Tag Archives: Guest Bloggers

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Still getting through all the guest bloggers who helped me out on vacation…say hi to Meg~

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The Weepy Reader

A while ago on my on blog, I addressed the problem of crying in public places while reading a romance novel. In particular, the problem of crying on a plane and thus terrifying your seat mate, who becomes convinced that she’s sitting next to a loon. Since then, I’ve thought a lot about the whole idea of weepy readers perhaps because I’m a chronically weepy reader myself (great name for a reviewing blog there—The Weepy Reader).

The question is, why do we cry when we read? What inspires it, and what doesn’t? As I’ve said a couple of times elsewhere, I’m a sucker for stories about suffering kids. If the hero or heroine had a sad childhood, and that sad childhood is described in detail, I’ll be sniffling before I’m done. Take Linda Howard’s After the Night. The heroine’s miserable childhood is described in the first third of the book, and it’s so miserable I always find myself skimming that part (yeah, I re-read the book every couple of years). On the other hand, that description is absolutely necessary since it sets up the rest of the book and explains the extreme hostility between the hero and the heroine (at least initially). And yes, I also get weepy when the heroine confronts that hostility and resists it.

The thing is, this tendency for readers to sniffle when reading romance is sometimes used as a criticism of both the genre and the readers. “Sentimental” critics sniff. “Melodrama.” For me, the problem with these criticisms is that they overlook the point that sentiment and melodrama are perfectly okay, as long as they’re appropriate and effective for the story. I remember once hearing a writer (I think it was Larry McMurtry, but I could be wrong about that) say that it’s easy to make a reader cry—you have a child with a dog and then you kill the dog. Bingo, instant tears! What’s harder is to make a reader cry because of the basic situation in the story. I think Mary Balogh is a master at this, as I’ve said before, but she’s certainly not the only one. Linda Howard is another. So is Loretta Chase, although she does mainly comic historicals—there’s always something in Chase that makes me tearful, even if it’s just the painful experiences the heroine or hero has had to endure before they get to the point where they’re funny (try to read Not Quite a Lady without tearing up—I dare you). Being able to inspire tears is the mark of a writer who creates characters you believe it, so why is that considered a point against the book?

I suspect at least some of this scorn is caused by the fact that the sniffling readers of romances are women. I don’t know how many men tear up when they read, but I’d guess it’s far fewer, given all the cultural taboos against crying men (and it’s probably less likely you’ll tear up reading Dean Koontz than, say, Julia Ross). It’s sort of like the little boys in the elementary schoolyard who jeer at the tearful little girls.

But here’s something really weird (or really pathetic, depending on your point of view)—I also tear up at my own stuff. I mean, I know these people aren’t real. Heck, I created them! I also know exactly what happens in the story so their travails aren’t much of a surprise. It doesn’t matter. When my hero in Venus in Blue Jeans murmurs, “So long, babe,” thinking he’s lost the heroine, I still tear up. Ditto when my heroine in Wedding Bell Blues gives her wedding toast, thinking the hero is leaving in the morning. Go figure.

So, okay, enough about me—do you cry at romances? If so, what makes you do it? And have you ever felt sort of embarrassed to be doing it in front of strangers? Just asking.

Meg Benjamin
http://www.MegBenjamin.com

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Yep-I’ve cried reading a romance before.  Not often.  But I have.  Not really embarassed to do it, either.

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More company!

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How did you come up with that idea?

It’s a question many authors receive from readers and personally, I like hearing it because it makes me think I’ve managed to take the reader outside the expected and into something new and different. Usually, I answer with “It’s all in my head”, which is true, but there’s much more involved in pulling all that’s racing around inside our heads into something interesting.

Research, reality and imagination are all part of the creative process, but what triggers that unique idea in the first place?

One is that a picture, a few words read or heard, a dream, just about anything could be the seed and it’s up to the author to make it bloom into a book. I had a general plot in mind, a hero who needed to open up and make himself vulnerable in order to bring love into his life, but it was a picture that started me on the way to pulling it all together. In the end, the image had created the path he’d have to follow in order to make this happen.

Another is when the inspiration is not one thing but a few that merge together and it’s all there for the author to manipulate into the story they’re looking to tell. I was watching a show about music and culture during the 60′s and 70′s which brought back memories from my youth. By the time the end credits were rolling, there was the story in my head, ready to be written.

There are as many different ways an author comes up with that idea as there are authors. Next time you read a book and think, how did they come up with that?, ask them and enjoy the smile that comes with however they choose to explain it.

