Why IT is my Favorite book: (Reposted In Honor of Stephen King's Birthday)

In honor of Stephen King's birthday, I'm reposting this blog post on why IT is my favorite book. 

I am reading IT by Stephen King for the 11th time. Yes, you heard me right. Even though it's not a romance, it is my favorite book. Every time my friends and family see me curled up yet again with the 1138 page tome they shake their heads and ask, "Why do you love that book so much?"

"Because it's awesome!" I'd reply.

Now, I've really been thinking about it. Why do I love IT so much? And how can identifying these reasons help me become a better writer?

I'm finally getting a few answers.

A.) The characters were all outcasts but they became close friends: The Loser's Club. At first I I loved IT because I had little to no friends as a kid, so these characters became my friends. They're still my friends.

Now looking at it with a writer's eye I see that I want my readers to become friends with my characters. Every member of The Loser's Club has a flaw and a virtue, but most importantly, they all have something the reader can identify with.

B.) The setting (1958 Derry, Maine) is so detailed that it's like a character itself. I feel like I go back in time as I visit the landmarks: The creepy run-down house on Neibolt Street where IT takes the form of a leprous hobo, the Derry Standpipe where poor Stan sees the drowned corpses of little boys, the charred remains of the old Derry Ironworks that exploded during an Easter Egg hunt in the 20's, and the Barrens, where the Losers build a club house to hide from the bullies.

As a writer, I want my landmarks to become that real to the reader.

C.) The antagonists. IT is scary enough in itself: a monster that takes the form of whatever you fear and kills little kids. YIKES!!! But that's not all IT is. As you read, it gets deeper and deeper. Then there's the bullies that are determined to make the Losers suffer. Everyone had a bully. I bet even my bullies had bullies.

If I can create villains this compelling and frightening, ::sigh:: if I can do that...

D.) The trials and triumphs of the characters. Your heart alternately bleeds and rejoices for the Losers throughout their story.

I love my characters. So much so that I sometimes don't make them suffer enough. This book reminds me of that.

What is your favorite book, and why? What can it teach you to make your work better? 

7 Summer Series Reading Recommendations

Summer is a great time to read through a series so I thought I list a few I enjoyed.

H&W Investigations Series by Jess Haines

The Dark Protectors by Rebecca Zanetti

The Windham Family series by Grace Burrowes

The Sons of The Revolution by Shana Galen

Alexa O'Brien Huntress by Trina M. Lee

Eternal Guardians: Elisabeth Naughton

....and Just 'cuz I finished rereading it. The Dark Tower by Stephen King

When Our Favorite Authors Crash and Burn

I am sure this happens to you all often. You get hooked on an author, eagerly awaiting their next release while voraciously re-reading their previous books to whet your appetite for the new installment.

You bring their newest shiny book home, perhaps you even call in sick from work to devour it. You crack it open and begin reading the first few pages with a joyous grin. Then, it starts. Your smile dims somewhat. This character would never do something like that. However, with high hopes, you read further. Perhaps there's a nifty twist to explain it. A few pages later, a perplexed frown mars your features. Either a crappy character or a cheesy plot device has entered the picture. And is that yet another typo?


You finish the book and close it, aching with disappointment. What happened? If this were anyone but your favorite author, you would have tossed the book aside by the second chapter. Nevertheless, meager hope shines in your breast. Maybe the author was having some personal issues. Maybe this bad book was needed to lead up to something awesome. But....you have a bad feeling. You wait for the next book, but not with half the excitement as before. You don't run to the closest bookstore to get it. Instead, you search for the best bargain, and even then part with your money grudgingly.

And your suspicions were confirmed. This one is even worse than the last. Still, you've invested a lot of time with this author and retain some loyalty. You wait until the next one is released in paperback...and again it was a waste of money. Better just get it at the library next time.

As a reader, I feel horribly betrayed when this happens.

As an author, I fall on my knees and pray, "Please don't let me end up like them!"


