When I started writing...I had no clue what genre it was. After a while, I realized it was stuff only women would be interested in reading...so that made it women's fiction. And mostly I had young heroines...set in an urban setting...chick lit. But then someone mentioned something to me......romance. Yeah...there were romantic scenes in my writing, but to call it a romance novel with heaving busoms and burning loins???
I'll admit, when I first thought what I wrote was romance, I wasn't real comfortable. I didn't know much about romance and what I did know from sterotypes told me it was something a lot of people didn't take seriously. I did not want that for my career.
So I did my research and was amazed at what I found. It's not your Grandma's romance novel anymore! Heroines are smart, funny, resilient, strong...they get what they want and don't need a man to save them or give them anything. The difference is that they want the man around (or woman, or both. I'm extremely pleased to see how many glbt novels there are out there! Yay!)...a partner to share life with...and isn't that what we all want....even in the 21st century???
Now I'm not gonna say there aren't corny covers out there...but they are much better than they used to be! No more Fabio look-a-likes.
If you need more convincing...read this article! I got the link from my fabulous editor and fellow romance writer Piper Denna!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Stuck between pride and frustration
I think kids were put on this Earth to show us a variety of emotions, many times two or three at the same time.
Yesterday I went to the bus stop to get my daughter after school. It's only 5 houses down- corner of my suburban residential street. But she's only 7 and I am just not ready to have her go it all on her own yet. The bus came to a stop, flashing red lights and all, and the three sisters from down the street hopped off the bus, waited for the bus driver to give his signal, then ran across the street and past me.
Where the heck is my kid???
Bus drive started to inch away and I waved him down and asked where my daughter was. He calls for her. Nothing. Turns to me "She's not on the bus."
"She's supposed to be!" I start to freak out.
He calls back again. I hear some of the other kids on the bus calling too. He turns back to me. "She's not here."
Panic surges through my body. We rarely pick her up from school and it requires a note letting the teacher and office know. Parents then need to sign the kids out when they pick them up. I certainly didn't send in a note. I turn and start to trot back toward my house...to make calls, jump in my car, do something to locate my kid.
The girls from down the street come running over with their mom yelling "No, she is on the bus! We saw her!"
Bus driver stops again and then I see my child's head pop up from behind the seats and then around the front of the bus, book in hand.
Yeah....my daughter was so engrossed in the book she was reading on the bus she didn't realize she was at her stop...even after the sisters got off...even after her name was called multiple times. Fear having drained from my body, I couldn't help but smile.
I gave her a good talking to: You need to pay attention on the bus!
But I also told her it was good that she was so into the book!
Yesterday I went to the bus stop to get my daughter after school. It's only 5 houses down- corner of my suburban residential street. But she's only 7 and I am just not ready to have her go it all on her own yet. The bus came to a stop, flashing red lights and all, and the three sisters from down the street hopped off the bus, waited for the bus driver to give his signal, then ran across the street and past me.
Where the heck is my kid???
Bus drive started to inch away and I waved him down and asked where my daughter was. He calls for her. Nothing. Turns to me "She's not on the bus."
"She's supposed to be!" I start to freak out.
He calls back again. I hear some of the other kids on the bus calling too. He turns back to me. "She's not here."
Panic surges through my body. We rarely pick her up from school and it requires a note letting the teacher and office know. Parents then need to sign the kids out when they pick them up. I certainly didn't send in a note. I turn and start to trot back toward my house...to make calls, jump in my car, do something to locate my kid.
The girls from down the street come running over with their mom yelling "No, she is on the bus! We saw her!"
Bus driver stops again and then I see my child's head pop up from behind the seats and then around the front of the bus, book in hand.
Yeah....my daughter was so engrossed in the book she was reading on the bus she didn't realize she was at her stop...even after the sisters got off...even after her name was called multiple times. Fear having drained from my body, I couldn't help but smile.
I gave her a good talking to: You need to pay attention on the bus!
But I also told her it was good that she was so into the book!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
I'm participating in a Blogfest today! So cool!!!!
This is my first Blogfest, to pardon me if I make any faux pas!
Make sure you check out this post at Fiction Groupie to view the list of participants!!!
