HAPPY HOLLOWEEN

Contest scores

I got back my scores from the Where The Magic Begins Contest on Bound For Duty. Now, before I begin, I'd like to point out that this book has done really well in 2 contests, finalling in the Finally A Bride and taking 2nd in the Put Your Heart In A Book Contest (the full was requested). Out of the 3 judges, 2 of my scores were really bad (58%, 69%). By contrast, the other score was 93%. This is not a complaint. I'm not whining here. I really appreciate the comments I received. I simply bring it up to demonstrate that not everyone will like your book or judge it fairly. The stronger your voice, the more you'll run across this problem.

Although I'd decided not to enter the Golden Heart this year, I felt my competitive side begin to itch after Bound By Duty's second final. A Golden Heart final and win has been a dream of mine since I joined RWA in 1992, but I've grown so cynical about my chances. It's such a crap shoot. All it takes is for one person to hate something about your writing, give you a 2 (or in my case a 7), and completely blow your chances. After the WTMB results, I have completely lost the inclination to enter this story in the GH. There will be a few twingy regrets come the end of March when I think, what if...but, in my opinion, if you're targeting Harlequin/Silhouette, the Golden Heart isn't a golden ticket to publication.

So, for those of you that keep getting low scores and high ones and feeling completely frustrated by who's opinion to believe, chin up, keep at it. Look at the comments, see if any of them improve the manuscript or are just people not getting your story at all. If you final, look at what the editors are saying. Those are the people that buy your book. Getting past the first round of judges might force you to compromise some of your voice, but the editors are the people you need to please in the end.

Today's goal: Get to work on my FAB edits
Yesterday's accomplishment: Got through all the comments on Duty
What I'm grateful for: That not everyone thinks the way I do.
Quote: “I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” -Bill Cosby (1937 - )

Occupations for our characters

When I pitched my Desire-targeted book to the senior editor, the only problem she (said she) saw with the story was that my heroine was a musician. She cited a few reasons why musicians are not popular, but the one that stuck in my head was that people might not be able to play an instrument and so not be able to relate to the character.

This got me thinking about the sorts of occupations we give our characters. Now, it's a well known fact you'll never (or very, very rarely) find certain occupations in a Harlequin and Silhouette book (rock stars, actors, professional athletes are three that spring to mind), but what is it about these professions that makes them undesireable? Why is a guy who drives fast cars around a track hot, but a guy that makes $20 million a picture not?

Me? I've read books with rock stars, actors and professional athletes. I don't really care what someone's profession is as long as the character interests me. I think people with public careers are harder for the average person to sympathize with and that might be the problem with those particular occupations.

Currently, I'm reading Barry Eisler. His hero is an assasin for hire. An interesting protagonist, but a hero? Now, don't get me wrong, a fabulous character. And sympathetic despite his occupation. Eisler makes John Rain work, but as an occupation, compared to a rock star or professional athlete, why is it that an assasin is more acceptable as a character for a novel? Shouldn't we be horrified to read about someone that kills people for a living? Why aren't we? Because it's sexy? Because the danger appeals to us?

The character in my current WIP is a rocket scientist. And he's the prince of a small country. Now, a rocket scientist isn't really sexy. A prince is. And a man torn between two passions is an entertaining character to read and write.

How about you, what occupations would keep you from picking up a book? And what occupations do you love to read about?

Today's goal: organize all the books I've accumulated recently.
Yesterday's achievement: started the plotting of book 2 of my prince trilogy.
What I'm grateful for: I got my score from the WTMB on Mising Pieces, they were really good.
Quote: "Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort." -Franklin D. Roosevelt

Missing Pieces is a WTMB Finalist

OHMYGOODNESS! I can't believe it. Missing Pieces, my fantasy story, finaled in the Dark Paranormal category of the Where The Magic Begins contest. WHOOHOO!!