But really, what happened? I hear rumors sometimes that this or that author has literally gone insane. I read in the news that another had lost a close relative. Or perhaps it is as simple as not following Stephen King's credo to "write with the door closed" during the first draft. It is hard enough for an unpublished writer to refrain from talking about their project or even showing it to friends and family. I can't imagine what it's like for best-sellers whose work everyone and their cat is clamoring for. But like King says: "...if no one says to you, '....this is Wonderful!,' you are a lot less apt to slack off or to start concentrating on the wrong thing...being wonderful, for instance, instead of telling the goddam story."


Of course...there are a few out there that I am more in favor of the "gone insane" theory. :)

Writing, Reading, and the Inherent Dangers Therein: Guest post by Elise Rome

Thanks so much to Brooklyn Ann for inviting me to blog today! When she first approached me about the idea for this post, I immediately said yes. She asked me to write about how we readers-turned-writers can turn off the “critique” side and read just to be a reader again.

The truth is—at least for me—I’m never “only” a reader anymore. I’ve spent too much time editing my own work and critiquing others’ manuscripts. Even when a friend asks me to just do a beta read for her (i.e. reading full manuscript without comments and instead giving summary of feedback at the end), I can’t help myself. I have to turn that track change marker on and mark anything I see that could be improved. Even when I tell myself that I’m just going to read a book for fun, I might not be as analytical about what I read, but I’ll still be reading along and hit something—a specific plot device, perhaps—and my writer brain will wake up and shout, “Look at that!” I’m tempted to say it’s a curse, but I have to admit that I like it. =) More on that in a minute.

For example, right now I’m re-reading one of my favorite books of all time, DEVIL IN WINTER by Lisa Kleypas. I haven’t re-read this book since becoming a writer, and although I still love it with an equal amount of passion as before, I’m now able to notice things about Ms. Kleypas’ (who just happens to also be one of my very favorite authors) writing that I never noticed the first time around. Here are just a few things I’ve seen:

1)      She gives one or more paragraphs of information about a specific historical fact or tradition. It’s not coming from the character, but from the author herself directed at the reader. We’re always told to show, not tell, but this is very obvious telling.

2)      In the hero or heroine’s POV she gives physical tags about that specific person—taking a step out from the third person limited to omniscient and back again.

3)      She repeatedly uses the same words when describing her hero’s mannerisms. For example, he raises a brow sardonically or murmurs wryly.

All these are things that I would mark up in a critique, and yet, here’s the thing that strikes me as I’m reading this book again. Despite the three instances I mentioned above and any others I may come across in the future, I’m still enjoying the book. I notice these issues and move on, but the book still works! In fact, I can’t turn the pages fast enough. Perhaps even more importantly, I remember that when I read DEVIL IN WINTER for the first time, before I started writing seriously, I didn’t notice any of these—and I loved the book. Makes one wonder about all the “rules” we have as writers…

As a result, I now have two differing opinions on reading books from a writer’s perspective. First of all, I think it is a blessing rather than a curse to be able to notice what works and what doesn’t work in books other than our own. I believe this can only make our own work better, because we’ll be able to translate that knowledge into our manuscripts. Secondly, however, I think it’s important to realize that just because we see something “wrong” as in the Lisa Kleypas examples given above, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it was wrong for that author or that book. We personally may not like writing like this in our own work, but instead of calling something wrong and turning our nose up at someone else’s book, we should instead look at how that author makes the “wrong” look right.

Again, using the examples from DEVIL IN WINTER from Lisa Kleypas given above:

1)      Although she gives the reader direct information about historical information, she only gives enough of it to satisfy the reader’s curiosity—and then she moves on. Because of this, rather than it slowing down the pacing or shouting at me as author intrusion, I appreciate this piece of knowledge that doesn’t detract from the story but rather enhances it.

2)      Although she gives the POV character physical tags that they wouldn’t be able to see in their POV, it is subtle enough that as a reader I still feel like I’m in the scene with the characters, and I even feel that I know them a little better than I would otherwise if only given access to their direct POV.

3)      The consistent use of certain adverbs and adjectives in the hero’s mannerisms keeps his character consistent, reminding the reader of the villainous bad boy persona we were introduced to at the beginning of the book.

