The Greek’s Virgin by Trish Morey
Love those Present titles! I’m hooked on Ms. Morey’s aussie version. Yes, the Greek is in Australia and Lake Tahoe and New York. Presents men get around.:) Ms Morey’s heroines are strong and well motivated, making them worthy opponents for her strong heroes. Dark chocolate truffles with a hint of cayenne and maybe a bit of caramel. Delicious!
Undone by Carly Phillips, Donna Kauffman and Candace Schuler
I’ve told you all about my book buying addiction and the sagging to-be-read shelves. I’m going to reform any minute now. Well maybe next year.;) All this is just a reminder of why I’m just now getting around to a book that has been sitting on my shelf for more than a year. :(
The first story, Going All The Way by Ms. Phillips is a novella. Right off the bat she gains my admiration. She has charming characters and a typically tender-hot Blaze romance in half the usual words.
The second My Secret Thrill by Ms.Kauffman is a reissue of classic Blaze circa 2001. Undone is a great chance to acquire it along with two other blazing stories. The characters come life from the start with admirable skill.
The third Good Time Girl by Ms.Schuler is also a classic Blaze circa 2002 is lots of sexy fun with a cowboy to die for.
One of the recurring writing debates involves chosing between writing the story that moves you and the story of the moment. Personally, I don’t have enough range to write the story of the minute. Besides I don’t know what the story of the minute is. I’m sure someone knows, there are market analysts, book brokers, buyers for the big bookstores, editors,and agents all with lots of information and the savvy to interpret said information into real world decisions. And even they fail to predict new trends with perfect accuracy.
Does this mean I should never slant a story for a particular market? Of course not, not if I want to sell the stories I write. And I do. For me it means there is no point in my jumping in young adult, vampires as romance heroes, fantasy worlds, or erotica. Are those hot markets? Maybe. Will they be hot markets two years dowm the road, when the story I’m working on now might actually be available for purchse? I can’t even guess.
And that’s my point about writing the story you want to tell.
Long before I ever thought of writing, I was an avid reader. I have new favorites, comfort reads, must buys and reward reads. What do they all have in common? Damn fine writing. For me, that means characters that live on after the final page has been read. There are those who read for plot. I’ve got nothing against plot, bring it on, but give me someone to care about in all that action or I won’t bother turning those heavy heavy pages.
Romance writers are the best. Last night Melissa posted support for me as a Presents writer (still dreaming) and this morning Kate Walker, a real Presents author, welcomed me to their thread.
Maybe it was simply hearing from Melissa,who writes wonderfully emotional, and steamy romances, but suddenly this morning I knew what is wrong with the revised version of my Blaze story. The heroine isn’t a Blaze babe. Yes, she’s got more depth and yes she’s more sympathetic. But she’s not on fire.
Can she ignite? Hmmm. Wish me luck.
After all my navel gazing and stubborness in insisting I can handle writing for two lines – I have humbly admit I’m having a heck of time getting my head back into Blaze territory. I keep having thoughts about, well Presents stories. Things are never as easy as they sound. The more emotional the writing, a good thing – the harder to just jump out into a different type of story.
One of the things I struggle with as a writer targeting category romance – yes those books! LOL Is the balance between reader expectation and an original story.
I’m a reader who loves her alpha heroes and plucky heroines who manage to captivate the untamed males. I love the sizzling Blaze babes whether they start out bold as daybreak or full of self-doubt,and their hunks. I love the protectees and their protectors, battling for truth and justice. I love the good women struggling to create family and the men who stand beside them. When I pick up a Presents, or a Blaze, or an Intrigue or a Superromance I have certain specific expectations for each line. And yet – I want surprises too! It’s easy to be a demanding reader.
It’s hard to walk that line as a writer.
Believe me, I do not have all the answers. The writers I adore all share certain traits. They create real characters, unique characters, characters I believe. Voice, detail, setting, emotion ,and dialogue all play a role in creating memorable characters. Even their secondary characters spring to life with stunning credibility. Do they have to be consistent? No, change is good – character arc anyone? But their inconsistencies and growth need to be properly motivated.
Back to reader mode for a minute. If I understand the reasons why a character is acting as she is then the author can have her do almost anything.
Yesterday I treated one of my old stories like a new one. That means it got a fresh new notebook, the characters got biographies(complete with backstories), new pictures,a new GMC worksheet, and a shiny new plot. Is this a detailed plot? Nah, there’s little point in a detailed plot at this stage.
Everyone works differently, I need a short outline and a couple of pages of synopsis to get going – along with the notebook, pictures, biographies, and most critically, a handle on their goals, motivations, and conflicts.
Since I’m writing romance the critical question is what has to happen for this hero and this heroine to fall in love? The answer needs to be simply stated because it is the book premise.
This was a long day of writing for me and they were characters I already know well. If I’d truly been starting from scratch this process could take a week or more.
Every story is different. This is a first for me. I’m reinventing a book that was written and submitted before. My heroine needs depth and humanity and a good dose of likability. My hero is a cliche and needs to become unique and heroic. The conflict between them is tired and needs to be rethought.