PYHIAB Conference

Well, New Jersey certainly knows how to throw a party. My hats off to the New Jersey Romance Writers, they put on a fabulous conference. First let me say, that it was well organized, smoothly run, and they fed us very well. This year's keynote speaker was Lisa Scottoline. What a fun speaker. I want to be just like her when I grow up. She gave a great luncheon speech and then I loved her How To Write A Novel workshop. Lots of energy!

I took 2nd place in the 2008 Put Your Heart In A Book Contest. They did a big awards ceremony with a stage and a big 10 foot screen with our pictures up on it. I was so glad I didn't have to get up in front of 400 people and accept an award. Carol Burnside got that honor. Lucky girl. She gave a lovely speech. I was so happy for her. And so happy for me that I didn't have to do it.

Last minute I scored a 10 minute pitch with the brand new Desire senior editor. It was a total serendipity moment. A woman at our table for breakfast was asking what sort of books Silhouette Desire published. She had an appointment with the senior editor. I asked her what she wrote. She said, historical time travel. I told her Desire published short contemporary. Then they announced that there were extra editor/agent appointments and to check with the coordinator. She decided to go and switch. I followed her. Do I sound like a stalker? Naw, I just wanted to be in the right place at the right time.

But in the end, there was such a mob in front of the check in table that I decided not to be greedy. I had an appointment with the lovely Susan Litman to look forward to and I decided to be content with that. So, I'm chatting with the winner of the Romantic Elements category of the PYHIAB contest and one of the coordinators announces that they've got an open appointment with Krista Stroever. Of course, I jump up and start waving my arms like a mad woman. Appointment card in hand, I dash down the hall with nothing prepared. But it wasn't about pitching, it was about getting a chance to meet her and mention I had a book with Diana. She was very nice, listened patiently while I babbled out my summary. Hopefully she won't hold it against me if Diana likes Bending enough to pass it along to her.

Everything seemed to conspire to make the PYHIAB Conference a great move for me. Serendipity. I'm becoming a huge fan!

As the plane took off and I glimpsed Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty out the window, I thought about my manuscript sitting down there in that big city and couldn't help but feel like I was a little closer to my dream than I had been a year ago.

Serendipity

The other day, I mentioned I was stalking something. It was a very hard to find copy of Jock Haswell's The First Respectable Spy: The Life and Times of Colquhoun Grant Wellington's Head of Intelligence. I don't think there are more than a handful available for sale. Elizabeth Boyle used it as a reference to write Once Tempted.

I'm happy to say, I now own it. Got it on e-bay. From someone in Australia. Don't you love the internet? To give you a sense of how much I wanted this book, I saw it for the first time in 2002 (the last time I was writing Regency) and almost had heart failure when I saw how much it was going for. Now that I'm writing Regency again, of course, I'm revisiting the list of must have and would love to own's. This book popped up on my radar and of course, I had to have it. Never believing it would fall into my price range, I watched it on e-bay. And last night, it became mine!

I think this is the universe's way of telling me that I'm meant to write Regency romance. Why else would this book have fallen into my lap?

Today's goal: finish Chapter 1 of Scandal
Yesterday's achievement: see above!
What I'm grateful for: see above!
Quote: "We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain the success of those we don't like?" -Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963)

A little secret

This is one side of my loft. Imagine the other side looking much the same. Most of what you see here is fantasy and mystery.

The romance and research books occupy the opposite wall. There are 8 shelves, 10 feet long. That's 80 feet of books. Most of these I've read. My TBR piles is just that. Piles in my bedroom, stacked on the night stand, on the floor in the corner. It's embarrassing.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret about me... I'm a reference book junkie! Any time I get an idea for a story or pass by a bargain table at a bookstore, I tend to pick up all kinds of things. I have books on forgers, code breaking, serial killers, forensics, tons of biographies from Regency era celebrities, Pre-Raphaelites, London's seamier side, valets, decorating books, feng shui, organizing for dummies... You get the picture. Some day I'm going to go to England and hit all the used book stores. Just thinking about what I might find makes me tingle.

