Life...

I knew I'd been neglecting my blog and my WIPs, but life has a way of interrupting when we make plans. I can sit and make lists or goals for what I need to accomplish...and I can almost hear giggles from up above. We've had work, play, birthdays and sickness. Lots of sickness. Thankfully nothing serious that we can't handle.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Ours was nice and uneventful...which was REALLY nice. I haven't done much on the writing side of my life. I've wanted to, I've even opened my files several times and worked on the opening of my Desires ms. I know what I want to do with it, the hard part is putting it on paper and making it readable.

Tonight we're just laying around and watching tv. I love The Family Man with Nicholas Cage and Tea Leoni. But this time while watching, the conflict and character growth really stuck out to me. I wish it was that easy to write. In the meantime...I'll keep plugging away and get myself back into the groove.

After we put up the tree and Christmas decorations.

Forever My Lady by Jeff Rivera

Hey guys! I want to introduce you to an author I've recently met, Jeff Rivera. He has kindly graced me with an interview, and the first few commentors get the chance to win a free copy of his book.

Jeff Rivera

BIO:

Once homeless and living in his car, award-winning novelist Jeff Rivera writes passionate stories of those often forgotten and neglected by society. He believes even in the eyes of a gang member, even beneath the soiled clothes of a bag lady or behind the tears of a lonely kid in the back of the class, there lies a common thread that links us all, the universal human story. He has made it his personal mission to help change the way the world thinks in a positive way through his stories. Mr. Rivera currently lives in Miami, Florida. Adopted by his Filipino stepfather when he was seven years old, his ethnic background is Black American and Native American.

Originally independently published, Jeff Rivera's debut novel, Forever My Lady went on to be acquired by Warner Books/Grand Central. It tells the award-winning passionate story of a juvenile delinquent named Dio who is sentenced to prison boot camp. Everyone who he has ever trusted has given up on him except one special girl that promises to stay by his side no matter what, the love of his life, Jennifer. He promises he will to turn his life around for her and she promises will never leave him. In fact, they plan to marry one day. But when Dio is released from boot camp he discovers Jennifer is about to marry someone else. Forever My Lady was featured in national magazines, on national television and radio including: The Boston Globe, Miami Herald, Rotarian Magazine, Urban Latino Magazine, VOY, Right On! Magazine, NPR, American Latino TV, SITV and was awarded Best New Author Award and the Best Urban Fiction Award and by the Mahogany Media Review. His first novel, Forever My Lady (published by Warner Books/Grand Central Publishing) became a critical media darling having received over 45 reviews on Amazon, over 30 reviews on BarnesandNoble.com and was given 5 stars by Amazon.com's #1 Book Reviewer Ms. Harriet Klausner. Rivera is fast at work on his next novel as well as the sequel to Forever My Lady and anticipates its independent release in 2008.

Hi, Jeff! Thank you so much for dropping by. How does it feel to be one of the few people that start out self-publishing and then gets picked up by a major publisher?

It feels great! I really do believe in visualization and that's exactly what I did when I was writing Forever My Lady. I would visualize not only getting picked up by a major after I had self-published but people's reactions to my novel while reading it. Visualzation works but you can visualize until your brain rots away, you have to also put the work in as well.

Who was your favorite character to write about?

I loved writing one of the supporting characters, Louise. She was the most fun to write because she was so feisty and full of sass. And of course writing the letters in the book seemed to flow very well. Whenever I write it's like I'm watching a movie in my head and it just flows.

Which are you most like Dio or Jennifer?

I think there's a bit of each of them in me. In fact there's a bit of all the characters in me, even the nasty racist character or the trailer trashy Louise character or the tough guy with a heart of gold in the the drill instructor character. They had to be a part of me in order to write it well.

Underneath the gritty parts of Forever My Lady and even the love story elements there are often spiritual messages. Would you describe yourself as a spiritual person?

Very much so. I was raised in the church but came into my own sense of spirituality as time went on. I'm very happy about who I am spiritually and I believe you can go to church night and day but unless your walking the walk it's all in vain. Spirituality to me helps you look outside yourself and realize not only how we're all connected but where our place is here on earth.

