Tag: Romance Divas

A Day In The Viscount’s Company

Last week’s post How to Write While Dealing with Holiday Madness was more practical, but this week’s entry in our How I Write series, is all fancy. The questions posed was, “If you could spend a day with any one of your characters, who would it be and why? What would you do?”

This question was difficult for me and I kept putting off writing this post as I didn’t want to show favoritism or some such nonsense. I have to admit, I quickly discarded all my heroines, but one. She’s a veritable tomboy and much like me when I was younger, except she has a ton more confidence on her side. I figured I’d pretty much already grown up with her in many ways, so it was off to whittle down the list of heroes.

All of my heroes have something attractive about them, and they’re all quite dashing and fashionable. James, the duke, would be far too imposing and he’s a bit on the arrogant side. He’s also a bit of a starched shirt, as well. He needed someone playful like his friend, Hugh, the Viscount Barrington to offset his stiffer personality.

I suspect spending the day with the Viscount Barrington would prove both the most fun, and the most useful. He’s the class clown type and looking for attention. However, he’s also just coy enough, that unless you’re extremely close to him, you’d never know the real reasons why. He’s always been a thorn in my side because he refuses to open up and spill his secrets. Perhaps by the end of the day, he would open up or at least let something slip and I’d gain some insight into his personal demons.

As for what we’d do… I think taking a picnic and driving down to Richmond would be a wonderful way to start the day. He’s a dab hand with the reins and he owns a pair of prime goers that would make the miles fly past. Besides, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right? Feed him well, settle in for a long coze in the warm sunshine and I suspect with a few leading questions, I could get him to open up. I know he’s got an interesting story lurking there, I just need an opening. His armor is strong and has many patches reinforcing the spots where chinks had once been made.

I would also have to be on the watch for his tricks. He’s known for pranks that can be biting to those he dislikes, but I don’t think I’ve done anything to get on his bad side, so I should be safe. After all, it’s just another way he pushes people away when they get too close or annoy him by being hypocritical. I’d be understanding and gentle with him, but then again, maybe that’s part of the problem and why he’s not sharing… I’ve been too nice to him and haven’t pushed him hard enough with the tough questions.

I better go prepare a sumptuous picnic and work on my list of questions for him… asking everything I want to know might take a while. Perhaps I should plan to stop at an inn on the way back to Town.

After all, who wouldn’t want to spend a day and a night with this fellow?

A photo of Narayan Fergal O'Connor, an inspiration for Viscount Barrington.
Narayan Fergal O'Connor, an inspiration for Viscount Barrington.

YOUR TURN: If you could spend a day with a fictional character (one of yours if you write, someone else’s if you don’t), who would it be and why? What would you do?

And if you’d like to read about who the rest of my group would spend the day with, you can find their blogs here:

* Alexia Reed * Angeleque Ford * Danie Ford *
* Emma G. Delaney * Kimberly Farris *

Looking Back to Look Forward

Last week’s post on How We Buckle  Down and Focus on Our Writing, another entry in our How I Write series, really got me thinking since it didn’t seem like I was physcially or mentally able to sit down and focus this past week. The result was the topic that I challenged my accountability group to answer this week: Where are you now? Where is that, in comparison to where you were six months ago? A year? Five years, ten? How have your goals changed? What would you do differently?”

A family portrait.10 Years Ago

We were living two time zones east in Austin, TX. We had two pre-schoolers at that point who kept me busy. Somehow, I was still active with LegendMUD: coding, designing areas, writing quests, descriptions and dialogue for the computer-controlled characters. This was basically a text adventure game that spanned three eras of time and attempted to present “History as it was thought to be at the time.” This meant magic worked according to myth and legends and you could run into virtual versions of many historical figures or even take an active role in those same myths, legends and historical events. I was also doing technical writing as well as doing op-ed and more explanatory pieces surrounding updates and the community. We were well-connected to a diverse group of friends and colleagues in the area.

5 Years Ago

When we moved to San Diego, CA, and basically ripped apart our social fabric once again. We signed the kids up for scouts so they could benefit from the programs and get to know other kids in their school as we didn’t live in the same neighborhood. I was reading up to 2-3books a week while waiting to pick them up from school. I was also no longer involved with LegendMUD but bored as just a player on another game and I was looking for a creative outlet. At this point most of my energy was going into making my son’s Cub Scout experience worthwhile.