Right now, I'm stalking something I've been drooling over for years. If it works out, I'm going to be the happiest girl ever. Well, maybe not ever, but awfully darned chipper. I'll let you know in a couple of days if I'm successful.

How about you? Do you collect anything pertaining to writing? Do you keep what you read or pass it on?

Finally A Bride Final

WHOOHOO! Bound By Duty finaled in Finally A Bride. This is a contest for those manuscripts that have never won a contest. Which means, you are competing against the best of the best. To final is HUGE! I'm thrilled.

And I'm in good company. Friends Lexi Connor, Ruthy, and Tina Joyce are also finalists. Way to go ladies!

Today's goal: Celebrate and pack for the weekend.
Yesterday's achievement: Saw The Duchess
What I'm grateful for: Finaling in FAB
Quote: "We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action." -Frank Tibolt

I've been flogged!

Whoo hoo! Ray turned the page!

If you're looking for ideas how to improve your opening, this is the blog to do it. Today, the first chapter of my fantasy is up for comments on flogging the quill. Way cool! Stop by and vote yes or no and leave a comment.

I can see where this whole historical thing is going to be challenging. The research is soooo much fun, I may never get back to writing the book.

Currently I'm reading Liz Carlyle's Never Lie To A Lady. It's great, but it's a lot longer than I'm going to attempt. 400 pages. I'm noticing a little something. I like a shorter chapter. She only has 17 chapters in all. Some of them are upwards of 8000 words. That's too long. I like 'em shorter, around 4000 or less. I think the book moves faster with more breaks between scenes. And she doesn't offer much white space. Much of the story is narrative. I like a little more dialog. But it's very good. I have all 3 of the series and I can't wait to read them all.

How about you? Long chapters vs short? Where do you fall?

Today's goal: More plotting, another chapter, maybe a movie.
Yesterday's achievement: Got my desk prepared at work for the move on Friday.
What I'm grateful for: Being flogged.
Quote: "Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises." -Demosthenes (384 BC - 322 BC)

fast fame or a quiet, long career?

Over at Seekerville today, Janet Dean is blogging about her experiences with promoting her first book, Courting Miss Adelaide, a Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical.

And on Editorial Ass, Moonrat has announced her November bookclub selection.

These two posts got me thinking.

I've been targeting Silhouette Desire. These are series (6 per month) that hit the bookshelves for a single month. That's not a lot of time to build a following. But in the case of short contemporary, an author can write 3-4 books in a year and build momentum that way. But there's not much backlist potential.

But what if you spend a long time writing one book and it makes a huge splash because of Oprah or some controversy surrounding it. Or what if you become like JK Rowling and write 7 books that become huger than huge and you make tons of money. What do you do for an encore?

If Monty Hall stood in front of me right now and asked me if I would prefer door number one with its years of hard work and gradually increasing paychecks or door number two with its huge advance, publicist and book tour, I would choose the current path I'm on. A slow building of readership rather than a huge splash of success. Isn't that strange? Why wouldn't I want to be the next BIG THING? Am I thinking too small? Is there too much pressure having your books made into movies and having tons of crazed, adoring fans? Or, am I just enjoying being a writer? And is that enough?

How about you? Would you like your career to start with a bang, or are you happy just writing what you love and being a small fish in a big pond?

Today's goal: Read
Yesterday's achievement: Bending is in the mail
What I'm grateful for: see above
Quote: "If we are to learn to improve the quality of the decisions we make, we need to accept the mysterious nature of our snap judgments." -Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, 2005

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, it's been a full day. First of all, I woke up at 4am, with a tickle in my throat that wouldn't go away. After realizing I wasn't going to be able to sleep, I listened to the end of Nevada Barr's High Country. If you like mysteries. If you like great prose. She's a must read.

Since I was worn out from the previous night's celebration, I was a little slow to get out of bed. But I had a final, final, final draft to finish of Bending to Blackmail so I forced myself up at 8:30. My darling daughter had made coffee for me as a special surprise. I jumped on the computer for 3 hours. Then it was time to go to a movie. We went to see the City of Ember. Although it got blasted in the reviews, I liked it for the most part. My only complaint is that they added some stuff and changed the way the kids figure out the city's secret. I thought the book worked great the way it was, but that's Hollywood.