Tilly Greene

WARNING! Red hot romances ahead!

www.tillygreene.com

Highland Heat and Ride ‘em are now available through Ellora’s Cave

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I adore Joey.  She’s wunnerful.

The Dream of What Is

When I was in junior high school, I was sure I’d be a writer. I had a vision for myself. I would be unmarried, with many exotic lovers (particularly Italian ones). I’d travel all over the world, writing my books, never being pinned down in one place. Somehow, I think my melodramatic imaginings were validated by Charlene’s song, I’ve Never Been to Me. Yep, wince along with me, please. 80’s songs were very direct, the innocent way they spoke to our naive hearts. Now, when we listen to them with our oh-so-sophisticated ears, we wince at the bald guilelessness of it. (Though some of us – I don’t mean me, of course – still listen to them when we’re in cautious isolation, and belt out a line or two with our hearts in our throats.)

Anyhow, so here I am, twenty years later. I am, in fact, a published writer, though it wasn’t too long after I had that initial vibrant dream, that I turned away from writing completely. Didn’t come back to it for ten years. But when I did, I brought a much richer view of life, and, what has become key to my writing, a more in-depth understanding of the human animal. What we want and need, who we are underneath the veneer. In hindsight, I realize that earlier dream was all about me. I was the center of the story. When I came back to it, it was no longer about “wanting to be a writer”. It was wanting to tell a story and share it with others. There’s a great line in the movie Coyote Ugly, where the main character, who is an aspiring songwriter, says “All I ever wanted was to stand in the dark and hear someone great singing my songs.” It’s kind of like that. [Totally unrelated note – I highly recommend that movie for the scene where her boyfriend is auctioned off to a bar full of enthusiastic women. Hey, have we thought of doing that at the reader conferences?]

So let’s take a look at the reality versus the dream. I’m married (twenty years now), not very well traveled due to a severe plane phobia and a chronic nesting instinct. I’m happiest when I’m at home, sequestered in my room, writing. Now under contract, I have realized that it would be entirely impossible to be the flitting world traveler I imagined and pull off four well-written books a year. At least for me – there may be some amazing, superhuman robot writers out there who can do it. So, my life is pretty much write, eat, sleep, write, eat, sleep – brief family break, pet, pet, kiss, kiss – write, eat, sleep – break for dreaded promo – write, eat, sleep.

The earlier dream was glamorous and fun – I don’t mind visiting that world in my fantasies, now and again. But my reality has something far more fulfilling than that dream. My characters. I realized that transcribing their realities, sharing their struggles and passions with readers, taking readers on that journey, have brought me a sense of companionship and fulfillment I didn’t realize existed when I was younger. It’s a conscious sort of collective unconsciousness (try to say that three times fast).

Is it a vicarious way of living? Don’t think so. If a desire to do something swells to the point you can’t imagine doing anything else, you know you’re not running away from something. You’re running to it. There’s that lovely saying by Marcel Proust: “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.” The terrain of the soul is never ending, always surprising.

So revisiting Charlene in her infinite wisdom, I have “been to me”. And I’m glad I found her. I hope you all find the same mirror in your heart’s desire.

Joey W. Hill is author of twenty paranormal and contemporary erotic romances for Berkley Sensation, Berkley Heat and Ellora’s Cave. Her latest, A Vampire’s Claim, continues the national bestselling and award winning Vampire Queen series. Free excerpts and information on all her work can be found at www.storywitch.com

All I ever wanted was to stand in the dark and hear someone great singing my songs.

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Well said, Joey.  I’ll take my reality any day.- Shi

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Another lady that helped me out in my time of need…here’s a guest blog from Amy Ruttan

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Trying to pin down some of my characters can be tricky. Especially my medieval heroes, they really don’t like to sit down and “talk”. The heroines will, no problem, but the men are trickier. I was lucky enough to pin down Edwin and Alfwyn, brothers from my Enchantress series. I preformed a joint interview, and as you can tell they are night and day.

1. What is the name of the book where we would meet you? What genre is it?

Edwin: I believe the text you are referring to is called Enchantress The Fey. Though I would not know I do not have time to pursue such frivolous pursuits. I believe they call it Historical Romance, but I am not certain. *wrinkles nose in distaste*

Alfwyn: I am in both Enchantress The Fey and Enchantress The Sorceress. Haha, beat that Edwin.

Edwin *eye roll*: As am I you oaf.

Alfwyn: Yes but who is more exciting? I fight demons. Was it not Aislinn who saved her own hide? *Laughing hysterically at his older brother.*

Edwin *grumbling*
2. Who wrote the book?