As you can see, analyzing how an author violates “rules” and yet makes them work can be just as effective as analyzing how an author does something “right” or does something “wrong” that we should try to avoid in our own writing.

As for trying to read for pleasure and leaving our writer brains elsewhere, I have to say that I think this is one of the inherent dangers in becoming a writer. You’re never not one. However, there have been a few times when I’ve had success with getting lost in a book, and that’s when I’ve given myself permission to enjoy the book as it is and later come back to it for a full analysis of what worked and what didn’t. I’ll cross my fingers that this approach works for you, too! =)

As a reader-turned-writer, what do you think is the most valuable part about reading other authors’ work? Have you had success turning off your writer brain for the sake of pleasure-reading? If so, how?

Attack of the Plot-Moppets: 5 Reasons I Don't Have Children in my Romances

Nope, don't want em at all.

The lovely ladies at Smart Bitches, Trashy Books have a hilarious glossary which features nifty terms for common things found in romance novels.


Today I wanted to discuss the "Plot Moppet: a small child who has no purpose or development except to drive the plot forward. (Coined and defined by Red Headed Girl)."


And this is one of the reasons I don't care to read about such characters, much less write them. But here are my other reasons:


1.) I read romance to take a vacation from children. I'm a mother of three and although parenting is rewarding, it can be very stressful. Enjoying a three hundred page break from them is a dearly needed breather.


2.) Kids are messy and bratty in real life. But many romance novels seem to pretend they're perfect angels. I can only suspend my disbelief so much. And I try to be realistic in my writing, so why would I want to write about kids destroying the heroines favorite things and giving her a headache with their squabbling?

And sometimes, they're pure EVIL!

3.) Kids are a buzz-kill on the "mood." Yeah, I know where babies come from, but that doesn't mean it's hot when the tot gets in the way during "sexy-times." Of course most of the books I read handle this with the kid conveniently going to bed without protest or being hauled away by a nanny. Which again brings me to frustrated disbelief.


4.) Most of my heroes are vampires and my vampires are sterile. So I don't have to worry about it for most of my books....until my Urban Fantasy series in which there are some disturbing scientific breakthroughs in vampire reproduction. But I'll handle that when it happens.


5.) Most romances feature heroines who want to become mothers and I want to write for those who do not. I believe the genre sometimes neglects these women. I believe there should be moppet-free stories for them too.         

Finding Your Bliss.

Back in 2008, I lost my career as an automotive technician. This was a crippling event since automotive technology was my major in college, and I could never work in that field again. I felt like a failure. I felt like all the money I'd spent on tuition, tools, and books, and those stressful two years of 21 credits each semester, non-stop studying, living off Top-Ramen and nearly losing my man had been a waste.

Some miracle stopped me from crumpling into the fetal position and crying like a little kid. Instead, I went straight to The Center For New Directions at my local college. They were the ones who helped me get through college in the first place. They even helped my now husband and I stay together by offering free counseling.

They did not disappoint. They were offering a free workshop for women in transitional periods in their life.

I believe those weekly classes are a big contribution to my current successes in life and one of the techniques they taught was to find your BLISS.

Life can often be miserable, but it can be joyful as well. Often it is little things that make your life better. Those little things are your BLISS. When you're struggling with an important project, or had a bad day, or encountered a pitfall in life, your BLISS can help center you and get you back on track.

In the workshop, we had to do this and those who can should follow along. Make a list of little things, (that luxury cruise doesn't count) that never fail to cheer you up.

Here's mine:

Bundling up in a warm blanket on the couch and reading a good book...while eating Cheetos. Good books are the best thing to take you away from the world. And Cheetos just seem to go with them naturally.

Watching outrageously cheesy B-horror movies...especially with a friend who enjoys them as well. Life is too serious most of the time. A little ridiculousness can be healthy.

One of those shameless daydreams where I'm a total badass and I do something impractically awesome. Come on, we all do it! A lot of mine feature me magically being able to play guitar.

A cat's purr. It's been scientifically proven that a cat's purr triggers a release of endorphins. Couple that with soft fur and you get a happy sigh from me.