What places can we go to get Forever My Lady?

You can get copies of Forever My Lady on Amazon.com, bookstores everywhere and http://www.jeffrivera.com/

Motivation

There's nothing like going away for 9 days and coming home again. I was able to work a little bit, but really spent the time chasing my 5 yo. Boy, was I ready to get home. And had over 600 email messages. Back to work.

I waded through all of my messages and tried to catch up on my crit group news. With the crap going on with the campaign and economy, I haven't really been motivated to do much except to bitch. I'll save you all from my solution soap box and focus on this gorgeous weather we've been having.

NaNo is coming up. I received my comments back from the Maggie contest and had a great suggestion for my Supers ms. So with that said...I'll take the next week or two to get back into the swing of things with my patient crit partners, and at eHarlequin.

But then it's game on.

Tagged!

My writer friend, Nadia Lee, has tagged me to list "six unspectacular quirks about myself".

Here are the rules:

Link to the person who tagged you. Post the rules on your blog. List 6 unspectacular quirks you have. Tag 6 bloggers by linking them. Leave a comment on each person’s blog to let them know they’ve been tagged. Here are my quirks:

1) I hate using premade/store bought sauces to use in my meals. The boys and hubby know the difference and usually won't eat. Since I'm a foodie, I've probably spoiled them. Not that I make fancy meals or anything. They're just used to home cooked meals.

2) I'm a FoodNetwork addict. I LOVE watching Ace of Cakes and would kill to be able to make cakes the way they do. Maybe one of these days when I have a real kitchen...I might even try something cool for the little man's 6th birthday coming up.

3) I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE watching shows that detail or show actual medical procedures. I had to take cadaver anatomy in college for my Occupational Therapy degree and was one of only a few that could go directly to lunch after class and discuss the procedures we were working on while eating.

4) I have to agree with Jennifer here...I can't write if my house is a mess. It doesn't have to be "clean", but it can't be a mess.

5) And here...I would rather clean the toilet than iron clothes. And I married a man that has to have his jeans and dress shirts starched. I'd rather miss going out to eat and splurge on drycleaners before I stand and iron something.

6) I can't sleep unless I have a fan on. Don't care if it's a ceiling fan or a floor fan. Gotta have that air on my face for some reason, even in the winter.

I won't tag anyone, but please play along if you have a spare moment!

Restaurant Pictures

Okay, guys...please excuse me today. I need to show a friend some pictures of a potential business location.

This is the front of the two buildings. It’s the single story green building with the flat aluminum awning. The other two multi-story buildings are all attached on the ground floor. The glass is painted where the front door is located, and we’ll wash it off after the film festival. Kris knows how to attach a metal awning to the building and slope it down the metal bars to attach it to the front of the current flat awning. We can paint the building and awning to match the logo. And we can order t-shirts and hats for marketing.

This is the East side and you can see the side steel door and the 9ft. steel fence which encloses the patio.



This is the back of the building, the patio and heating and air unit on the roof.



This is the garage door leading out to the back patio. We could take out the door and install steel French doors. Kris is holding up the plastic so you can see some of the restaurant equipment we already have. There should be several stainless steel sinks, prep counters with a warmer, a commercial mixer, griddle and gas burners. Not quite sure until we can pull it all out but I think it's in good shape. Most of the interior wall has been sheet-rocked except for the back area that they cut out for the kitchen. The majority of the floors are concrete with some carpeting. A small portion is wood. Not sure what condition until we pull up the carpet. There was an old bathroom in the corner that mom pulled out. But at least there is plumbing and a drain.

This is the rest of the building on the side attached to the main part where we live. It is the side with the plate glass front and the garage door to the patio. About 1/3 of the old tin ceiling by the garage door/patio looks rough, and we'll either need to replace tin or take down and put in new ceiling. The lighting is flourescent and hangs from the high ceiling, but we have large antique lights upstairs we can use instead. I don't know if they work or why they were saved by the previous owner.