This is a dialogue Blogfest, so here is a scene! This is a novelette I wrote- Paradise Cove. Hopefully it will find a publishing home at Lyrical Press, my publisher, who is publishing my debut, A Bitch Named Karma, next month. This scene is between Shelby, my MC and Gabriel, the Grandson of the the old couple who'd sold their Cancun resort to her. Shelby is in the middle of renovating the property and has just fallen head-first into a dumpster. Gabriel just happened to be there and pulled her out.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing.”
“I can see you’re in pain.” His impatience came charging through. “Is it your ankle?”
Shelby sighed and continued to move forward. “Yes. I must have twisted it.”
Gabriel set the ladder down and stepped to her. “Come here.”
“I’m fine. I can do it.”
“No, you’re not fine.” He wrapped his arm under hers and supported her weight. A flock of butterflies and ice water surged through her body as his hand curled around her, every one of his fingers pressing into her side as he held her tightly.
They hobbled into the lobby and he set her down on the rattan sofa, its floral patterned cushions no longer having any fluff to them. Gabriel retrieved a first aid kit from behind the front desk.
First he surveyed the damage to her legs, riddled with cuts, scrapes and bruises. “I don’t think any of these are too bad.” He rummaged through the rusty metal box. “How is your head?”
“It’s fine.” Shelby ignored the throb at the back of her head. “Um, thank you, again. For helping me out there. And for getting all this.” She motioned to the kit.
“I didn’t even realize there was a first aid kit behind the counter.”
“Well, I’ve spent nearly my entire life at this resort,” he stated coldly. “I know everything about The Paradise Cove.”
“I hope to learn.” She took an antibiotic wipe packet from him and tore it open. He then handed her a few large bandages.
“You sure you know what you’ve gotten yourself into?” he asked while taking out a long stretchy bandage then wrapped her ankle with it.
“I think so. I’m going to put everything I’ve got into this place.”
“You better. This resort is very special to my family and I’m not happy about it being owned by an outsider.”
Shelby sat quiet as she cleaned her wounds but could feel Gabriel’s eyes on her. And she started to wonder. If this place was so special to his family, why were Mr. and Mrs. Espinoza here all alone? Surely they needed help taking care of guests and doing repairs. Where was the family when the resort was going downhill? And if this place was so special to Gabriel, why was he in San Antonio instead of Cancun?
“Well, I care about this place enough to give it the attention it deserves, even if I’m not an Espinoza.”
“Are you implying that I don’t care?”
“If you did, why weren’t you here years ago, helping your grandparents take care of the place?”
“I was making a career for myself.”
Shelby could see the smoke starting to billow out of Gabriel’s ears. Apparently she had nicked a nerve.
“If I had the sweetest grandparents on the planet, I would have dropped everything to be at their side when they needed me.”
“I was doing what I had to do. You have no idea what you’re talking about!”
He slammed the first aid kit onto the table and she watched as the sweat beads on his forehead began streaming down. The constraints of a suit, dress shirt and snugly fitted tie had to be excruciating.
“If you had minded your own business and left my grandparents alone, none of this would be happening right now. I’ll be shocked if you don’t run this place completely into the ground!” He stood up.
Shelby stood too, matching the fire in his ocean blue eyes, set off by his bronzed skin and onyx black hair. “You just wait! I’ll make your grandparents proud!”
He marched past her, got in his rental car and sped away.
Make sure you check out this post at Fiction Groupie to view the list of participants!!!
This is a dialogue Blogfest, so here is a scene! This is a novelette I wrote- Paradise Cove. Hopefully it will find a publishing home at Lyrical Press, my publisher, who is publishing my debut, A Bitch Named Karma, next month. This scene is between Shelby, my MC and Gabriel, the Grandson of the the old couple who'd sold their Cancun resort to her. Shelby is in the middle of renovating the property and has just fallen head-first into a dumpster. Gabriel just happened to be there and pulled her out.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing.”
“I can see you’re in pain.” His impatience came charging through. “Is it your ankle?”
Shelby sighed and continued to move forward. “Yes. I must have twisted it.”
Gabriel set the ladder down and stepped to her. “Come here.”
“I’m fine. I can do it.”
“No, you’re not fine.” He wrapped his arm under hers and supported her weight. A flock of butterflies and ice water surged through her body as his hand curled around her, every one of his fingers pressing into her side as he held her tightly.