An entertaining conversation. Whether it's something crazy like "who would win in a fight between Gandalf, Yoda, and Professor Snape?" or something mundane like "Hey my husband did something dorky today." "Really, mine too!" Conversations like these give your mind a break from its troubles.

A game of darts. What can I say? It's fun to throw things. :)

Megadeth. Music has always been very important to me, and Megadeth is my favorite band. No matter how bad of a day I have, they always cheer me up. I picked this video because they're topless. :)

What is your bliss? What things pull you out of the darkness and havoc?

Book Binges

I've been mostly absent from the online universe lately primarily for two reasons: A.) I'm working on proposals for the next two novels in my series. and B.) I've been binge-reading like a sonovabitch.

To get my paranormal kicks I devoured CLAIMED by Rebecca Zanetti. Loved it. Then for historical inspiration...and the snuggle-y security of an old favorite: ALMOST HEAVEN by Judith McNaught. For the classics I'm reading LITTLE WOMEN...but the goody-goody-ness coupled with the knowledge that it doesn't end well has me taking a break from it to also read HEARTS IN ATLANTIS by my hero, Stephen King. And on the kindle I have two classics that may directly tie in to my current WIP.

I go on these binges periodically through my life. How much is motivated by the need to escape and how much is pure literary addiction, I have no idea.

I just wanted to let you all know I'm still alive and I love my online community...but as Sai King says: "If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write." ....that and my addiction calls.

What are you reading right now? What are some of your favorites?  

Sexual Objectification of Men in Romanceland: Part 1

Face it, we totally do it.

A few prime examples:

Mmmm....

Rawr!

Oh my!

And it's not just the covers. Hop on twitter and follow a few romance readers and/ or writers and you'll hear all sorts of talk that probably trumps what one would hear in a men's locker room... I think. Really, I have no clue, but trust me, we get all kinds of dirty. :)

As for categories of preferred novels, we in romance-land totally navigate by the type of guy. Cowboys, Navy Seals, Vampires, Dukes, even firemen. There's categories of um...certain videos for men that are organized in a similar manner.

See, sexual objectification all the way.

And I don't think it's a necessarily a bad thing. First off, I think it speaks highly for gender equality. For years, many women have protested against the rampant sexual objectification of women in the media. The feminists point the blame at our patriarchal society. I think that's not completely accurate. I think much of sexual objectification comes from the fact that humans are sexual beings. Now...with the majority of the objectification being of women by men...yeah, there's a point there.

But....I believe that many in society have been doing their part to level the playing field, with the romance genre leading the fray...and scoring points. I have a theory that the infamous volleyball scene in Top Gun was truly intended to be targeted for women, despite the homo-erotic accusations it receives. I think someone in the film crew walked by a display of NYT bestselling romance novels adorned with topless Fabio and thought, "Hey, the ladies like their eye candy, too! Let's throw em a bone and maybe we'll do better in the box office?"  

Trope Talk: Guardian/ Ward

I've been wanting to do a series of posts on tropes for awhile. They are so prominent in the romance genre that one cannot escape them in one way or another. But I say this isn't necessarily a bad thing. I don't know about you, but I'll often buy books because I'm craving a certain trope. Sometimes that backfires miserably. And sometimes I'll read a book that features a trope I usually loathe, but this time I enjoy it.

It all depends on how the trope is handled.

So here's my first trope:

Most often found in historical romances is the GUARDIAN and WARD romance:

What is appealing about this trope?

1.) The aspect of the forbidden: The hero is responsible for the heroine's well-being and often it's his job to ensure she has a successful marriage...to anyone but him. Delicious!

2.) The characters often get more "screen time" alone together and have the opportunity for more intimacy...and hilarious hijinks.

3.) Some readers like older men. (I think that's part of why I like vampires.)

When this trope goes wrong:

1.) When the hero was the heroine's guardian for a long time, or knew her since she was a child. This kinda brings some pedophilia contexts to it. Ewwww.

2.) When the situation in which the hero becomes her guardian is ridiculously unbelievable. Any time the reader is pulled out of the story shaking her head is bad.