Alfwyn; Would you believe it if I told you it was a female? Ha, I guess you would. Although I will be in trouble from Aislinn and Morag for thinking thusly, they both hold the author in high esteem.

Edwin: Just ignore my younger sibling’s prattling. The author is Amy Ruttan.
3. What do you think of the author? You can tell us the truth.

Edwin: I hold the author in high esteem. Why would I not? She brought me my Aislinn.

Alfwyn: I like the way she thinks.

Edwin: *snorts*

Alfwyn: I do! She has a filthy mind; I like that in a woman.

Edwin: Alfwyn for just a moment could you act in some sort of decorum?

Alfwyn: Not likely. *smirking*
4. Tell us a little about yourself. How would you describe your appearance? That’s more than just really cute or drop dead gorgeous. Give us enough detail to get a clear idea of how you look.

Alfwyn: But I am drop dead gorgeous.

Edwin: Perhaps it would help if I describe my brother and he describes me?

Alfwyn: That suits me just fine, dear brother. Well, Edwin is the eldest, he’s old if you know what I mean. He’s a big brute of …

Amy: No, I think I’ll intervene here. Edwin is getting ready to draw his sword on his brother and their fights are legendary. I think to keep the peace here I’ll describe them.

Edwin: It would be best. *saying through gritted teeth*

Amy: I had two very clear pictures in my mind of Edwin and Alfwyn. Edwin looks like Clive Owen from the movie King Arthur. Black short curls, a cute little cleft in his chin, broad of shoulder and battle hardened. He’s a true warrior through and through.

Edwin*grinning smugly*

Alfwyn: *clearing his throat*

Amy: Yes, Alfwyn I am getting to you. Alfwyn is the younger brother, and like Edwin I had a very clear image in my mind. Alfwyn is the image of Richard Armitage from the BBC’s Robin Hood. Tall, lanky, devilish, sexy. There’s an air of pompous around him, and tom foolery, but he’s loyal and sweet. Did I mention sexy.

Alfwyn: See, I like her.

5. What time period do you live in?

Edwin: In the time of the great king, Alfred.

Alfwyn: What time is that called anyways? Seriously, I think of it as present day, but I guess Amy you think of it as something else.

Amy: I would call it Dark Ages, but it’s argued by historians. The book itself is classified as Medieval.

Edwin is nodding and Alfwyn looks confused.
6. Where are you from?

Edwin: Wessex, my home is called Braidwoode. I believe you refer to it as South Western England.

Alfwyn: I am also from Wessex, but I moved to the far North with my bride who had land. I believe you refer to that as the Highlands of Scotland.
7. What special skills or abilities do you have?

Edwin: My wife has many special skills. I am a warrior, and if that is special then those are my special skills, protecting my people and my king.

Alfwyn (who has a decidedly evil look on his face): You should ask my wife what my special skills are.

Edwin rolls his eyes.
8. Are you happy with the story?

Edwin smiles smugly: Aye. She gave me the woman I desired most of all.

Alfwyn: I concur with my brother. Shocking I know, but I agree.
9. Who is the most important person in your life? Tell us about them.

Edwin: Aislinn. She is everything to me. She is beautiful, kind. What more is there to say? I desire her above all others.

Alfwyn: Morag, she’s feisty and has a temper. She’s just as stubborn as me, great for sparring on so many levels. *wiggling eyebrows knowingly* She is a challenge, and I love a good challenge.
10. Is that person in the story we’re talking about?

Edwin and Alfwyn in unison: Aye.

Amy: Aislinn is in both, but her main story with Edwin is Enchantress The Fey. Morag is introduced in Enchantress The Sorceress, which is her story with Alfwyn.
11. Do you have any children?

Edwin: Aye, a boy and a girl. They are the joys of my life.

Alfwyn: Not as of yet, but I am working on it, daily and nightly. All the time as much as I can.
12. Do you think your author is going to write another story about you? Or, are you part of a series?

Edwin: I believe the author has planned a series. I appear in all but one.

Alfwyn looks hurt: Hey, I only appear in two. *Looks at me for explanation*

Amy: You’re in the last one Alfwyn. Neither of you are in the fourth one.

Alfwyn: Pray tell who are the other books about?

Amy: Well, Cedric is in the third.

Alfwyn: So he’s in more books than me?

Amy: Cedric was staying with Edwin. You’re in Scotland for heaven’s sake.

Alfwyn: So who has this mysterious fourth which appears to be about no one?

Edwin: Alfwyn *says with a warning tone*

Amy: Mathias.

Alfwyn: Him?!