The two areas beside the front door can be used for booths to seat waiting customers, and a hostess stand which can hold menus and a seating chart.

This is the side with the front door which opens onto Main street and a large steel door that opens into the alley.

Found a new/old author...

Not age wise...sorry. She's an established author, but new to me since I've been seriously focused on only reading the line I'm targeting as a writer. I've had an email request to exchange blog links with an author and went to the corresponding link to check her out. I've talked/read quite a bit about networking and getting our names out there, so this is a great opportunity I can't pass up.

Girls...she's hilarious!

Check out her website and you might want to consider adding her as a favorite. I love her Southern sense of humor...she fits right in with my family. I LOVE her tagline:

Charlotte Hughes ~ Not just another pretty comedy writer...

Official Website ~ Charlotte's Web

Charlotte's Web ~ The Blog

Book Buzz Tag

My critique partner, Chicki Brown, asked me to play along for a cool theme tag. Book Buzz Tag...here goes:

I am going to list three categories of books.

5 MUST Read Books, 5 Books on Your Nightstand, and 5 Look For These Soon.

Keeping with the theme, I am going to tag at least 5 bloggers. They should put these same lists on their blog but SUBTRACT one book from each list and ADD one of their own. Then they should tag at least 5 more bloggers. It will be fun to see how the lists change as it goes around the blogosphere.

Please come back to this post and leave a comment so I can see how the lists are changing as they go around the blogosphere. Since this is Book Buzz…please keep your lists to titles released in 2007-2009.

5 MUST Read Books:

Kings of California (Series from Silhouette Desires) by Maureen Child
His Secret Past by Ellen Hartman
Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward
Yellow Moon by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Conception by Kalisha Buckhanon


5 Books on the Nightstand:

Wed To The Texan by Sara Orwig
Pleasure by Eric Jerome Dickey
From Harvey River by Lorna Goodison
Trading Dreams at Midnight by Dianne McKinney
Whetstone Still Dirty by Vickie Stringer

5 Look For These Soon:

Anything by Diana Palmer ;)

The Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward

Midnight: A Gangster Love Story by Sister Souljah

The Hood Life: A Bentley Manor Tale by Meesha Mink and De’nesha Diamond
Red Light Special by Risque

The bloggers I’m asking to post the lists (and make one book-for-book change to each list if they wish.)

Rae
Theresa
Patricia
Stacey
Mel

Play if you have time...please! (EllenToo...you can play if you have time!)

Visualizing Your Goals

A good friend and critique partner, Chicki Brown, sent this to me and it just really hit home. I've been dealing with so many things recently that I've become frustrated with my life in general. I think this is a wonderful technique to use in our lives...not just writing and/or our career. I definitely need some focus and a kick in the behind. In the meantime...I wanted to show you guys the entire post and not just summarize or post a snippet.

Visualizing Your Goal

First posted on AuthorMBA blog 4/7/08
By Tawny Weber

Did you know that your subconscious mind can’t differentiate between real and imaginary? Whatever you repeat, whatever you give a great deal of energy to is what your subconscious believes… and what it creates for you. Best-sellers like The Secret outline the Law of Attraction in great detail, but the basic concept is that whatever you believe deep down is what you draw into your life.

The bottom line: if you believe in your goal, if you really do believe that you’ll sell your book or that you’ll hit the NYT bestseller list, then your subconscious mind will work to make that happen. Just like if, deep down, you believe you won’t do these things, your subconscious mind will continuously throw up blocks to help confirm your belief.

So how do we apply this to goal setting?

By visualizing your goal. If you can visualize or imagine the goal, your subconscious will see it as real. The more often you visualize, the more real it becomes.

Writers have gifted imaginations and creating a visualization is as simple as writing a scene with you as the main character. Choose a goal and ask yourself what scene would best epitomize that goal? If it’s to sell a book, the scene could be signing your first contract or celebratory launch party. It could be a long line of readers waiting to have you sign copies in a crowded bookstore or perhaps seeing your name and book up on Amazon. Maybe it’s as simple as tracing your name over the cover of the book. Whatever your goal is, pick the scene that seems strongest to you (remember, we’re writers. We know how to pick the most emotionally charged scene, right?). Now empower that scene. Use all the senses. What are the scents? What do you hear? Who’s in the scene with you? What are the textures and is the air charged with an electric feeling of excitement? What are you wearing? How does it feel? Bring in all of the emotions.