3.) Any instance when it's treated like a parent/ child situation. For any edgy role-play, we can pick up some erotica instead.

Some good examples of the Guardian/ Ward trope done well.

THE TAMING OF THE DUKE by Eloisa James. Book 3 in the awesome Essex Sisters quartet, I think it was my favorite and the most unique use of the trope.

In book one, when the hero discovers he's to become guardian to his old friend's four daughters, he turns a room into a nursery, fills it with toys and hires nursemaids...only to discover that all four are grown women. LOL! The one he ends up with is Imogen, though they hated each other on sight and the hostility continues for over two books straight. Like with most Eloisa James novels, one should read the books in order to better enjoy the fun.

SEDUCED by Virginia Henley

This one is awesome because it also involved another of my favorite tropes: Girl disguised as boy. When twin siblings, Anthony and Antonia Lamb go out sailing, there's an accident and the brother is lost at sea. Antonia then disguises herself as her brother to prevent an evil cousin from inheriting. Things get crazy when the twins' guardian arrives and makes it his mission in life to make a man out of her. The best part? SHE ends up seducing him! (But in disguise as a random Italian partying woman) ...and he nearly craps a brick when he finds out who she is.

What are some other guardian/ ward tropes you've enjoyed? What ones make you cringe? Which tropes do you think I should cover next?

5 WTF Moments in Fiction

We've all read novels where something happens to make us go, "WTF? " and I'm sure we've all written many. In reading and writing, I've come across enough to see that there seem to be different types.

1.) The "Contrived for Marketability" WTF: Maybe the editors wanted it, maybe the author guessed in advance that the editor would want it. Either way, there was a series I read in which I'm convinced the author put a love triangle in there just because love triangles have been popular in her genre. For one thing the "other guy" seemed to be just friends with the heroine until near the end of book one. For another, their few romantic incidents seemed forced. Finally, at the end, with no drama or fireworks, the character narrates that she picked the main guy, and other guy moved away to live happily ever after.I'm not a fan of love triangles but I don't mind them if they eventually have a point.

2.) The "Contrived to Please the Fans" WTF: When a series becomes really popular, there's online discussions everywhere speculating about which characters are going to do what and who next. One series I'm reading had many readers clamoring for 2 male characters to hook up. The problem was, only 1 was gay. So....all of a sudden, the straight guy turned gay. I'm sure plenty of fans are jumping for joy, but I'm just not buying it.

3.) The "Oh-Crap-I-Got-The-Characters-In-Too-Big-Of-A-Bind-And-Must-BS-My-Way-Out" WTF: We all know that action and tension is a main necessity in keeping the reader hooked, but it seems there are times where the author overdid it and had to manufacture a miracle so she may be free to move on to the next plot point...or worse, end the story. This is also known as Deus Ex Machina

4.) The "Why Did Nobody Think Of This?" WTF: Sometimes what's not there in a story is more baffling than what is. I read a novel in which a character became a political symbol and a catalyst for a revolution. The government seemed to do all they could to stop it from happening...except make the character ugly. With the people's obsession with image, it seemed an obvious solution...but then the bad guys would have won and there wouldn't be 3 books worth of awesomeness, so I'm prepared to forgive it.

5.) The Random WTF: Sometimes something happens in a story that comes out of nowhere...and I mean nowhere. Worse, it does nothing for the plot. Often those moments should be cut, but other times, they are teasers for future books. I have mixed feelings about these.

All of these WTFs have occurred at least once in books I've loved, so obviously they don't ruin the story...then again I've had some in my own writing that I know I'll have to fix.

What WTF moments have you written? In reading, which drive you closest to madness?

How Romance Novels Have Affected Me: An answer to the "witch-hunters."

It seems every week I run across some blog post or article listing a bunch of B.S. reasons why romance novels are "bad" for women. They say romance novels ruin marriages by giving us unhealthy expectations in our spouses, they ruin our sex lives because we will expect mind-blowing pleasure every time, they cause unplanned pregnancy because unprotected sex is rampant in the novels. Oh, and apparently they're addicting because they do the same things to our brains as porn does for men.