They hobbled into the lobby and he set her down on the rattan sofa, its floral patterned cushions no longer having any fluff to them. Gabriel retrieved a first aid kit from behind the front desk.
First he surveyed the damage to her legs, riddled with cuts, scrapes and bruises. “I don’t think any of these are too bad.” He rummaged through the rusty metal box. “How is your head?”
“It’s fine.” Shelby ignored the throb at the back of her head. “Um, thank you, again. For helping me out there. And for getting all this.” She motioned to the kit.
“I didn’t even realize there was a first aid kit behind the counter.”
“Well, I’ve spent nearly my entire life at this resort,” he stated coldly. “I know everything about The Paradise Cove.”
“I hope to learn.” She took an antibiotic wipe packet from him and tore it open. He then handed her a few large bandages.
“You sure you know what you’ve gotten yourself into?” he asked while taking out a long stretchy bandage then wrapped her ankle with it.
“I think so. I’m going to put everything I’ve got into this place.”
“You better. This resort is very special to my family and I’m not happy about it being owned by an outsider.”
Shelby sat quiet as she cleaned her wounds but could feel Gabriel’s eyes on her. And she started to wonder. If this place was so special to his family, why were Mr. and Mrs. Espinoza here all alone? Surely they needed help taking care of guests and doing repairs. Where was the family when the resort was going downhill? And if this place was so special to Gabriel, why was he in San Antonio instead of Cancun?
“Well, I care about this place enough to give it the attention it deserves, even if I’m not an Espinoza.”
“Are you implying that I don’t care?”
“If you did, why weren’t you here years ago, helping your grandparents take care of the place?”
“I was making a career for myself.”
Shelby could see the smoke starting to billow out of Gabriel’s ears. Apparently she had nicked a nerve.
“If I had the sweetest grandparents on the planet, I would have dropped everything to be at their side when they needed me.”
“I was doing what I had to do. You have no idea what you’re talking about!”
He slammed the first aid kit onto the table and she watched as the sweat beads on his forehead began streaming down. The constraints of a suit, dress shirt and snugly fitted tie had to be excruciating.
“If you had minded your own business and left my grandparents alone, none of this would be happening right now. I’ll be shocked if you don’t run this place completely into the ground!” He stood up.
Shelby stood too, matching the fire in his ocean blue eyes, set off by his bronzed skin and onyx black hair. “You just wait! I’ll make your grandparents proud!”
He marched past her, got in his rental car and sped away.
Monday, May 17, 2010
WooHooo!! I love when I get a contract in my inbox!!!
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I sent my novelette to my editor over a week ago and wahlah...over the weekend I received a contract for it!!!
One of the great things about epublishing is the fact that all lengths of stories now have homes. In the print publishing world...who wants a 16,000 word story??? Yeah, there are anthologies and compilations, but in my genre, I think it's mainly established authors who can sell on name alone.
I remember when I started this story. I had written a flash fiction piece for a contest (and it placed top 10, BTW!). A friend had told me about a Romance magazine that was looking for pieces, max word count 10,000. So I decided to give it a whirl. I took this flash fiction piece and knew I could expand on. It felt VERY refreshing to work on something of this length, knowing I could not add in subplots or too many characters. I had to stay focused just on this one plot idea. I finished the story relatively fast and took it to writers group, got feedback, worked on editing it. I submitted to the magazine and started another story to be the same length- something I pulled from my idea file.
Never heard from them, and that was a good year and a half ago. After coming down from the high of my first publishing contract with Lyrical Press, (a year ago yesterday!!) I decided to go back to it. Lyrical publishes all sorts of lengths and I thought this was my chance to find a home for this story that I loved.
I had to keep setting it aside to work on edits for my novel, but I finally finished it about 2 weeks ago. Since Lyrical now has a 15,000 word minimum, I had the freedom to add more description. And I decided to change the POV from 1st to 3rd, which also gave me the chance to add in the hero's POV, which I love to do.
I submitted it to my editor and over the weekend, I received a contract for it!! I am so so excited to find a home for this story! I really love it and I can't wait to share it with everyone!! And it's a nice quick read...doable in an hour or so!
I sent my novelette to my editor over a week ago and wahlah...over the weekend I received a contract for it!!!
