Release Day!

March 11, 2009 | Uncategorized

Dalila’s Choice is available! Here’s the link for impulsive shoppers.

And here’s the lovely cover….

WIP Wednesday

WIP Wednesday

What makes a story great is one of those questions I revisit on a regular basis. The answer is different for every reader. Since, the reader’s expectations and preferences are half of the equation.

Yet, there are books that are mentioned over and over again, widely beloved by readers.

Here’s the list of what I think they have in common:

1) High stakes that suit the characters

2) A strong conflict for the protagonist, nothing worth reading about come easy

3) A sympathetic protagonist, without someone to root for the bid for the reader’s attention is doomed.

4) Excellent writing craft, there are lots of effective styles and an infinite variety of voice, but all of the greats deliver clean copy

5) A new story line there aren’t any unique plots or themes but a fresh version is essential

6) A satisfying resolution, even if open ended, there should be a sigh of relief, or satisfaction, for the moment

What makes a book memorable for you?

Teaser Tuesday

March 10, 2009 | Teaser Tuesday

More gorgeous cover art, this time for Wicked Games….

Music Monday

March 9, 2009 | Music Monday

Coldplay’s Clock

Sunday funnies

March 8, 2009 | Sunday funnies

For two years, a man had a passionate affair with an Italian woman.

One night, she confided that she was pregnant.

Not wanting to ruin his reputation or his marriage, he paid her a generous sum of money to back to Italy to have the child secretly. Promising that if she stayed in Italy to raise the child, he would provide child support until the child turned eighteen.

She agreed, but asked how he would know when the baby was born. To keep it discrete, he told her to mail him a postcard with the word ‘Spaghetti’ written on the back. He would then begin the support payments.

About nine months later, he came home to his confused wife.

“’Honey!” she said, “You received a very strange postcard today.”

“Oh, just give it to me. I’ll explain it later,” he said.

His wife handed it over and watched while he read the card, turned white, and fainted.

On the card was written, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti. Three with meatballs, two without.

Send extra sauce.

Six-pack Saturday

March 7, 2009 | Six-Pack Saturday

When anyone writes fiction they wind up revealing their personal convictions, whether or not they intend to do so. Actors can hide behind directors, producers, and even the screen writer. But, writers stand pretty much naked, only thinly veiled by editors.

I didn’t catch on to this right off the bat, but eventually it penetrated my thick skull and I took a hard look at my beliefs. What follows is today’s short list.

1) Love conquers fear

2) Love matters

3) Love makes me a better person

4) Love is my purpose

5) What I believe becomes true

6) Perception is reality

Just in case anyone wondered why I write romance.

What are you sure about?

Fan Girl Friday

March 6, 2009 | Fan Girl Friday

Some of my very favorite titles don’t fit into the other categories. There’s a whole cast of English novelists.

Starting with P.G. Wodehouse, the Blandings Castle stories are even better than Jeeves–if such a thing is possible. When I’m laughing so hard my stomach muscles protest, how can I judge which is better?

I never tire of Dickens or George Elliot. Jane Austen is widely and fairly praised for her comedies of manners. Jane Eyre holds up very well. For simply losing myself in another place and time, there’s anyone of R.F. Delderfield’s hefty novels.

Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina would probably be my first pick if I had to name a single favorite.

Until I found Jack London and Mark Twain I thought we’d never produce a novelist to rival those across the pond. Neither of them is going to replace Shakespeare, but they’re genuine classics worthy of their space in anyone’s library.

I wish Truman Capote had written more or lived longer. James Clavell captured me with Shogun and I read everything he’d written but, the title I started with is still the best. It’s a gorgeous story.

Patrick McManus writes outdoor fish and game humor, which makes me laugh out loud.

Magic realism, is the only common theme between Gabriel Carcia Marquez; Laura Esquivel; Isabel Allende, and Alice Hoffman.

Vickram Seth’s A Suitable Boy enraptured me from the opening lines. As did Bee Season by Myla Goldberg, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, and The Lovely Bones by Alice Sieblold.

Inevitably, this list is incomplete. My hope is that it offers a few authors for you to try. Please feel free to add your recommendations. By now, it’s surely obvious I like to read.

Life in the secret garden

March 5, 2009 | Life in the secret garden

My favorite of all the lovely hellabores is the very common, easy to grow Corsican–evergreen, long blooming, and a generous seeder.   Plus, it’s in shades of green that go with everything.  It gets a bit sprawly, since it’s top heavy with blossoms, but I don’t regard this as a serious flaw.

WIP Wednesday

March 4, 2009 | WIP Wednesday

Currently, I’m plodding along, working on a first draft. I’d swear that I’ve done nothing as the hours creep by, but miraculously the word count keeps increasing.

More encouraging, is that when I peer at the previously written sections I see how much I’ve left off–which is why I’m a multi-draft kind of woman.

My first drafts are mostly action and dialogue. This works for me, because all the details of emotion, introspection, and setting are richly portrayed in my head. It takes me a couple of drafts to get them on the page. And even then it’s imperfect….

Eventually, I decide it’s good enough and submit, relying on the wise and gracious editor to decide the manuscript’s fate.

In the past, I know I’ve submitted too soon–rejections confirmed my flawless hindsight.

For me, it’s still a rocky balance between enthusiasm for the work and wanting it to be really good.

Where do you fall on the perfectionism scale?

Teaser Tuesday

March 3, 2009 | Teaser Tuesday

Usually, I post an excerpt, but in this case I think the cliche is accurate–a picture is worth a thousand words.  The lovely cover for Dalila’s Choice…