Now relax and let this scene play out in your head. You can spend five minutes or fifty, whatever works for you. The key is to really live the scene. Let yourself feel the joy, the wonder. Let those emotions flow.

Easy enough, right?

Right!

Now the real trick is to repeat your visualization daily (or in my case, nightly. Each night as I turn off the light, I spend time visualizing my goals.) The more often you visualize the goal, the sooner/easier it’ll manifest. You might find yourself revising your imagined scene as the weeks go by. Just like we revise our goals to meet our current circumstance, our visualizations will shift and grow. But the key is to be consistent and emotionally invested.

Soon, if you consistently do your goal visualization, you’ll find yourself noticing sabotaging behaviors. You’ll hear your own self-talk, notice when you’re procrastinating and getting in the way of your own goal success.

What are your visualization experiences? Have you ever done any visualization work before? Did you find it difficult or easy to see your scene play out in your mind? Have you applied visualization to your writing and goal setting?

Really?

Almost a month since I last blogged? Dagnabit. No excuse...well, maybe a few. Life. Kids going back to school. Hubby coming home. For good. His company was taken over and he lost his job. He'll have a week to adjust and we have to take a road trip so he can interview for another. He'll have to travel, but at least it'll be within the same country.

Excuses? A few. That's life. My writing has taken a back burner to the chaos. But tonight I took a drive. It always seems to clear my head...ya know, kinda like when we take babies for a ride to rock them to sleep? Well, I love to listen to my music and drive. Helps me think.

Jason Aldean. Up very loud. He's one of my favorite country artists. My ex used to make fun of country music, and the misery he thought it stood for. But Mr. Aldean sings about life. I had to move our truck around to the front of the building, and when I turned on the ignition...Jason sang to me. The truck just kept going. I thought maybe I'd take a ride around the block. But the muted lights from the dashboard had a calming effect, with the words from the music turning in my head, and I kept driving. I really listened to the lyrics. It was coming from a man...I could hear my hero talking to me. Telling me why, telling me what to say. Before I knew it--I passed a sign welcoming me to the next town. I had driven 25 miles without realizing where I'd gone.

I'm having an issue with my first chapter, and trying to begin in just the right spot has got me frustrated. I had a critique partner tell me she didn't like my hero. Well...that's ok. He has to have room to grow. But then I thought about what she said and reread the chapter. I began the chapter in the heroine's spunky POV. I think what it needs though, is to begin with the hero. So hopefully tonight I can translate my thoughts and my heroes perspective.

Undone

WooHoo! One of my fellow Outlaw chaptermates at OKRWA has had her first YA released today!! Way to go Brooke Taylor!

Book trailer ~ Undone

Editorial Reviews

When Kori Kitlzer, the “dark angel” of the 8th grade, tells Serena Moore that they are more alike than she thinks, Serena is instantly intrigued. As their friendship solidifies and their lives entwine, Serena tries to become more like the fearless, outspoken, and ambitious Kori. Soon Serena doesn’t know where she begins and Kori ends. But when a twist of fate yanks Kori away from Serena, she will need to find a way to complete her best friend’s life left undone.

Undone is a striking debut novel about friendship, family, and the secrets we keep from the people to whom we are closest.

About the Author

Brooke Taylor lives and writes from her country home in Oklahoma where her horses are a constant, but happy, distraction. Her first “real” job was as a Wrangler for a dude ranch. Since then she has worked for ski resorts in Colorado and traveled the high seas while living on cruise ships. Currently she works for a large public school district. Undone is her first novel.

One Word Only

I've ignored the blog lately...but for several good reasons. Hubby was home for 15 days and I've been feeling really puny lately. Hubby has left the building. And I guess I can't put off going to the Doctor any longer. But anyhoo...here's a fun post I saw on my crit partner's blog, Chicki Brown. Enjoy!!


