billy Joel, Nelson DeMille and a clutch of zillionaire ballplayers. This makes me, well, quirky.

So, where do these "quirks" come from? I believe that some traits other than eye color, hair color, etc. can be passed down through the gene pool. It isn’t out of the realm of possibility that our likes and dislikes can be attributed to a forbearer to some degree.

What does this have to do with writing? I relate it to characters, and character development.

Is your hero, or heroine, giving you some trouble – are they starting to appear cookie-cutter like, or somwhat flat as you progress in a scene or chapter? Do you want to give them some more depth? Do you want to deepen the validity of their goals or conflicts?

I recommend pulling in some fictional genealogy facts to create a true multi-layered character. Our hero and heroine don’t just drop out of the sky (well, in the completed manuscript, anyway). They have history, they have a general back story.

Who are his/her grandparents? Great-grandparents? What qualities could have been passed down to your hero – or heroine - that open up a full range of personality traits? Was Great Aunt Pearl a suffragette? Perhaps your heroine’s goal of running for office makes even greater sense for your reader, if it’s known she is taking after Aunt Pearl. “Politics runs in the family, you know.”

Are there any claims to fame – quirks – that would delight your readers and make the character special? For example, my maternal grandfather helped invent Twinkies. For real. Why not have your characters share a similar achievement in the book? Maybe your hero’s great-grandfather invented a new way of detecting counterfeit money. Thus, honesty could be a very strong characteristic for him in the story.

By giving your characters a family tree, there will be lots of low-lying personality fruit to pick off and consume with relish.

I would like to think I received my love of country music from my maternal grandfather’s family, who resided in the hills of Tennessee. (We’re talking real backwoods-shotgun toting- moonshine people, here!) Not too far past, my maternal grandmother’s family lived in Nova Scotia and Wales, areas well-steeped in heritage of Great Britain and things “across the pond”. Is this where my hobby of following British royalty news/history sprung from? My lineage on both sides also features several ministers, missionaries and folks with strong religious convictions. Was I destined to keep spiritual things close to my heart?

Maybe it’s a coincidence that I ended up with all of those traits...but I don’t think so. I think many of these quirks are all found in predecessor's genes and passed downline.

Give it a try -- do a little digging in your character's ancestry and you may be surprised what turns up.

You Can't Save Time in a Bottle

2010-12-06T00:01:00.002-05:00

When my good friends Ann Marie and Pete were first married over twenty years ago, like most young couples in love, they were looking forward to a long and wonderful life together. However, their life path had roadblocks that could never have been anticipated. Shortly after they were married, Pete was diagnosed with MS. At first, he was able to get around but soon his symptoms worsened and he became totally debilitated. Ann Marie then had the sole responsibility of raising their son. She did a great job - he is eighteen now and a fine young man.

Pete spent the rest of his life in a nursing home, his condition worsening every year. When I first heard of his passing early Saturday morning, Jim Croce's "Time in a Bottle" came to mind:

If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save every day 'til eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I'd save every day like a treasure and then
Again, I would spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go through time with

If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty except for the memory
Of how they were answered by you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go through time with

© TIME IN A BOTTLE; CROCE PUBLISHING

So hug your children, say "I love you" to your mate, spend quality time with your family and friends, take that long overdue vacation, go back to school, buy those shoes, eat chocolate cake, finish that novel. Don't let your time slip away.

Balancing Act

2010-11-27T22:50:00.004-05:00

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend, enriched with a wide array of flavorful, nostalgic morsels and a collection of your favorite loved ones to share it with! Many of us look forward to this time of year. Whether it’s taking advantage of the Crazy Eddie steals of ‘Black Friday’, seeing family from all over for, maybe, the first time of the year, overindulging in seasonal, culinary favorites like turkey, cranberry sauce, candied-yams, glazed-ham, and deviled-eggs, or turning your home into a monumental homage to one of the biggest holidays of the year as you break out the Christmas decorations, there are so many things to be thankful for.

Some of us prepare our homes for the onslaught of college kids returning home in a few weeks as the weather seems have grown colder overnight…just in time for Santa’s reindeer to have something white and fluffy to pull his sleigh through. We are also busy helping our children-- still in grade school-- finish up assignments, winter-proof our homes from Old Man Winter, and gearing up for the multiple holiday parties lined up. Naturally, there are too many labors of love to list in one post, but I bet you are probably already thinking about some of your other individual responsibilities around this time of year.

My million dollar question is; where does writing fit in? How do you find that balance during the daily challenges of ‘life’ to nurture that integral part of your soul? Having a career while raising a family throws you a few curve balls but you’ve managed to juggle them blindfolded. Yet, now you’ve gone and discovered something that you’re just as passionate about, separate from everything else, although, just as essential.