I don't know about you, but I'm getting sick of the witch-hunt. Nobody says those who read thrillers will become murderers, or fantasy fans start thinking they can do magic. After reading vintage Anne Rice I didn't start biting people...or develop bisexual tendencies.

But I can't say romance novels haven't changed me. They have indeed affected me in many ways.

For starters, romance novels have improved my marriage because

A.) They've taught me that communication issues are one of the biggest threats to a relationship. Every romance novel has at least one big misunderstanding. I do my best to keep the communication open with my husband to avoid this.

B.) They keep the feeling of falling in love fresh. That's one of the main joys of those novels and every time I look at my husband, I remember why I fell in love with him, both physically and emotionally.

C.) They remind me of the power of forgiveness. I'm one to hold a grudge, but these novels constantly display the benefit of letting go of resentment.

D.) They improve my sex life rather than harming it. I'm not going to get into personal details here, but I will say the love scenes keep me from taking intimacy for granted and remind me to never be ashamed of passion.

E.) The novels that do involve unprotected sex (since contrary to the witch-hunt article, condom use is becoming frequent in the genre) taught me that it only takes once to get pregnant, so before I had my tubal ligation, I remembered to take the pill every day.

F.) And yes, romance novels are addicting, but not in the way porn is for men. They are addicting in the way any good story is. For me, they're addicting because I live to see a happily ever somewhere.

G.) Finally, romance novels have inspired me to write my own stories and create my brands of happily ever after.

How do romance novels affect you? 

Those "in-between" times.

Argh, my internet was down all day yesterday and though it was kinda nice to have a break, it felt really weird. Then again, I've been feeling weird all week. I'm now stuck in the "in between."

As you can see by my progress bars all those projects are complete. I can't start on the 2nd draft of HIS SOLO PROJECT until I hear back from my crit buddies, same deal with the 3rd draft of WRENCHING FATE only for that one I need to find people to crit it.

So now I have nothing to work on. I have 3 stories floating in my head but I'm struggling to decide whether I should start on one, or wait until summer vacation's over. The kids have been making even blogging difficult...and I am behind on my fishing.

Yet, without the writing or revising, I've felt out of touch with everything and have had trouble sleeping. I always do during the "in-between."

I know I waxed big about not agonizing over these things in my Summer Resolutions post. But I've already totally bombed #1 and # 5. :)

What do you do during the "In Between" times? Do they drive you crazy too.

Romance Resource: The 5 Love Languages

So, not only did I miss yesterday's blog post, I also didn't meet my goal in completing my overhaul of BITE ME, YOUR GRACE. :( My friends and family had enough of me being Ms. Reclusive Writer and wanted me to be social this weekend, which was fine. I could get back to work on my WIP on Monday.

...But then I got heatstroke. Heatstroke! ME! I'm the one who turns blue under 70 degrees! I'm a lot better today, but I still have a splitting headache.

Anyway, on to the post.

My latest crit buddy pointed out a big issue in my MS: The hero seems to only express lust for the heroine. There was little to indicate any deep emotional connection. To deal with this, I found an awesome resource: The 5 Love Languages, by Gary Chapman People express love in many different ways and this book breaks it down with convenient simplicity.

Here are the 5:

1.) Words of Affirmation: We all know that in most romances, the hero is often reluctant to say "I love you" until near the end of the story. Still, he could compliment her, not only on her beauty, but on her actions: i.e. "Your paintings are exquisite." "I can trust your reasoning in this matter," "Etc."

2.) Quality Time: Aside from romantic walks on the beach and sensual candlelit dinners, the hero and heroine could do some activity that is new to the other. In one of my favorite books, the heroine gets the hero to get up at the crack of dawn to go fishing. At first, he's all grumbly about it, but eventually they have a wonderful time.

3.) Receiving Gifts: To quote the book, "A gift is something you can hold in your hand and say, "Look, he was thinking of me," or "She remembered me." Flowers and jewelry are often in romance novels, but it's the unique ones that resonate more. I got all melty when a hero from one of my stories presents the heroine with her favorite book.

