Archive for March, 2007
For those who haven’t noticed, I read lots of different genres. My personal favorites have nothing in common other than wonderful writing.
Ms. Heyer invented the modern romance genre. It is a tribute to her genius that her dialogue still sparkles, her characters slip into the story as naturally as family and friends attending a summer party, and her plots move effortlessly toward a satisfactory resolution for all concerned. I’ve never read a Heyer I did not like. Picking a single favorite is impossible. Of her stories that I have read (I’m hoarding a few) The Nonesuch is one of the top ten. Luckily for me and the rest of her legions of fans, she was very prolific.
Posted by Evanne Lorraine @ 4:42 pm |
This is Fiona she’s the star of the current story, a short erotica.
Too bad I can’t just start off with her picture and jump into the action. The image is only to help me evoke her adventure. This process is a little like voodoo. I print out pictures, make a play list of songs, and even use scent to strengthen the story world.
Word Painting by Rebecca McClanahan does a lovely job of explaining how to add verisimilitude to the story. Unlike many craft books, this one is a joy to read.
Posted by Evanne Lorraine @ 4:29 pm |
E-publishing, like all publishing, varies in quality. For those looking for a fresh romance, here’s a winner.
Linda Laroque’s debut novel, When the Ocotillo Bloom ,which was released by www.wingsepress.com in February, is very well done.
Ms.Larouque penned a story full of people I’d love to meet and animals so real they made me remember what it’s like to bond with a horse or a dog.
Her story is unusual in several respects. It is sweet without being cloying, there are with grown-up conflicts, and realistic resolutions. The story is set on Texas ranch, where the cowboys actually ride horses, and give troubled kids skills for coping with real life.
You can meet the author and read an exerpt here: www.lindalaroque.com.
Posted by Evanne Lorraine @ 3:38 pm |
Melissa James (who will become famous as Avery Beck) is a finalist in the short contemporary category for the Golden Heart contest. For all you who are not future romance writers, the Golden Heart is the biggie for unpublished authors, comparable to the Oscars.
She’s worked very hard and is an amazing talent.
The feeling of seeing a friend succeed is wonderful. It’s like when your home team is going to the Superbowl.
Posted by Evanne Lorraine @ 5:40 pm |
Graphics Argh! Someday I’ll get the profile fixed . . . stories to write, no time for cursed graphics.
Posted by Evanne Lorraine @ 8:29 pm |
Every February I set goals for the coming year. All goals must be within my control. This year’s goals:
A) Study characterization to add depth to each story’s cast
B) Three submissions – you can’t sell without submitting
C) Reduce the TBR piles to manageable levels.
Progress report:
A) Study continues
B) Current submissions:
- Two!
- Status: Waiting to hear from the publishers
- Time line: number one – three months, two weeks – number two – one week
C) Two shelves (out of six) are down to a single row of books
To be continued . . .
Posted by Evanne Lorraine @ 2:31 am |
Books, what did you think I was wild about?
http://wendyportia.blogspot.com/ is the blog for Portia da Costaa woman with a rare gift.
Portia da Costa penned one of the best pieces of erotic fiction I’ve read all year.
Maybe it’s the latent anglophile in me.
Posted by Evanne Lorraine @ 4:06 am |
A few weeks ago I read Robert McKee’s Story, which is aimed primarily at those who are writing movie scripts. Mr. McKee wrote the single most useful piece of advice I’ve read about characterization. He suggested using method acting to put yourself into the character’s mindset and circumstances. Channelling your characters was not new advice, but the part about circumstances had eluded me. He has lots of other good information too.
For overall brilliance of characterization advice, Linda Serger’s Creating Unforgettable Characters remains my favorite.
For an overview of different physchological profiles Rachel Ballon gives a broad brush approach to lots of approaches in her book Breathing Life Into Your Characters gives you a good jumping off point.
Posted by Evanne Lorraine @ 4:36 pm |
Last week I read Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen. For me the beginning was slow and I found the author’s choice of alternating present day chapters with flashbacks chapters to be disruptive. The effect irritated me by yanking me out of the story. Yet I was intrigued enough to persist and was rewarded. By the time the story ended I wished that it was not over so soon.
After reading the book, I still have doubts about Ms. Gruen’s choice of interspersing chapters from different time periods. From my perspective the story would have been more effective with a prologue from present day and an epilogue in the same time frame. The additional available words could be used to tell more of the adventure and love story in real time.
Posted by Evanne Lorraine @ 3:41 pm |
Revising has become a way of life. I’ve always liked the excitement of a new story best, the character bios, the plotting, the what-ifs. Yet, even from inside the edit process, I can see this is making the story stronger.
Rewriting may be more vital than writing for me. As I work through the revisions, I learn and there are several mistakes I won’t repeat.
Lesson number one: all actions and reactions need to be cleanly motivated.
Characters can be inconsistent, but if they are then that has to be explained too. Fictional people have to make more sense than real life people. I’d love to argue about that one, but the fact is my favorite fictional characters are brilliantly drawn and vitally motivated.
I accepted that fiction plotting had to be much more believable than real life a while ago. The whole then-there-was-miracle plot resolution still appeals, but I understand why it’s not a good idea.
Lesson number two: rewording the same information does not make it new.
Lesson number three: using the same words over and over is irritating to the reader.
Lesson number four: reading the story aloud helps catch my most egregious errors.
Lesson number five: setting is an asset.
Lesson number six: emotion, emotion, emotion
Bonus free lesson – color coding works. I learned about this in Margie Lawson’s Deep Editing Class check out her website to learn more about her classes. www.margielawson.com
Posted by Evanne Lorraine @ 1:51 am |
When both Hunter and Tru bond with Amber their mating triangle threatens everything they hold dear.
Determined to help rescue the princess, Cassandra agrees to act as the dragons’ sex slave, but can she guard her heart from the dominant males?
Camille, a plump, sweet-natured breeder, is caught in New Eden’s endless war with Baldor. Her mates, Jaxon and Aegis, need cunning and courage to rescue her. They need a miracle to capture her heart.
Werewolf-whisper Daniel is the only one who can heal Scarlet’s broken werewolf connection. If he succeeds then the pack’s needs will eclipse his claim on her heart. But if he fails, they'll both die.
A Scarlet Past, the story of Scarlet's parents is available on Amazon or Barnes and Noble for just 99 cents!
A lonely woman finds passion with a dominant much younger lover, when she tries to leave she learns her new master plays for keeps.
The Enyo Chronicles includes both Dalia's Choice and Joon's Tempation.
Three different stories, three dangerous men, and three women who deserve them.
One dangerous warrior woman plus two rogue demon males equals a love to threaten an empire.
Getting paid to watch Eduardo is Desiree’s dream assignment, but when he reaches out to her, crossing the line, everything changes.
Deep in her secret heart, she lusts for a sexy pirate who’d be her master and commander in the bedroom. But, this man may be too dangerous
One woman, two men, three wounded hearts--though already mated their love is still forbidden.
A reluctant reporter and a lone wolf undercover cop work to catch an extortionist, finding love requires the most dangerous risk of all.
Street-smart cop plays princess to catch deadly terrorists. Now,the only man she trusts is the one she can't resist.
What Sam doesn’t know may kill him--the love of his life is his worst nightmare--his enemy’s daughter.r.