4 Years Ago

The next summer, I picked up DH’s copy of Becoming A Writer by Dorothea Brande. I swear, she spoke to me across the decades. She lit a fire under my butt and I couldn’t ignore her. I found the Romance Divas writing forum while looking for information on how to get started and chewed my way through DH’s books on craft, soaking up everything I could. It was at RD that I met Bria Quinlan and Jodi Henley. These two people are still inspirational and influential today. In fall 2007, I started Beneath His Touch, writing for hours in the chat challenges. Thus began my journey of alternating rounds of craft study & bouts of writing.

This cycle continued as a sort of holding pattern as we also dealt with our son’s recurring migraine and sinus issues which led to a quarter of independent study, that stopped my writing dead in its tracks. That was two years ago. I’m slowly recovering and gaining momentum as you’ll see below.

1 Year Ago

Last year, in the week before Thanksgiving, we decided to start house hunting as our lease was up at the end of the year. We found a house, closed on it and were moved in by the second week in February. Silly me, at this point, I was also trying to finish a draft of the full novel I’d started in the fall of 2007 (BHT) and finalizing my goals for 2011. Revealed was stuck at a weird half-way point and the heroine wasn’t very sympathetic. The overall plot was in place, but the hero’s side of the story was mostly missing. And I have a handful of other false starts that I can’t just toss out, because the characters want their stories told. Now, if anyone knows how to keep them quiet while I focus on a particular pair at a time, my life would be so much easier.

6 Months Ago

My oldest promoted from Middle School to High school and I took the plunge to join both RWA National and the local San Diego Chapter. I’ve slowly been pushing myself out of my comfort zone, but I’m still reluctant to push myself. It’s getting easier, especially when I look back like this and see how much I have been able to do. I also finished a round of polish on the full novel I started in 2007 & prepared my first submission to a literary agent. My local RWASD chaptermates are also good about pushing me. I mentioned I needed to start submitting and get my PRO membership. They kept asking if I’d done it yet. Then it was hugs & cheering and “Have you submitted your PRO app yet?” See? They support and propel you along. They’re awesome like that.

Where Am I now?

Many days, I don’t feel like I’ve come that far, but I’m now a recognized PRO member of RWA which means I’ve made a submission and am actively working toward publication. I still haven’t heard back, but their automated receipt was enough! I’m also reworking Revealed and turning it into what it was intended to be instead of taking easy and lazy ways in regard to characters and their reactions and decisions. It’s still the same essential story, but it reads so much better. It’s always a good thing when you can see the strength of the heroine instead of wanting to slap her for being a constant watering pot. I’ve also joined an online chapter of RWA , The Beau Monde Chapter, which specializes in the Regency Era, and boy am I soaking up lots of Town Bronze there! More importantly, instead of feeling like I was spinning my wheels with the same two stories, I started another one to see what I’d learned and to try a slightly different approach. I’ve run into a brick wall, but I think that was just because I called it a NaNo project and got discouraged when I couldn’t hit the numbers. But, I’m not giving up on it!

How have my goals changed?

In the past four years, I’ve moved from writing simply to amuse myself to wanting to see my book on a shelf and treating it more like an actual business. I even have real business cards. My goals are SMARTer. They’re more realistic, more structured, and I’m much more conscious of the longer term goals on a week-by-week basis thanks to my accountability group. My goals are also more public and more ambitious. I’ll be attending the RWA National Conference in Anaheim next summer. You’ll notice my real name is now attached to my writing and social media. I haven’t been laughed at yet for saying I want to write Regency Romance novels. Most people think it’s pretty cool.

What would I do differently?

I definitely would have joined RWA sooner for the support, especially at the local level. I really wish I’d taken both days of Bob Mayer’s Warrior Writer workshop, but I’m glad I decided on the day based on his Who Dares Wins book over the day dedicated to our stories. I needed to hear the bit about stepping out of our comfort zones and that’s where I met Pamela Moran and M. A. Taylor, who cemented my decision to join RWA & RWASD. And yes, I should have listened to them and joined then, not waited two more years. I do wish I’d been more serious about trying to reach a daily or weekly quota that worked with my writing cycle, but that’s something I don’t have to label as a regret, but can take and work toward that in my 2012 goals and beyond.