Then we took Bending and dropped it in the mail (YIPPEE) and we were off to dinner at a Japanese steakhouse. I had the Imperial dinner, steak, lobster and chicken all cooked table side with much flipping of knives and spatulas. My daughter thought it was great fun. The food was fabuloso. Home for cake and ice cream. And now I'm sacked out watching TV.

PASIC Placement

FINALLY they announced the PASIC Book of Your Heart placements. A Case of Meddling took 2nd. DIana requested the full.

Did I mention that I'm starting a historical romance next week?

No truly, I am.

Bending to Blackmail-Status report

I'm on track to get the manuscript out the door on Saturday. I printed out the pages to do one final run through. The book gained six thousand words in this latest revision. It stands at a whopping 54,720. Desire's word count is 50k to 55k, so I'm definitely at the top of the range. It's loaded with conflict, passion, sexual tension and hopefully some romance. I have no idea how it will be received at Silhouette. I've completely lost perspective on it. And frankly, I don't have the energy to hope it will sell. I just want it to go away so I can work on something else.

Historical romance, here I come.

2 year anniversary

Two years ago I entered my first contest with a brand new short contemporary book called The Christmas Bargain. Naive girl that I was back then, I was thrilled that it finalled in the first two contests I entered it in. Thinking I was onto something, I kept submitting it and although I missed a few finals, it stands today as my most finaling book (7 altogether), the one that never placed first, and the only one (of 5) never to receive an editor request.

Unlike other books I've missed finals with and fixed, no matter what I did with this story, it just didn't appeal to any editors. Most people would give up. I did for a year. It's last final was 2007 Golden Rose and they just announced the 2008 finalists. It's not as if the story isn't good or that the writing is bad. I think my problem has been the heroine's characterization needed to go deeper and that I targeted the book for Desire and my hero isn't alpha enough for what they're doing. So, I'm reworking the plot a tad, resurrecting the dead brother and turning it into a Special Edition. I should have taken my cue from the first editor who commented that I needed to be careful that the family didn't take over the story. Oh well, I'm not always the brightest bulb on the tree.

How about you? Any lost gems under your bed?

Today's goal: Send A Christmas Bargain to the Southern Heat contest
Yesterday's achievement: Finished Bending through chapter 11
What I'm grateful for: Never giving up on a project.
Quote: "To follow, without halt, one aim: There's the secret of success." -Anna Pavlova (1885 - 1931)

What I didn't do with my weekend

To say I'm having trouble finishing the final edit of Bending to Blackmail is mild. My heart just isn't in it. Now, if a fellow writer came to me and said this same thing, I would be full of positive words and enthusiasm for getting the project done and gone.

Part of my problem is an agent rejection of the partial. She thought there needed to be more romantic tension. And she said the chapters were "almost there". Now, you'd think this would have me jumping up and down. But I feel as if I've been "almost there" for so long now that I'm not really sure where "there" is. I'm beginning to think "there" is the horizon. Always moving further away as you walk toward it.

I'm so ready to work on something besides short contemporary. I was researching the Regency this weekend (bad girl) when I should have been finishing Bending. I've told myself, however, that I need to finish this requested book before I can switch. And yet, I don't work on it. Catch 22.

So, this week, I'm buckling down and getting things finished. My goal is to get it into the mail on Friday. That will make it go away before my birthday on Saturday. Happy Birthday to me. Is it ready? Will it ever be ready? I could mess around with it forever and it might never be "right".

How about you? Sick of the old stuff? Ready for a new adventure?

Today's goal: No TV tonight. Spend four hours working on Bending.
Yesterday's achievement: Figured out a little bit of plot for the historical.
What I'm grateful for: Rainy weekends with nothing to do.
Quote: "Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward." -Kurt Vonnegut (1922 - 2007)