After a bit of hesitation on my part, I finally saw the film Pan’s Labyrinth last weekend.

It’s an intriguing movie.
A very strong film.  And the visuals are startling. 

It’s also an example of fairy tale as administered by a sledgehammer.

Do NOT see this film if you’re manic depressive.
Or coked up.
Or paranoid.
Or make it a habit to look under your bed before retiring.

With liberal does of both grim Grimm’s and harsh, brutal reality, it didn’t work for me.  There was simply nothing in between, no rest, no respite, no gray areas. 
Even if I considered the ending a HEA (and that would depend on your pov), I was simply so battered by the time I GOT to the end, all the pixie dust in the world couldn’t revive me.

However, it is a lesson to be learned in storytelling, I think.

If you’re going to put your heroes and heroines through hell (and we all know we will!), you’d damn well better make sure the payoff is worth it—or at least make the finale worth the effort you put your readers through to get there. 

Okay originally I was going to blog about awarding UWPs (Useless Whore Points) - which will have to wait - because I had an idea for this week’s blog post that actually deals with writing.   :smile: 

So. I was talking with Ames the other night via email and asked her how I redeem my hero because he’s a hit man. And she suggested that maybe he has to save the life of the heroine.

Right.

But. He saves her life in the first book, so for the second book, I can’t really have him saving her life all the time. That just gets old and makes the heroine look like a total wimpy sniveling annoying brat. Right?

So. I got to thinking about what the actual story was for book 2. It’s not that he’s a hit man anymore, I think. It’s how she’s dealing with the fact that he IS the hit man who killed her parents and now that she’s stuck with him, she is starting to have feelings for him. Not to mention grex (that’s great sex in shorthand and a total habit because when Best Good Friend and I talk about grex in work email, we have to make it something that Big Brother won’t flag. But I digress…).

So! I’m thinking the second book is about her internal conflict and how she comes to terms with the fact that yes, he is a hit man. And yes, he killed her parents. But deep down, he’s a good man who got pulled into a profession he hadn’t really ever intended on entering and now he’s sort of turned over a new leaf. Love of a good woman and all that horseshit. Not to mention that fabulous grex they’re having.

 :hump: 

Anyway. Tell me, dear readers (and writers), what do you think makes a bad guy turn good? Besides all that good woman stuff. And further, what makes a woman really want that bad guy? Aside from the whole bad guy image thingy.

. . . so totally off topic of writing specifically but this does relate . . .

I am trying to think of what promo items I want to spend my hard earned royalties on. For all you RWA folks, Nationals is just around the bend and I am thinking of the goodie room. Last year my pens went fast but NO ONE took any of the bookmarks I left–at least not noticeably, I didn’t count them–no really, swear.

What kind of promo items grab your attention, what do you snag first and really truly pay attention to–do you look what they say and check out the author’s website, blog. . .books? My friend SandyJ said to attach chocolate and I can give anything away–LOL. There were some truly inovative swag items from cans of TAB energy drinks to bags of tea to condoms (they went the quickest) and all the usual suspects or bookmarks, pens and notepads.

I like quirky, that’s just me, but for some reason the thought of pencils with the little bobble heads doesn’t seem like it would be an appropriate grab. And don’t get me started about Moonlight Madness and all the different things you can sell. . .

But again, what do you like? Let me know (and if you have links even better!) and if I pick your choice I’ll send you a few to have and to share.

I guess it’s my turn. I spent most of the weekend in bed sick (and watching basketball–bad TARHEELS BAD!!!!!!!!!) and my brain is fried. So I’m doing a best of Celibate in the Suburbs.

I swear, as Raine is my witness this is a REAL personal ad……….

My name is **** *******, I live in G**** P****

Stalk. Me Now! No No really, I swear to God he posted his real name and city. I blocked it out. Don’t know why I bothered but you know, Karma….

I don’t drink,

don’t smoke,

and it’s very important to me to talk without using foul language

Dude get a fucking life already……..shit!

expecally when I am in the prescence of a lady. I am much more attracted to women of dark colar and that is what I am looking for is to have a good relationship with a lady with dark skin. To be more perfectly clear

or to mangle grammar even more…

(more…)

For the past few weeks, I’ve been battling with one of my heroines.

I always seem to have trouble with my heroines in the beginning.  They are very stubborn women—don’t know where in the hell they get that from.

I did start out with a pretty good idea of how this bit—er, lady was supposed to be.

She refused.  Absolutely, adamantly, angrily refused.  She wouldn’t cooperate with dialogue, wouldn’t work and play well with the other characters, and wouldn’t give the hero a single inch.

So this week I let the bit—er, Leyla have her way, and wrote a rough chapter just for her, just as she fed it to me.

It was FABULOUS.

Does it make the book better?  I don’t know.  It certainly changed the storyline and the flavor of the story—but the words just flowed.  I also notice that my hero’s being a lot more cautious around her.

And silly me.  Here I thought I was writing the durn thing. 

Soooo…what have you all been struggling with lately?

So. I’m working on the edits for Book 2 of the Ransom & Fortune series, A Break In Time. Can I just say…I HATE this book? It totally sucks.

As I go through it, I think - what the HELL was I thinking? This sucks. Cut this. Rewrite this. Edit that. Bloody hell, did I really write this drivel? WTF?