Amy: Yes.

Alfwyn: And you can assure that I will appear in the fifth and final book.

Amy: Yes, everyone does, but that’s all I am going to say. I don’t want to spoil anything.

Alfwyn: Fine, as long as I have your word.

Amy: Alfwyn my editor likes you. Trust me, you’ll show up again.

Alfwyn: Oh, she likes me eh? *rubbing chin*
Well it seems Alfwyn is drifting off into some very risqué territory and Edwin never wants to sit still for very long. It puts him on edge. I better release them; medieval heroes can be unpredictable at the best of time.

I want to thank Shiloh for having me here, and sharing two of my favorite men.

You can read more about Edwin, Alfwyn and all the others on my website here:

www.amyruttan.com.

Thanks you again for letting me share.

Kindle

And while I’m recovering from vacation, we’ve got another guest blogger… Say hi to Kait!

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I was all set to post about principled heroes—you know, those paragons of virtue who fight for causes greater than themselves. King Arthur. Leonidas. But really, we all know why they’re great. Everybody loves a good, selfless, noble hero. Then this weekend hubby and I rented The Italian Job, so instead I thought I’d like to talk about thieves and why we find them so fascinating. But then I waffled on that.

And then Monday night I was presented with the perfect topic. I’d like to talk about resolution. See, my husband and I are addicted to ABCFamily’s Kyle XY. And after 3 seasons of building tension the jerkwads at the network declared Monday night to be the series finale.

And they didn’t freaking tie up ANYTHING!

Which girl did he choose? What’s he going to do about his brother? Did he foil Latnock’s plot? Where’s his family?

Seriously, it was GREAT as a season finale, with all kinds of plot threads left dangling. It’s like they finished shooting the season and then found out that it was getting canned. I can only hope and pray that there’s a TV movie in there somewhere to tie things up.

This is just the latest in a long series of disappointments from TV Land. Great shows that get cancelled at the whim of some ignorant TV exec based on who knows what. Neilson ratings? That system is so ludicrously antiquated in this day of renting seasons of TV shows and watching full episodes online.

Let’s review some of the other great shows that got cancelled without resolution.

Jericho. This amazing drama was cancelled after one season. After fans sent over 10,000 pounds of nuts (a reference to a line from the finale) to CBS to protest the show’s cancellation, they did bring it back for about half a season to tie things up a bit better, which mollified me somewhat, but didn’t make up for the cancellation.

Journeyman. This one was, I think, a victim of the writer’s strike. Fans were left right in the middle of wondering how Dan was going to juggle everything and save his family.

Firefly. Fantastic sci-fi creation by Joss Whedon that was inexplicably canned despite massive popularity. And yeah, so they made the movie Serenity allegedly to tie up loose ends. Newsflash: Killing off half the beloved characters is not a satisfying resolution!

Men In Trees. Okay, yeah, so we are pretty sure that Jack and Marin are firmly together where things left off, but I, for one, loved that show. It was like Sex In The City meets Northern Exposure.

The American Embassy. I don’t think this one made it past the first like six episodes. This was part of my study night line up in college. I was an international studies major and a geek, so I love it.

Veronica Mars. Brilliant and witty, like Buffy meets Nancy Drew, this was cancelled after 3 seasons. Granted stuff was tied up better here, and what you can see of the special on the season 4 concept was perhaps not true to the original story.

Women’s Murder Club. Okay how much did I love this show? All about girl power and murder mysteries? Seriously kick butt stuff. Granted, they did capture the Kiss Me Not killer by the end of the season, but I was so disappointed they didn’t bring it back.

What were your favorite TV shows that got cancelled?

Kait Nolan
Murder and Magnolias

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Back when I did my call for guest bloggers, I ended up getting a slew, so I’m saving some to post through the end of April.  Today, Missy Jane is visiting us.

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Time is a funny thing. When we’re children, we have as much as we could ever want and sometimes too much. As teenagers it begins to shrink and mean more to us. Once we become adults, it gets away from us quickly and there’s never enough. Then in our golden years there can be too much again with little to fill the space. Any mom can tell you that despite having twenty-four hours, most days are too short to accomplish a list of tasks. Add in a husband, a job and a hobby, and forget having a chance to do anything else. So when is there time to write?

I have four wonderful daughters, who have had to learn to share me with all of the voices in my head (and my characters too). Luckily for me they are good at entertaining and caring for each other. They also take care of the household chores and keep my hubby happy on that end. The only problem is, it’s never quiet in my house. My walls are paper thin and my girls have no clue what a closed door means. I often resort to simply locking them out when I need to concentrate on writing.