YOUR TURN: Can you see your growth and progress toward your goals? Are you happy with where you are now? When’s the last time you did something for the first time?

And if you’d like to read about how the rest of my group approaches their research, you can find their blogs here:

* Alexia Reed * Angeleque Ford * Danie Ford *
* Emma G. Delaney * Kimberly Farris *

I think I can…

uphilltrainSo May is also a month of insanity around here. So why did I jump on the RD May Wri Mo bandwagon? Cause I’m a sucker for wallowing in pain and suffering with as many other people as possible? Maybe. More likely, it’s the fact that I work better knowing others are working at the same time.

Dayna Hart put everyone who signed up on teams this year. Wow, extra motivation and incentives. Dayna rules. Each team had 250,000 words to start with — some have grown with additional members. My personal goal was to add another 30k to what I had so far for Beneath His Touch. I decided I wasn’t going to push my luck and even doing 1k words a day has been a stretch with lack of practice.

However, I’ve already added 6,666 new words to the project! Yay, me! I’m slightly ahead of my goal, but I suspect as end of the school year events start ramping up, I’ll need any cushion I can get!

I still need to go back and work on the first 3 chapters, but knowing I’m working on chapter 8 is a great feeling too. I made the mistake the other day of reading through the material I already had for 4-7 and screeched to a halt. NO EDITING! ONLY NEW WORDS. OR only edits AFTER I make my word count and then some for the day.

So, if you suspect I’ve disappeared, hope I’m in a groove and staying on track!

RD Hist/Para Workshop

Writing Historical Paranormal Romance with Some of The Hottest Authors in the Genre
March 20th & 21st at Romance Divas

Featuring:
Colleen Gleason
Melissa Mayhue
Jennifer Ashley
Sharon Page
Jennifer St. Giles

Want to know how to write romance that brings a mysterious and paranormal twist to history? Romance Divas is hosting a 2-day workshop with some of the hottest names in the Historical Paranormal genre. It will take place at the Romance Diva Forum. All are welcome. To get access to the forum you will need to register.

Stop this crazy ride…

merry go roundThis week has been insane. It seems like everything that could have gone wrong, has and if it hasn’t yet, it’s waiting to do so until just the right moment.

Dealing with crazy vendor issues with the rental property we own. Trying to get an estimate for some work done there totally ruined my day yesterday. I was going to take off and go to the grocery store around noon since I usually go on Sunday and hadn’t made it there yet (I finally got there around 6pm tonight, actually). But I ended up having to wait for one of the estimators to call me back, only he didn’t. Then I had to run errands and pick up my new prescription sunglasses and it took 45 minutes to convince them I couldn’t see out of my left eye with my new progressive bifocals and for them to figure out that lens was in crooked. MUCH better now.

It was also DD’s 12th birthday. EEEEEEK! One year left. *gulp* So I spent a crazy amount of time running around to pick up some last minute presents for her. We have to return one. Borders was out of the Extended Edition of HSM3. 😛 The grocery store wasn’t, if only I’d gone there on Monday! And for her birthday we always go out for Chinese food. Usually PF Chang’s but just as often a smaller local place that’s really good. We were smart and made reservations last night. We JUST made it in time too.

Today was supposed to be more low-key, and in many ways it was, which was nice. I spent the morning working on changes to Chapter One of the project I’m working on with my mentor. I didn’t get as far as I wanted to though. I kept having to deal with more phone calls about the rental property. The pool guy called to tell me the tenants were moving out — property manager reassured us only 2 of the 4 were, don’t panic. Phew. That mortgage is barely covered by the rent.

So, I was planning on picking up groceries again today, only my friend Romance Diva friends, Dana Belfry, who called at 11 am to ask what I was doing for lunch. She sounded disappointed when I said I’d just popped leftover Chinese into the microwave. Turns out she was down in my neck of the woods (or in SoCal does that translate into “my wing of the mall?” Anyway…) So we went out for lunch at Claim Jumper (I drooled over the bread pudding for you, Mother!) and she brought me a big box of books she’d picked up for free and didn’t want. Out of 13, I’ll probably read over half of them. Someday. My TBR pile is too big as it is.