Saw this fun post on Patricia Woodside’s blog. Not passing it on to anyone specific but feel free to use it.

REMEMBER, ANSWERS MUST BE ONE WORD ONLY!

1. Where is your cell phone? Table
2. Your significant other? Kris
3. Your hair? Headband
4. Your mother? Cooking
5. Your father? Avoiding
6. Your favorite thing? Family
7. Your dream last night? Kris
8. Your favorite drink? Tea
9. Your dream/goal? Published
10. The room you’re in? Bedroom
11. Your ex? Amiable
12. Your fear? War
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Home
14. Where were you last night? Airport
15. What you’re not? Thin
16. Muffins? Banana
17. One of your wish list items? Home
18. Where you grew up? Lawton
19. The last thing you did? Crit
20. What are you wearing? T-shirt
21. Your TV? Disney
22. Your pets? Four
23. Your computer? Laptop
24. Your life? Blessed
25. Your mood? Anxious
26. Missing someone? Kris
27. Your car? Truck
28. Something you’re not wearing? Bra
29. Favorite store? Wal-Mart
30. Your summer? Speedy
31. Like(love) someone? Family
32. Your favorite color? Crimson
33. Last time you laughed? Morning
34. Last time you cried? Yesterday
35. Who will re-post this? Unknown

WooHoo!

I'm soooo proud of myself right now!!! I kicked some word count booty today, girlfriends!! It's amazing what can be accomplished when you don't have a five-year-old attached to the hip. My mom has my nephews and wanted my little one to have a play day and slumber party...all night...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I've actually been able to write a full paragraph without stopping to answer a question or break up a battle between the boys. Wow. This is pretty dang cool. It'll be really nice next school year when both boys are in school....full time!

Hope you're reaching your goals today!!

Critique Partners

I love my critique partners. All of you. I'm very lucky to have found such an eclectic group of friends...each of us on the same journey to publication. I am sooo impressed with the friends and pubbed authors I've met through networking on eHarlequin.com.

My goal this week is to work on crits over the weekend and to write during the week. But one of the things I keep coming back to is my current chapter for my Desire ms that is up for crits. I've received a wide variety of comments and suggestions...all worth their weight in gold. Because whether I choose to use them or not, they make me think. It also helps to have someone there to tame my wandering brain. I think I was trying to be an overachiever and cram as much in the first chapter as I could.

Anyhoo...I've completed the outline and have a solid idea on which direction to go. My goal this week:

Monday ~ Synopsis, Rework Chapter 1
Tuesday ~Chapter 2
Wednesday ~ Chapter 3
Thursday ~ Chapter 4
Friday ~ Chapter 5
Saturday ~ Critiques and Chapter 6
Sunday ~ Critiques and Chapter 7

My plan is to get up early before my little rug-rat wakes up running at mach speed. Complete a scene and take a break for breakfast and an activity with my little one. The rest of the day will be a struggle to work on completing the chapter with kiddos running wild and wanting something everytime I sit down and get rolling. Dinner and get little one to bed...shower and work til I pass out.

I did this with NaNo WriMo...I think I can, I think I can...I'm going to do it again.

Argghhhh!

I'm stuck. The words flowed when I was developing the series backstory and story summaries. I was happy with my first chapter in the first book. Got back several great crits, some so-so and a couple that made me really think about the direction I was going.

So now? I'm stuck. Frustrated. Aarrgghhhh! I need to be writing furiously right now to be done in time for the pitch. But if the first couple of chapters are off...not going to work.

Maybe if I go back to several of the books I've read lately and dissect the first chapters...

Hope everyone else is feeling positive and productive!! Happy writing.

Synopsis

I know alot of my writer friends have expressed angst at putting together an effective synopsis. I've googled and searched various sites to give me some type of 'aha' moment...had a couple of 'ok, I can do this' moments but nothing really hit me with an exploding lightbulb.

I haven't had time to really go through all of Bron's articles but thought I'd check out the one with synopsis advice so I can prepare my Desire submission. I've decided that even if I'm not picked for the online pitch or Aussie's critique opportunity, I'm going to at least send in my partial to the Silhouette Desire line.