A couple of weeks ago I bought my very first Ipod. I loaded it with classical music and now I can tune my kids out as well as they do me. “Beat them at their own game” is my motto and so far it’s working, until the thing goes dead of course. I’ve learned to tune out the extra noise, talking, arguing and my hubby (don’t tell him I admitted that) in order to write. However, I’ve also learned having a set schedule makes the entire day easier. My family knows the time I set aside to write and bothers me a little bit less during that time. I never get completely alone time (without using duct tape and handcuffs) but the fewer interruptions are better.

Whenever I think about everything I need to accomplish I remember the words I heard somewhere (I couldn’t quote accurately if I tried). We have the same number of hours in our days as Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin did. Never mind that those men had no clue what it’s like to be a mom/wife/cook/teacher/accountant/coach/housekeeper/chauffeur…

Oh, never mind. They had no clue what today’s women have to cram into one hour, much less twenty-four. More power to each and every one of you who wear many hats all day long and still find the time to breathe!

Here are the top five ways I like to spend my free time:

5. Fantasize what my husband would be like with the body of Jason Statham, the voice of Antonio Banderas (with accent), the intellect of Henry Rollins, the temperament of a saint and the understanding of a woman.

4. Surf the web for por (ahem), I mean intellectually stimulating literature about the world around me.

3. Compare the subtle nuances between Hershey and Godiva choclolates.

2. Sort the voices in my head into complete characters so I can torture them in stories.

1. Read EVERYTHING by Shiloh Walker because she rocks!

Ms. Missy Jane is the alter ego of a Texas mother of four who has been married to the same wonderful man for thirteen years. About five years ago Missy finished reading a book by Mercedes Lackey and thought “Now, what if…” and a monster was created. Missy now spends most of her time lost in worlds of her own making alternately loving and hating such creatures as vampires, shape-shifters and gargoyles (to name a few). When not writing, she spends her time reading, taking photos of her beautiful daughters and training her husband to believe she’s always right. Excerpts from Missy’s work can be found at www.msmissyjane.com.

Missy’s first book, They Call me Death is available from Samhain Publishing.

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Woohoo!  More guests!

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As anyone who knows me will attest, I can blog on just about any topic. Just give me a chance, and I’ll chat ….

Today I’ll chat about writing and where I find the characters and plots I have in my books. I write murder mysteries and my heroes and heroines are all Baby Boomers who really aren’t looking for love in their lives. The love and the murder sort of drops in on them unannounced. I got started writing these kinds of books because I didn’t really relate to a lot of heroines in romance novels. So many I read seemed to deal with 30-something career women or other, younger women who want home-family-baby.

That was never in my game plan. So for fun I started writing about slightly overweight, divorced (or widowed), independent women who have gotten where they are without a lot of help from anyone. They’ve got a great circle of friends and a pretty darn good life. Then — BAM — they get dropped into a murder investigation and find love they didn’t expect.

While I have a great imagination, I also base most of my books on something that happened to me. I did witness a brutal beating (as in “Your Saving Grace”, my first book). I was once stalked (as in “Nowhere to Run”, releasing in April). I work in the software industry (as in “Brownies, Bodies & Breaking the Code”) and lived in a small town very like the one in “Brilliant Disguise.” My latest series of books are set at writers’ conferences. “Autographs, Abductions & A-List Authors” takes place at a conference somewhat like RWA National, “Sun, Surf & Sandy Strangulation” at one like RT, and the final book in the series (releasing in June) takes place at a fictional conference based on several small, local conferences I’ve attended.

For me, the hard part isn’t the plots or the characters. It’s whittling out time to write in my day. I work full-time as a technical writer, so that means I’m out of the house for 40-50 hours a week. I get home & cope with my ‘chores’ (feed the animals, check the outdoor critters, feed the spouse, pay the bills) then I get to sit down and write. Because my time is limited, I’m very efficient with it. I usually do one draft of a book, let it sit, then revisit it and tweak it. Then it’s off to my beta reader then off to my editor. The whole process takes maybe 5 months or so. And I work on multiple books at one time.

Sound exhausting? Sometimes it is. But it’s what I enjoy doing, and slowly but surely I’m building up a nice little ‘side’ career. I love my day job and won’t give it up any time soon but I also love my ‘night’ job. I’ll be writing those mysteries and finding good spots to murder folks for many months to come. So don’t be surprised if you see me taking notes at a conference or on a trip …. there might be a good book there to be had from my experience!

J L Wilson
jayellwilson.com

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