So what did I pick up in the grocery store? Yep. Another paperback. LOL

So, I’m sitting here, the kids have gone to bed and I’m going to now try to focus on getting more of Chapter One revised. I don’t think I’ll finish, but I need to get further along than I am. Must. Go. Write.

Love is in the air

Happy Valentine’s Day!

It’s time once again for hearts, chocolates, diamonds (no dear, that’s not a hint) and of course free reads from the Romance Divas, who have just wrapped up their third annual e-book challenge where the members are encouraged to write a story and put it up for free.

THE DIVAS E-BOOK CHALLENGE 2009 has some great stories by some fantastic people. Do yourself a favor and run click, don’t walk miss a chance to check out these stories. Stay in the Valentine’s mood! Enjoy a bit more romance!

BTW: if you missed the previous years’ editions: 2007 and 2008.

Shakin’ Things Up

Yesterday’s earthquake that was in the Chino Hills/Diamond Bar area east of LA is old news by now. In the 20 minutes after it happened I got to calls. One from my mom on the east coast (who had been called by my uncle on this side of the Rockies) to find out if we’d felt it. And Dana Belfry who lives up that way also called me up. Thanks for checking on us!

Basically the house swayed but we didn’t even get any real rattling of knicknacks on the shelves this time. The kids didn’t really notice it and DH was “wobbling in his chair at work” when it happened. So anti-climatic. I’m always amazed when I look at those earthquake makes and lists, and realize just how much activity there is that we never notice around us. BTW, I’d like to keep it that way.

So,… if I’m not talking about the ground shaking… what am I shaking up? My writing. It’s the Divas Not Going to Conference Conference (NGTCC) week. Lots of workshops and such and there’s plenty more out on the net to read through Lynn Viehl’s Paperback Writer blog’s Left Behind and Loving It virtual workshop series.

I’ve been reading up on finding your voice and how plotting can be like a wiring diagram. I did manage to come up with what I think may be a working plot for the short story Bria wants me to submit with her for an anthology at the end of September. I just need to figure out the main characters a bit better now.

A couple of us have been talking about showing vs telling in a couple threads on the forums at Romance Divas. Jodi pointed out to me I’m not so much telling as synopsizing or summarizing actions. So the new focus is to show HOW things happen and to trust the characters in telling their story. I’m going to stop trying so hard, and see what happens.

And where the heck has summer gone? The kids go back to school in less than 3 weeks?! TOO much to do…eek.

Home Alone

San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge
San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge

Ok, not quite alone, but it seems like everyone’s gearing up for the RWA National convention in San Francisco this week. And I’m not actually going to be home all week either. We’re going camping with the Cub Scouts again this weekend — only two left! This is going to be more like “extreme picnicking” as we’re going to the Naval base on Coronado Island. It might be 90oF up here where we live, but it’ll be a balmy 70oF on the beach. Seems to easy to be camping.

So what am I doing between now and then? Taking advantage of all the online workshops that have sprung up. I know I’m going to be checking in on The Divas’ “Not Going to Conference Conference” and Lynn Viehl over at Paperback Writer is sponsoring a “Left Behind & Loving It” set of virtual conferences on the presenter’s blogs. Great week to be a craft geek.

So, other than my lame excuse of camping with my family, why am I not going and why haven’t I joined RWA after a year of being a writer wannabe?

Good question. I’ve learned so much this year, but I still feel I’m a long way off from doing this as more than a hobby. I don’t feel justified spending the money on myself that way yet. I regret that I can’t go to meet all the people who have been so great at RD (especially Bria, Jodi and Jen), but I’d rather focus on getting something finished to take in the future rather than to go empty handed.

Also, on Sunday, Suzanne Enoch and Teresa Medeiros are doing a joint signing in town. I don’t want to miss that either. Why does everything have to happen at the same time?