*sigh* So, the purpose of this post is for fellow creative minds struggling to achieve that very equilibrium, you are not alone. As a matter a fact, a vast community of writers joins you in the ongoing contemplation of compartmentalizing that part of our lives and every other element which are just as vital in making us whole. Welcome :)

A Day with Barbara Metzger

2010-11-22T00:15:00.005-05:00

Donna Coe-Velleman - You've been writing since the 1980's, during that time you've written over three dozen books and a dozen novellas. Where do these ideas come from and how do you keep your stories fresh?

Barbara Metzger - By constantly writing. Creativity breeds creativity.

Donna- You've been an editor, proof reader and a greeting card verse writer. I can see where the first two occupations would help you in a writing career but did being a greeting card verse writer help you in any way?

Barbara - As newest member, it was my job to proofread. They taught me how.

Donna - You've won quite a few awards including RWA's Rita, the National Reader's Choice Award and two Career Achievement awards. How does it feel to be so highly revered?

Barbara- Scary. What if I don't live up to my reputation?

Donna – I can’t imagine that happening but in the earlier days you must have gotten rejections. Is there one that stands out in your mind?

Barbara - My first book was rejected 4-5 times. One editor said she'd like to see my second book! There wasn't going to be a second one if that didn't sell. The 7th publisher bought it, and three others. (That first editor ended up buying a lot of my later books.) After the first, I've been lucky.

Donna - Once, in an interview, you stated that your editor wanted you to write deeper, darker books with less alliteration, less regency cant, less "rougish plots". Yet in the comments that followed, those were the traits your readers liked about your writing. How do you handle something like that?

Barbara- I find a middle ground. With editors, you pick your issues. Compromise on some, do it your way on the big ones. Respect them for knowing what sells best.

Donna – Would you say about 97% of your stories are strictly Regencies, no paranormal, etc?

Barbara – I’d say about 80%. I put paranormal elements into many of my earlier, shorter Regencies. The PAINTED LADY has a portrait that speaks. AN ANGEL FOR THE EARL has a dead woman trying to earn her wings by saving the hero from his rakish ways. In my novellas, I’ve had ghosts, wizards, and Elvis. My favorite novel of all was A LOYAL COMPANION, in which the dog tells half the story.

Donna - What sage advice can you give to aspiring writers?

Barbara - Read a lot, and read critically. Know what you like and don't, and then trust your own taste, and use it. And write, instead of talking about writing.

Donna – What can we be expecting from you in the future?

Barbara - I have a lot of ideas, nothing definite yet.

Excuse me, Barbara. I didn’t know you had company.

Oh, Celia drops by often. We both live at the end of the Island. Donna, I’d like you to meet Celia Jerome, a dear friend and fellow writer. She has some books coming out. Do you think you could include Celia in this interview?

Yeah, I guess so. Sure, we’ll do the basics if that’s all right with everyone.

Donna- How long have you known Barbara?

Celia Jerome - A long time. You can say she's been an inspiration to me. Her knowledge and experience are invaluable to a new author.

Donna - What do you write?

Celia- My very first book is TROLLS IN THE HAMPTONS (Nov. 2010 from DAW Books). It is fantasy, or contemporary magic. Set in a small (fictitious) town on Long Island, it involves locals with paranormal talents faced with trespassers from another world. There's a kidnapping and a villain who wants to destroy the world, but mostly it's fun, with a mayhem-causing troll that only the heroine can see, and a hunky hero from the Department of Unexplained Events.

Donna – That sounds really entertaining. What’s the heroine like?

Celia -Willow Tate is a thirty-something graphic novelist and illustrator for young adult fantasy books, and she is afraid of electric storms and snakes and tunnels and taxi-drivers with eye patches and choking while no one is home, and her grandmother, who she suspects is a witch. Yet she rises to the occasion in dangerous situations, just like Barbara's Regency belles. Like most of them, she believes that the wrong man is worse than no man at all.

Donna - What has been the reaction to the series?

Celia - So far Barbara loves it. My editor likes it enough that she bought three more, so there will be five Willow Tate Magic in the Hamptons novels. NIGHT MARES IN THE HAMPTONS comes out in May. No other reviews yet. Scary time.

Donna - Are you doing any other interviews or promotions?

Celia - A bunch. Guest blogs, a radio podcast, etc. and there will be a launch party/book signing at the Montauk Bookshop on Sunday, November 28, 3-5 pm, if anyone can make it. I also invested in a color ad in RT Book Reviews. The ad appeared, but the galleys did not get there in time for a review! I hope that's not a bad omen, because I am having great fun with Willow and her wacky neighbors.

Donna - What will you writing next?

Celia - I am writing the fourth in the series right now, LIFE GUARDS IN THE HAMPTONS. I'll be writing SAND WITCHES ... next. After that, who knows?
Thanks for letting me cut in on Barbara's interview!

Donna – It’s been my pleasure.

Editors note: Barbara Metzger is a member of RWA and LIRW. You can learn more about her and her work at http://www.barbarametzger.com/ . You can learn more about Celia Jerome and her work at http://www.celiajerome.com/ .