4.) Acts of Service: In WRENCHING FATE, my heroine repairs the hero's car. Her justification is that she likes working on cars, but the pleasure she gets from his gratitude leads me to believe her intentions went deeper. Later, the hero gets her mentor a lawyer so he can get out on parole a little sooner than expected.

5.) Physical Touch: This is usually the most prominent Love Language in the romance genre, I know it's one in mine. But think how many non-sexual touches convey love. Anything from a friendly hug to holding hands can strengthen your characters' bond.

This book can be a priceless resource in your work.

What is your hero's "Love Language?" What is your heroine's. How do these conflict and how can they blend?

Summer Rerun: On Genre Bending

If the TV stations can get away with reruns in the summer, I can too. :) I'm buried in revisions at the moment, so I hope you enjoy this older post. 

For years I have been working on and off on a series that breaks so many genre rules that it isn't even funny. In the first book, most of the characters are between ages 17 and 19, which apparently is a no-no for adult romance, but I can't make it YA because they are older in subsequent books. So far I'm gonna call it an urban fantasy, though I don't know how well that'll end up working because eventually the series really begins to lean towards straight fantasy. Either way, there is a love story within every one.

This got me to thinking of other authors that broke the genre rules and made new genres. Laurell K. Hamilton, Lillith Saint Crow, and others pioneered Urban Fantasy. Amanda Ashley, Maggie Shayne, and more started paranormal romance.

Right now I'm reading Stephen King's Dark Tower series, and damn, it breaks a lot of rules. I love that it is similar to mine in that it blends urban fantasy with straight fantasy. Not only that, but the fourth novel, WIZARD AND GLASS, completely interrupts the storyline and is all back story. (I have mixed feelings about that one.) All over the place are connections to his other books, as if every story he wrote is part of an interlinked web.

Once you ignore that King is labelled a horror author, it is hard to nail down the genres of some of his stories. The Shawshank Redemption and The Body, to name a few are literary fiction, in my opinion. Really, where would The Dark Tower novels fit if they weren't written by a horror author? Fantasy? Urban Fantasy? Science Fiction? Is it a dystopian? How the hell would one query such an oddball series?

This Series Totally Grabbed Me.

...I know this is again unrelated to writing or paranormal romance, but it's my blog, so there. :) Besides, at least it's about reading. I haven't gotten anything done for the past few days because I was devouring the awesome MG series: WARRIORS by Erin Hunter (Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, and Tui Sutherland) 


I'm not usually into children's books, but since my son recommended them AND I love cats, I had to give them a try. The result? HOLY AWESOME, BATMAN!!!


There's nonstop action, well rounded characters, intrigue, forbidden love, and a gender-equal society!!!


So far I've only read the main series and I can't wait to read the others. The only thing I didn't like was the inaccurate depiction of feral cat life, but that was easily forgiven for the brilliant writing, depth, and positive lessons the novels taught. As much as the HARRY POTTER novels were fistfuls of awesome, you gotta admit that Harry didn't always do the right thing. :)


Anyway, when I find a series this good, not only do I want to spread the word, but it motivates me to work harder on my writing.


Have a great day, all!


P.S. I apologize to a certain friend for slacking on my beta reading, but I know if she reads these books, she'll totally understand.

Summer Resolutions

Because nothing say's "summer" like a hot, topless man. :)

Is everyone excited for summer? Together now ::HAPPY SIGH::: There's barbecues, swimming, fishing, barbecues and other fun in the sun. Summer has always been my favorite time of year. There is nothing more blissful than sipping hard cider under a balmy, star studded sky and conversing with long lost friends who've been hidden away all winter.

But...this year I almost dread it.

"WHAT?" you say?

That's right. Last summer was a train wreck of anxiety. Due to the kids being on break and constantly underfoot, and the frequent influx of unexpected company and what seemed like nightly barbecues, it was a struggle to get anything done, whether it be a blog post or a new chapter in the WIP.

I'm not liking this new hostility for what I consider the best three months of the year. So from now on, I'm going to make "resolutions" for this and every summer to come.

Here goes:

1.) I will try to get blog posts finished in advance.

2.) I will not dive too deep in a new project. Instead, I'll put primary focus on polishing existing ones.