One of the great things about epublishing is the fact that all lengths of stories now have homes. In the print publishing world...who wants a 16,000 word story??? Yeah, there are anthologies and compilations, but in my genre, I think it's mainly established authors who can sell on name alone.
I remember when I started this story. I had written a flash fiction piece for a contest (and it placed top 10, BTW!). A friend had told me about a Romance magazine that was looking for pieces, max word count 10,000. So I decided to give it a whirl. I took this flash fiction piece and knew I could expand on. It felt VERY refreshing to work on something of this length, knowing I could not add in subplots or too many characters. I had to stay focused just on this one plot idea. I finished the story relatively fast and took it to writers group, got feedback, worked on editing it. I submitted to the magazine and started another story to be the same length- something I pulled from my idea file.
Never heard from them, and that was a good year and a half ago. After coming down from the high of my first publishing contract with Lyrical Press, (a year ago yesterday!!) I decided to go back to it. Lyrical publishes all sorts of lengths and I thought this was my chance to find a home for this story that I loved.
I had to keep setting it aside to work on edits for my novel, but I finally finished it about 2 weeks ago. Since Lyrical now has a 15,000 word minimum, I had the freedom to add more description. And I decided to change the POV from 1st to 3rd, which also gave me the chance to add in the hero's POV, which I love to do.
I submitted it to my editor and over the weekend, I received a contract for it!! I am so so excited to find a home for this story! I really love it and I can't wait to share it with everyone!! And it's a nice quick read...doable in an hour or so!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Sometimes life can be so bittersweet.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who finds myself in situations where I'm both happy and sad at the same time.
Take today for example. There are many opportunities for my hubby to work overtime at his job. And there are usually times there are so many other guys that want it, there is a list and you are offered overtime based on when the last day you worked OT was. Someone who worked more recently gets put toward the end of the list. Hubby usually doesn't know if he will get it `til maybe an hour or so before he has to go in- guys have up `til an our before the shift starts to call in sick, so that greatly effects the amount of overtime available. Hubby is on the list today for the 3-11 shift.
It's going on 1 and he has not gotten a call yet. They need to call him by 2 if they want him there on time.
I want him to get called- 8 hours of time and a half is VERY nice. But I so want a nice night with my family and husband. I have a movie we need to watch cause we need to return it. And I don't want to watch it alone.
We win and lose no matter what happens.
Do you ever find yourself in those situations???
Take today for example. There are many opportunities for my hubby to work overtime at his job. And there are usually times there are so many other guys that want it, there is a list and you are offered overtime based on when the last day you worked OT was. Someone who worked more recently gets put toward the end of the list. Hubby usually doesn't know if he will get it `til maybe an hour or so before he has to go in- guys have up `til an our before the shift starts to call in sick, so that greatly effects the amount of overtime available. Hubby is on the list today for the 3-11 shift.
It's going on 1 and he has not gotten a call yet. They need to call him by 2 if they want him there on time.
I want him to get called- 8 hours of time and a half is VERY nice. But I so want a nice night with my family and husband. I have a movie we need to watch cause we need to return it. And I don't want to watch it alone.
We win and lose no matter what happens.
Do you ever find yourself in those situations???
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Choosing a career....and changing your mind.
Some choose for the money-making aspect...others do what they love. There are a few extremely lucky people in this world who do what they love and make a boatload of cash doing it. I don't know if I'll ever be one of those people, but I'll certainly try.
For me, being happy and fulfilled is very important. Your career is what you do for many hours a day- you spend more time at your job each day than you spend with your family. If you don't enjoy it...what's the point??
Yes...money is the point. We all need it....we can't get by without it. We can get by on less if we have to...but how many of us are willing to give up some of our income to ensure our career happiness??
I am one of an extremely small group of lucky women. My husband makes enough money for us to live on without me having a job outside of the home. Now make sure you read that right...I said "live on" not roll around in cash. We get by, our bills are paid, and we can still enjoy some of life's pleasures. It's by no means a walk in the park, but when we had kids we decided it was important to us to have me home to raise the kids. And while doing that, I was given the opportunity to follow my dreams. Thank you hubby...I will forever be grateful!