I can feel myself getting agitated at the fact that this book is pissing me off so bad. But, I remind myself, this WAS a serial before it was a novel and it shows. It totally shows. And I can see my own growth as a writer. I write different than I did when this was originally birthed. And getting it up to snuff is going to take a lot of work. A LOT. I just hope I have the patience to get it there.

And, oh, have I mentioned the deadline for 270 pages of edits is due on Saturday? Can you say frazzled and raw nerves? Can you say one pissed off writer? Can you say I HATE THIS BOOK?

All together now - HATE.THIS.BOOK. And in case you’re wondering - that was halting hate.

Am I alone in this thinking? Writers: Do YOU hate the stuff you’ve written when you have to go back and make edits?

I seriously need to find my Happy Place before continuing to work on this collasal piece of shit…

I actually wrote this on Sunday with the intent of posting it on Monday, but the more I thought about it the more I waffled about jumping in with my two cents. Not because I’m afraid of hate mail or anything, but because a) my plate is pretty full right now b) I really try to avoid posting opinion pieces and c) jumping in means diverting energy from some other activity like say writing or doing laundry. In the end I skipped Monday (duh obviously) and decided to let this ferment a few more days. And still, I’m not sure I’m getting this out how I want it to come out.

I’ve been reading all the Racism in Romance surveys over at Karen’s blog….and then Sunny Lyn posted something and then Kate R. posted something on her blog about it and well, it was all downhill from there. I still can’t get past the obvious (at least to ME) that where books are shelved is a book seller issue and that’s where the problem needs to be addressed (and as a side note all my bookstores are different).

In the mean time, Eva Gale (who I don’t know) posted over at Kate’s and I hope they don’t mind because I’m going to quote her here, “There is a whole generation like me coming up, and they’re going to give all sides the finger.”

God help me, I laughed. And no, not in a “damn that was fucking hysterical” way either. More like a fist in the air laugh, if you will, because I’m not the only person out here going “It’s not all black and white.” — forgive the pun.

(more…)

The Inn Crowd by Denise Belinda McDonald
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 1-59998-440-7
Length: Novel
Price: $5.50
Publication Date: March 20, 2007 (in e-format – print version September 18, 2007)
Cover art by Anne Cain

What do you get when you have a beautiful B & B owner, an incognito movie star, his entourage and a leather wearing, hairless pooch all staying at the Wild Rose Bed and Breakfast?

Jamie Crawford needs time to unwind after his last movie. His sudden bump from B-list to A-list actor keeps him too busy to take time for himself. When an opportunity arises for him to sneak into a small Texas town and for some much-needed R & R, he snaps it up. The last thing he expects is to meet the beautiful owner and fall almost instantly head-over-heels.

Lorenna Beauchamp runs her inn and has time for little else. And that’s the way she likes it—until her stunningly handsome new guest piques an interest she thought long dormant. She breaks all her rules to get close to him. Imagine her surprise when she learns that not only has Jamie been hiding his identity, but he is one of the most sought after celebs.

Jamie has to persuade Lorenna his feelings are true while he convinces himself that loving someone isn’t detrimental to his career. Can Lorenna get past the lies and her mistrust of all things Hollywood to give Jamie a chance?

Read an Excerpt

And hey congrats on my partners in Chica-ness. Samhain is now RWA approved. Got that seal, that stamp of approval. And Raine’s got the double-whammy since Loose ID was recently approved too!

Funny Denise already has her PAN membership app printed, and I haven’t done mine yet

In the process of cruising cable channels this week, I happened upon the movie, “Walk The Line”, the biography of the late Johnny Cash.  (yes, I’m late seeing it—not a country music fan, so I didn’t think I’d care for it, but it was really pretty good!).

In between all the drama and homespun dialogue, one short bit jumped out at me from the film.  I’m going to post a little of the dialogue here, which won’t have the same impact, but may offer a little food for thought, whether you’re a singer, artist, parent, or nine-to-fiver.  And if this doesn’t hit home for you writers out there, I’m even stranger than I thought.

In the middle of trying to impress a recording agent with an a pretty monotonous hymn, the young Johnny Cash is stopped and politely turned down…

“I don’t record material that doesn’t sell, Mr. Cash—and gospel like that doesn’t sell.”

“Well…is it the gospel, or the way I sing it?”

“Both.”

(Johnny, becoming angry…)  “What’s wrong with the way I sing it?”

(Agent pauses, gives frank stare…)  “I don’t believe you.”

“You’re saying I don’t believe in God?”

“You know exactly what I’m tellin’ you.  We’ve already heard that song a hundred times…just-like-that, just-like-how-you-sang-it.”

“Well, you didn’t let us bring it home!”

“Bring—bring it home?!  Alright.  Let’s bring it home.  If you was hit by a truck, and you were lyin’ out in that gutter dyin’, and you had time to sing One Song.  One Song people would remember before you’re dirt.  One Song that would let God know what you felt about your time here on Earth.  One Song that would sum you up—you’re tellin’ me that’s the song you’d sing?  About your peace within, and how it’s real, and how you’re gonna shout it?  Or…would you sing somethin’ different.  Something real.  Something you felt.  ‘Coz I’m tellin’ you right now—that’s the kinda song people wanna hear.  That’s the kinda song that truly saves people.  It ain’t got nothin’ to do with believin’ in God, Mr. Cash.  It has to do with believin’ in yourself.”