When I read over that advice, my tender writer’s heart quelled. That sounds like everything to me. Why bother with revisions?
Since I was in the midst of another project I couldn’t tackle another story right. So I set it aside, which turned out to be a good move.
A few weeks later I was ready to make a game plan. There’s still a story there. One that was good enough to get a request in the first place. One that I simply failed to tell well enough.
Now I’m grateful for all the work I did in between submitting the ultimately rejected story and now. I’m rewriting it. If I can’t get it flow on paper after a two week try then it’s time to scrap it.
For today those characters live in my head and they deserve to be together. It’s my job to make that happen.
After all my imagining and plotting I sat down with a new craft book. It’s already bristling with sticky notes.
This was a reward reading week
Vagabond Viscount By Loretta Chase
Since having found Ms. Chase last year, I’ve been treating myself to one of her stories a month. I’ll try not too gush too disgustingly. But it’s (the not gushing thing) a challenge because not only does she write about my favorite regency England (almost a religion among fans) but she does so with wit and charm and range. Meaning she writes wonderfully, each story a gem in its own right and every cast of characters producing new friends who live on in the happy reader’s imagination long after the cover is closed. Many of her early titles are still in print, and deservedly so.
Sex, Lies and Online Dating by Rachel Gibson
Ms. Gibson writes contemporary romance with equal but different charms. I was laughing aloud in the prologue, a series of snappy emails between friends. The story continues on a collision course between the to-die-for hero and the lovely, cautious heroine generating more laughs and moving the reader effortlessly into the world of two very real people who manage to be poignant and amusing in one book.
Asking for Trouble by Leslie Kelly
A modern Gothic Blaze, if it had been written by anyone other than Ms. Kelly I would’ve skipped the title. I couldn’t imagine a modern Gothic period let alone a Blaze. But, I’m wild about Leslie Kelly stories and her name on the cover is enough for me.
After all, if I didn’t like one it would help cut down on the excessive book buying problem I have. No such luck, she did everything possible to turn me off, one chapter is in first person (Not my favorite. Briget Jones fine – Jack Reacher okay – but the rest of you? Forget about it.)There’s a creepy old mansion, a dark and stormy night, and a too familiar mystery. But this is Leslie and Blaze, so it’s also funny, quirky and sexy as all get out.
Skimming the surface over at eharlequin I noticed that I’d missed a sale party for Robyn Grady. (Waves to Robyn – with many heartfelt though :( belated congratulations. ) Why is this blog worthy? Robyn has contracted with two lines. And everyone at Harlequin Mills and Boon is cool with her writing for Silhouette Desire and Modern Extra. BTW Robyn has submissions in with Presents and Blaze, so this could get even more exciting. How lovely for Robyn.
See, it can be done!
I know it is not the kind of thing anyone advises, or that is in the least bit sensible. I also understand how unlikely sales are, period, let alone dual sales. ;) But there is zero chance of selling to more than one line without submitting.
There are lots and lots of people with the dream of being a writer who never actually write a book. There are more who never submit what they’ve written. There are those who try and get rejected and never try again. I am convinced that persistence is more critical to success than any other single trait.
As of last night the Presents is polished up and awaits the lovely CP’s feedback. I may goof off for a day or two before diving into Blaze revisions.
BTW, I did not get a revision letter, i.e. one that says fix this and this and this and send it back. I got the liked-your-premise, but it needs this and definitely that and a whole lot more of this before it would work for the line. Nevertheless, I still love that story and I need to at least try to improve it. If it’s a total rewrite then it’s a total rewrite. :(
I’m going to get back to writing samples, craft and the reading report soon. Promise! I’m obsessing at the moment. Polishing will do that do a writer. ;)
If the process of submitting and getting a response were faster then I’d have less angst. Or at least that’s what I like to believe in my own little virtual world. Maybe it’s crazy to target two lines but that’s what I’m doing.
I’ve asked myself what is the worst thing that could happen? One of the two lovely editors slaps me and says don’t clutter my inbox with this trash? BTW that’s exactly how I read a form rejection (sniff, sniff).
In reality even the form rejections are actually worded quite tactfully. They run along the lines of while this (insert title) was not right for us, we thank you for thinking of us and wish you luck in finding a home for your work elsewhere . . .
Are readers confused or upset by an author who writes for more than one line? Or for that matter more than one publisher? They don’t seem to be. . . In fact there seems to be lots of the happy cross over that enhances everyone’s bottom line.
Does the fact that Ms. Roberts has moved on and no longer writes for Harlequin keep them from reissuing her category titles? Certainly not. It seems to be a situation that benefits all concerned – admittedly this is an outsider ( a way outsider LOL) opinion.
The odds against getting published at all are overwhelming. Getting accepted by two different editors at the same time is highly unlikely. Is there a downside to trying? The only one that comes to my mind is the one Melissa pointed out – focusing on the line where I fit best makes the most sense. But since I’m not as smart as she is about figuring out which line that is – I’m blundering along with my usual combination of doubt devils and mule-brain.
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