I love the Maureen Child's 'California Kings' series and almost anything Diana Palmer writes is a good read for me. But I wished they had more western storylines. Hopefully my storyline/series will peak some interest with one of the editors...

Here's the article. Enjoy and have a great weekend!!!

Bronwyn Jameson: Sample of a Short Synopsis

Good things happen if you'll just open your eyes!

So I was like...working *cough-cough* and noticed my name on a post by a buddy of mine (Thanks Jennifer!!!). She was sending out congrats to me for being a finalist in a contest I had entered. I'd pretty much given up on hoping because they were supposed to have announced the winners by May 30th and nothing has been updated on the website as of this morning. AND...I never received notification. It probably wound up in my junk mail folder and I didn't recognise the name or the subject matter and trashed it.

Congrats also goes out to my OKRWA chaptermate Robin Perini for being a finalist...twice! She finaled in two categories!! You go girl!!

WooHoo!!!

This is the ms I'd entered in their contest last year and didn't follow guidelines. (I'll play stupid since it was my first ms and first contest!) It is a first chapter contest where they score 30 points on the hero/heroine first interaction. Mine didn't meet until chapter two...but I still scored a 71 and 79. Go figure. I later won an online pitch through eHQ and was rejected. I made the changes the editor suggested and decided to try the Dixie contest again to see how they liked the ms now.

WooHoo!!

The Magnolia State Romance Writers Chapter of RWA is pleased to announce the finalists of the 12th Annual Dixie First Chapter Contest.

Contemporary

Kiss Me Cowboy
CHELLE SANDELL (See me Snoopy Dance!!)


Proof And Consequences
DONNA MEIER

Texas Hold'er
JUNE LOVE

Historical

Maiden Widow
VICTORIA WHITAKER

The Masquerading Duke
STEPHIE SMITH

Fatal Fortune
JOANNE BARNABA

Inspirational

Dead Letter
C J EERNISSE CHASE

Undercover Marriage
KELLY ANN RILEY

Knowing Grace
DEBRA E MARVIN

Paranormal/Futuristic/Time Travel

Fallen Angels In Paradise
CATHY LEMING

Dark Guardian
ROBIN L PERINI

Bluebeard's Hunger
ELLA DRAKE

Romantic Suspense

In Cold Storage
KATHY-DIANE LEVEILLE

Truth And Consequences
ROBIN L PERINI

Pleasant Lake P.D.
KELLY FITZPATRICK

Super Sexy

Heart for Hire
MARY RHYAN

Rock Hard
DEE CYMBER

Waking The Witch
LISA WHITEFERN

Finally A Bride ~ OKRWA Contest

~ Seventh Annual 'Finally A Bride' Contest ~

***Over Half of the Finalists in last year's contest received Editor Requests***

Sponsor: Oklahoma Romance Writers of America

***NEW LOWER ENTRY FEE***

Fee: $25 (RWA Members) - $30 (All non RWA Members)

Deadline: September 1, 2008

Eligibility: not contracted/published

***NEW - ALL ELECTRONIC ENTRIES***

***NEW - Separate Mainstream category***

Entry: First pages of MS (30 pages max) that has finaled, but not won, in a previous RWA or RWA chapter-sponsored contest. Manuscripts finishing in the top quarter of GH also qualify.

Judges:

First round: experienced, pubbed, and/or RWA trained judges.

Final Judges: Two Editors and/or agents judge each category.

Inspirational/Traditional: Melissa Endlich with Steeple Hill and Rebecca Germany with Barbour. Series Contemporary: Patience Smith with Silhouette and Wanda Ottewell with Harlequin.
Paranormal/Time Travel/Futuristic: Margo Lipschultz with HQN and Leah Hultenschmidt with Dorchester.
Romantic Suspense: Natashya Wilson with Silhouette and Alex Logan with Grand Central Publishing.
Historical/Regency: Tess Woodward with Avon and Megan McKeever with Pocket.
Mainstream with Romantic Elements: Keyren Gerlach with HQN and Deb Werksman with Sourcebooks Casablanca

FMI, entry form and rules, send SASE to:

OKRWA FAB contest

9805 Red Oak Lane

Parkville, MO 64152

okrwabride@aol.com, http://www.okrwa.com/

Mechanics

Oh, yeah! Nice and sweaty, lean and hard...chiseled...