3.) This summer will be mostly dedicated to reading: research, beta reading and reading for pleasure.

4.) I will take at least one day off each week to "be a normal human," abandon my laptop, and enjoy the season.

5.) When I can't write, edit, or research, I will not agonize. Instead I will continue to court my muse with daydreams.

Whew, that made me feel better already! How about you? What are your "summer resolutions?"

The Reading Writer

Short post today, I'm not feeling well. :(

I've always been an avid reader, really it's like a drug addiction. But in these last few years as I've become more serious about writing, I've noticed that my reading experience has really been affected.

Often when reading a story, my mind keeps shifting out of "reader mode" and going back into "Writer mode." I find myself rewriting the author's sentences in my head, disagreeing with the validity of the premise, freezing in place and thinking "This sounds like one of mine!" then reading on, sighing in relief thinking, "Oh good, it's not. They did it differently."

Sometimes I enjoy that because it makes reading a great learning experience, but sometimes it drives me crazy. I miss the days when I could pick up a book and it would be a world between the pages, not a story I KNOW someone labored over.

Does this happen to you too? How does your writing affect your reading?

You must read a lot to write a lot.

"If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write." ~ Stephen King

I totally love that quote, but when he was speaking of aspiring writers claiming they don't have time to read, I thought Sai King was joking. And then I heard someone say it. Almost as bad are those that say they "only read so-and so and so-and so" or only "(insert genre)."

This is bad, people! If you don't read at all, how are you supposed to expand your vocabulary? How are you supposed to be able to tell why a certain sentence works while another falls flat on its face? How are you supposed to know what's been done and what hasn't?

And for those of you that slavishly stick to a handful of authors or one genre, you will likely never get the inspiration to put a creative spin on your story. That goes for you especially, romance authors. It's not enough to branch out to a western romance or a romantic suspense for inspiration. Read a "real" western or a real "thriller." Observe what the author does when there is no romantic relationship at stake.

A good romance often has another plot besides that of "will they get together?" But many fall flat. If your characters are on a spaceship in danger of being attacked by aliens, it would likely do you good to read a sci-fi or six for inspiration on descriptions of the experience. Also, you get the bonus of falling in love with new authors and new stories.

Romance Plots: Melrose Place or Lifetime Movie?

As we know, romance novels come in an astonishing variety of subject matter and styles. Some are funny, some dark, some serious.

What I've been thinking about lately is the realism spectrum.

Some romance novels are like Melrose Place (an old guilty pleasure of mine). The characters are over the top and the plot twists are almost too extreme to fathom. If done wrong they can be obnoxious and tacky. But, if they are done well, those novels are devilishly entertaining.

Other romances, on the other hand, are like Lifetime movies, which half the time are based on true stories. The events are realistic, the characters are everyday people. If done wrong they can be boring or predictable, but if done right, they can be so poignant that they make your chest ache.

I have favorites on both sides of the fence and plenty that fall in between.

How 'bout you? Do you like "extreme" guilty pleasures in your romances, or so much depth that you could be almost be reading the newest addition to Oprah's Book Club?

On Book Covers and Blurbs

Maybe it's the artist in me, but I've always had a thing for good cover art on a book. It's the first thing I notice when browsing. And paranormal romance novels have some of the most kick-ass covers. I picked this one 'cuz not only is it a beautiful cover (I love purple), but it is an awesome series. I generally don't pick books that have yellow covers because that color offends me for some reason.

If the cover grabs me I read the blurb on the back to see if it does the same. Author recommendations mean nothing to me. A few things that will turn me off are:

A.)love triangles. I think it's because I've been in one or two and the emotional baggage of them nauseates me.

B.)If the heroine/hero has a kid/kids. Harsh, I know. But as a mom, I read to escape.

C.)Getting back with an ex. This one's 50/50 for me. If it sounds like the backstory will be told and it's interesting, I may give it a whirl.

Of course I can still be willing to read these types of romances if they come recommended by friends or are by a well-loved author.

How about you? What grabs you in a book's cover art and blurb. What things make you go, "meh," and put it back on the shelf?