Trolls in the Hamptons

2010-11-14T14:13:00.008-05:00

The LIRW is proud of our published authors. Please check out Celia Jerome's new release: Trolls in the Hamptons. This book has a little of everything. The heroine, Willow, is smart, sexy, and funny. And Fafhrd is adorable!

Excerpt from cover:

"Willow Tate is a graphic novelist who earns just enough money at her craft to keep her rent-controlled Manhattan apartment and still put food in the refrigerator. Then she decides to write about a troll who's a superhero--and one suddenly appears, causing mayhem in Manhattan. The odd thing is that nobody except Willow can actually see the stony red giant.

Willy thinks she's going crazy just like her grandmother did, until she meets handsome, sophisticated, and oh-so-British Agent Grant from the Department of Unexplained Events. According to him, Willy has managed to break ages-old cosmic laws that could destroy the world as we know it.

Now she has to help him save the planet, rescue a little boy, and find a murdering kidnapper who wants to use the power of a small village in the Hamptons to become master of the universe.

Along the way, Willy discovers that trolls don't deserve their bad reputation, that she's not the only person in the town of Paumanok Harbor with special talents, and that magic and true love really do exist. "

Now available from Daw Books.

Visit Celia Jerome's Website

Upcoming Author Appearances:

The Montauk Bookshop

Sunday November 28th

3-5 pm

And stay tuned for an upcoming interview with Celia Jerome!

The “Aha” Moment - SYTYCW

2010-11-07T18:12:00.002-05:00

For those who missed any of the informative & fun events over at the “So You Think You Can Write” online extravaganza hosted by Harlequin Books from Nov. 1 – 5th, here’s my take on it all.

The entire week-long, ongoing event was full of insights and suggestions and plenty of encouragement for romance writers. No matter which line you want to publish with at Harlequin (MIRA, Harlequin Teen, Kimani, Intrigue, Mills & Boon, Blaze, Presents, Silhouette Desire, Intrigue, Harlequin American or Steeple Hill Love Inspired – that’s where I am hoping to pitch –) writers could find an inside track to what editors want, and how to get it to them. There were podcasts, and daily editorial challenges, and webcasts, and a variety of blog posts – and simultaneous feeds on Twitter and Facebook. People, the joint was jumping!

Now, I do have to take a moment to brag on myself – because my entry for the 3rd challenge – submitting a scene for review - was picked as one of 3 winners! I was completely floored, and honored! A shortened link to the entry is here: http://bit.ly/aL7NKrT

The scene generated some positive editorial comments, and suggestions to improve the end of my scene with Ysabelle. It doesn’t get better than that! (Well, a request for a partial/full would be nice, but I won’t quibble!).

Among my favorite events this past week were listening to the podcasts/webcasts (especially the live chat entitled "Counterpoint to Sexy" with Love Inspired Executive Editor Joan Marlow Golan) and the podcast called, “The Aha Moment, The End of Predictability in Romance Writing", hosted by Editors Kathleen Scheibling and Wanda Ottewell. I jotted down some notes from The Aha Moment event, and here are my personal top ten:

In between the beginning paragraph, and the HEA (happily ever after) editors want us to “surprise” them. Give them something new. They crave twists and turns.
Make the editors doubt the Hero & heroine (H/h) will ever get together. The ultimate question is, “How?”
Stories need more than one layer of conflict. If our story is propelled by accidents, misunderstandings, coincidences – it can be hokey and contrived. And can cause the “dreaded” sagging middle.
A big no-no is “predictable”. They want unpredictable. If it is a typical thing for a character to do “A”, have them do B, C or even D. As long as the action fits who that character is, and the situation, it’s a surprising twist that brings nice tension between what the reader expects, and the unexpected.
To have a truly nuanced character, you have to get to know him/her. We need to delve into our characterizations. Authors need to challenge the characters, too. Bring them to do some unlikeable things and see them redeem themselves and learn. Otherwise they are sometimes boring.
Try for plot twists: think, “what if?”
Character’s profession – strive for the iconic character, with noble, dramatic profession.
Setting – jump right into critical situation (e.g. flash flood)
The key to standing out in the slush pile is to help them forget they are an editor – get them engaged.
Beware “dreaded” predictable scenes that lack tension – e.g., scenes when the H/h begin dating (going for coffee, chatting, going to dinner, walking on the beach) often means there is no conflict there, not an active scene. “The scene is not going to make the H/h any different at the end of the scene, than he/she was at the beginning”.

Even though I work full time, I tried to jump onto the Harlequin website throughout the day/week and participate as things unfolded. Other days, I went back and reviewed everything after the fact. It was helpful to know that the blogs, webcasts, podcasts, etc. are all kept on file - so we can go back and listen to them/re-read as our schedule allows. These are not-to-miss subjects from manuscript prep to naming characters to revisions, meeting editors - the list goes on and on.

In my opinion, “So You Think You Can Write” was an unparalleled success. I applaud the efforts of everyone at Harlequin who put it together - it was a magnificent endeavor, and it worked extremely well.

Now, if you’ll forgive me – I'll sign off now. I have a partial to fine-tune!