I used to have a job out of the home..a career...I have a college degree that gave me the title of Floral Designer. I loved my work and at that point in my life knew I wanted to open my own shop one day..but a specialty shop, not just a regular retail flower shop. I wanted to concentrate on weddings. And I did do that out of my home for a few years. Worked okay for a while and I thought I was happy. But things changed...I changed. And I chose a new career.
I've spent the last five years working my tushy off and it's finally paying off. And this new career has made me happier than my last career ever did. I feel fulfilled now.....and I never did before. I hear poeple complain about work and dreading going in and counting down `til the weekend....not me. I never feel like I get to work enough! I work whenever I can...I work on weekends...on Sundays, on holidays!
I wish everyone could feel this way about their career.
For me, being happy and fulfilled is very important. Your career is what you do for many hours a day- you spend more time at your job each day than you spend with your family. If you don't enjoy it...what's the point??
Yes...money is the point. We all need it....we can't get by without it. We can get by on less if we have to...but how many of us are willing to give up some of our income to ensure our career happiness??
I am one of an extremely small group of lucky women. My husband makes enough money for us to live on without me having a job outside of the home. Now make sure you read that right...I said "live on" not roll around in cash. We get by, our bills are paid, and we can still enjoy some of life's pleasures. It's by no means a walk in the park, but when we had kids we decided it was important to us to have me home to raise the kids. And while doing that, I was given the opportunity to follow my dreams. Thank you hubby...I will forever be grateful!
I used to have a job out of the home..a career...I have a college degree that gave me the title of Floral Designer. I loved my work and at that point in my life knew I wanted to open my own shop one day..but a specialty shop, not just a regular retail flower shop. I wanted to concentrate on weddings. And I did do that out of my home for a few years. Worked okay for a while and I thought I was happy. But things changed...I changed. And I chose a new career.
I've spent the last five years working my tushy off and it's finally paying off. And this new career has made me happier than my last career ever did. I feel fulfilled now.....and I never did before. I hear poeple complain about work and dreading going in and counting down `til the weekend....not me. I never feel like I get to work enough! I work whenever I can...I work on weekends...on Sundays, on holidays!
I wish everyone could feel this way about their career.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Dealing with mixed emotions...
I've been using the library since I was old enough to sign my name on the card (back when you still had to do that). And in my circle of girlfriends, swapping books is the norm. If I read a great book that resonates in me, of course I want to share it. In today's economy, we can't all afford to rush out and buy every book we want to read and there are tons of people who cannot afford to buy even one book. Without libraries and friends, some people, including children, would not be able to read at all.
But now I'm stuck.
These practices are found to be completely acceptable........but not in the ebook world.
I am soon to be published as an ebook author and I fully support digital media. I bought a Sony Reader and I buy more books now than I have in years. But I hear so much about how wrong it is to share ebooks.
We ran into this years ago with digital music sharing (remember that lil' site called Napster??). Geez...when we were kids, I can't even tell you how many mixed tapes I had that were songs other people taped off their tapes for me or taped off the radio. We all did it...no one was making money off it...we were just friends sharing what we had.
I am 100% behind authors, and all artists, getting the money that they are due...always have been. And of course I want to reap the benefits of all my hard work. This is my career...I want to be successful. But I find myself stuck in the middle here.... If feels hypocritical of me to say "Sharing ebooks is evil!" when I myself have borrowed treebooks (paper books) from the library and from friends for as long as I can remember.
Does anyone else feel as conflicted as I do???
But now I'm stuck.
These practices are found to be completely acceptable........but not in the ebook world.
I am soon to be published as an ebook author and I fully support digital media. I bought a Sony Reader and I buy more books now than I have in years. But I hear so much about how wrong it is to share ebooks.
We ran into this years ago with digital music sharing (remember that lil' site called Napster??). Geez...when we were kids, I can't even tell you how many mixed tapes I had that were songs other people taped off their tapes for me or taped off the radio. We all did it...no one was making money off it...we were just friends sharing what we had.
I am 100% behind authors, and all artists, getting the money that they are due...always have been. And of course I want to reap the benefits of all my hard work. This is my career...I want to be successful. But I find myself stuck in the middle here.... If feels hypocritical of me to say "Sharing ebooks is evil!" when I myself have borrowed treebooks (paper books) from the library and from friends for as long as I can remember.
Does anyone else feel as conflicted as I do???
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