No, no, no! Not the hunky mechanic that works on your vehicle. You dirty bird you. LOL! I guess you can tell where my mind is at today. It's almost time for Mr. Chelle to take another R&R. Okay, back to work.

Have I told you guys how much I LOVE Bronwyn Jameson and her incredibly helpful articles?! I wanted to share another one with you that has worked wonders with my tired brain. I had to write a few papers in college and did well with my grades, but I've struggled when it comes to the mechanics in writing romance. I love this article about the basics of good dialogue.

http://www.bronwynjameson.com/article15.html

Enjoy!!

Conflict

Recently a friend turned me on to reading Silhouette Desires. I'd never bothered to pick them up because I thought they were all based on exotic locations. I love the Cinderella stories but never really bought. Big surprise - I like them more than I thought. Never assume anything. eHarlequin has begun a new section where they offer podcasts...interviews with editors and authors. So...I decided to research a little about writing for Desires and I'm getting really excited about the line.

The podcast with the editors was very informative as to what they want from new authors. They are looking for westerns...and I live where??? Oklahoma. I grew up on the Texas border. I'm married to my own personal cowboy hero. I used to LOVE watching Dallas. I think I can do this. I thought my mom would be upset because she doesn't really read the racier novels, but she borrowed some of my books and has said I should go for it.

We've been talking about conflict lately and I happened to come across a great article on one of the Desire author's website, Bronwyn Jameson. See what ya think...I found it to be really helpful.

http://www.bronwynjameson.com/article8.html

eHarlequin

I know that some of my crit partners target Harlequin or Mills & Boon. One of the things I love about their chat threads...the editors pop in and offer words of advice or encouragement. When I received my first rejection, of course I was confused as to what I should do next. We were told by the same editor I was rejected by, to read and dissect the suggestions if any were given. Which she WAS kind enough to give in her letter. One of her revision suggestions had something to do with my heroine's internal conflict. Not that I thought she was wrong...I thought my character couldn't have any more internal conflict or she'd be put away in a home.

So...I've had plenty of time to think about the revisions and I am trying. Still confused, but trying. I have nobody to blame but myself. I have never thought to blame my teachers, crit partners or the editors. This is my story. I hate when I hear people pass the buck. Either I can do this or not. It's a VERY competitive market and a crapload of talented writers pushing through the same bottlenecked door. I can do this. I WILL do this. It may take me awhile and hopefully my eyes are open enough to know that. What really helps is when a lovely editor pops in and will give us suggestions and/or tips.

I had another one of those a-ha moments yesterday when an editor popped in the SuperRomance thread. Several of the girls were being hugged for receiving rejections. The common denominator? Conflict. Lack of. My problem basically. Something she said just hit home and I had a brilliant idea. Now if I can just get it down on paper.

Here's the link...hope it helps!

http://community.eharlequin.com/forums/simply-series/home-and-family/harlequin-superromance/make-mine-supers-5#comment-57040

Here is the section that really stood out to me...

Why don't we forget about conflict for a minute and talk about stakes. Robert McKee, in his book Story, writes: "Pressure is essential. Choices made when nothing is at risk mean little. If a character chooses to tell the truth in a situation where telling a lie would gain him nothing, the choice is trivial, the moment expresses nothing. But if the same character insists on telling the truth when a lie would save his life, then we sense that honesty is at the core of his nature....The more powerful and complex the forces of antagonism opposing the character, the more completely realized character and story must become."

Without referring to any particular submission or writer, it's common for us to see stories with characters making low-stake choices--like telling the truth when telling a lie gains nothing. This low stakes leads to low tension and a lack of compelling obstacle between characters.

Thank you, Ms. Curran! I am forever grateful!!