Thursday Thirteen: Diva-versary

 

13 Things I’ve Learned as a Diva

 

I’ve been a member of the Romance Divas for a year now. I was looking for information on writing and found this place last summer as I was just starting to get serious about trying this writing thing again. I knew I had a lot to learn and I needed someplace that was going to be supportive yet honest. The forums are active and the group of people there are amazing. All the Divas (and the DivaDudes too) are creative, funny, thoughtful people who believe in the pay it forward principle. The site is one of those rare entities – a strictly enforced flame-free zone.

1. Pink feather boas are an attitude and pink isn’t ALL evil.
2. Bria‘s right, Flantastic is a perfectly good word!
3. Cup o’ Noodles is very good at making me think.
4. The dark side has cookies, but they just might be (theoretically) burned. Just kidding, Dana!
5. I’m not alone. Or if the chat room’s empty, just wait a bit someone will show up.
6. I can write around 40k words in a month if I put my mind to it and if I know EXACTLY what I’m passionate about, I can write 1200 words in a half hour.
7. We’re all a little unhinged in our own ways and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
8. Nothing is written in stone and you can’t fix a blank page.
9. Hitting refresh doesn’t help people post faster.
10. Back up more often and in more places than you think you need to.
11. Just sayin’… covers a multitude of situations.
12. Plotters and pantsers are very different critters.
13. “What Gwen said.” is always a good answer no matter the question.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1 Nicholas 2 Tink 3 On a limb with Claudia
4 SandyCarlson 5 Carol 6 The Pink Flamingo
7 Nadia Lee 8 Alice Audrey 9 Tempest Knight
10 Nina Pierce 11 marcia@joyismygoal 12 Talk About My Favorite Authors
13 Jennifer McKenzie 14 Paige Tyler 15 Chris
16 Moondancerdrake 17 18

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

Review: Hot Contract

Today’s the official release day for Jodi Henley’s Hot Contract.


Hot Contract

by Jodi Henley

When Jen Stalling, chief geologist on a new magma-based power plant known as the Pele Project witnesses the murder of a fellow scientist, Project officials don’t want the negative publicity of a murder investigation. “An accident,” they say. Jen knows better. So does her father, billionaire Art Stalling. But having pushed Jen away years ago, he can’t now reveal his interest without exposing her to danger. He hires DalCon, a Seattle-based security group to watch over her.

Keegan Dalfrey has his own problems. Four days ago, during a routine mission gone wrong, his brother was captured by South Pacific extremists. They want two million in ten days. Keegan can make that in nine days by neutralizing the threat to Jen. It’s an all or nothing gamble with his brother’s life in the balance. He never expected to fall in love.

Read an excerpt or buy it now!

Rose (220 pages) Spicy

PRINT ISBN 1-60154-208-9 Also Available In Print Sep 2008

~`~`~

I’ll be the first to admit I’m biased, but please don’t hold it against her. I bought this ebook yesterday as the links and downloads were available at The Wild Rose Press. I knew a little more than the blurb about the book from reading her blog, so I was excited to see the work as a whole and how the story played out.

You may remember that Jodi’s the author who turned me on to Peter Dunne’s Emotional Structure and several other craft ideas. The evidence that these ideas are solid and are essential to a good great story runs all through this book. You end up being sucked into this world of DalCon and Stalling Co and even if you’ve only dreamed of vacationing in Hawaii, you become submerged in the story. Not only are the main characters and the secondary characters well-developed and matched, but the tertiary characters come to life on the page as well.

Now, lest you think I’m alone in my rabid fangirl praise:

Jennifer of The Redneck Romance Writer listed this book as one of “Thirteen Books That Should Be Bestsellers But Aren’t….Yet” in November of 2007 well before it’s release.

And I found this review out yesterday, and I gotta say I agree wholeheartedly with it:

Don’t just add this book to your to be read pile or even your must be read pile, place it front and center on your read now pile, you won’t be disappointed. I gave the book Simply Romances highest rating, but it has now become the standard I will judge all books of this type by. Good Job, Ms. Henley!

Read Stephanie’s full review or just go buy it!

I’m so buying the print edition when it comes out in September too! Definitely going on the “keeper” shelf. Don’t even think about askin’ to borrow it.

Oh, and ya know, Jodi, we’re going to be harassing you about finishing the sequel Drop Dead Gorgeous until it comes out.