I’ve known Jamie Denton for over a decade. We first met on CompuServe as members of one of the first online chapters of RWA. She was an inspiration to me then and even more so now. Check out this golden nugget I swiped from her webpage:

“Not only have her books appeared on bestseller lists, but she is also the recipient of several notable reader and reviewer’s choice awards, including nominations for Best Harlequin Temptation and Best Harlequin Blaze from Romantic Times, back-to-back RITA nominations and a National Readers’ Choice Award nomination for Best Erotic Romance.”

Needless to say, girlfriend’s been busy.

And now, here’s Jamie!

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Location! Location! Location!

There’s a joke about that line, but I’ll be darned if I can remember what it is. I do know location is important when you’re talkin’ real estate. And I suppose location is important, too, for movie makers. In the case of the latter, the location can be as important to the film as a main character.

For me, location hasn’t always been all that important when it comes to crafting stories. I’ve set many of my stories in the Los Angeles area because I lived there for the first 35 years of my life and knew Southern California like the back of my hand. I knew the freeways, the back alley ways, which beaches had what. I’m quite proud of the fact that there wasn’t a shopping mall in three counties I hadn’t shopped.

But then we moved. We relocated to the middle of nowhere and I was told that no one wants to read a book set in the middle of nowhere (although I did manage to set at least one book in North Dakota). For the most part, I relied on memory, and if I wanted to set a story in a place I’d never been, I called on friends who lived there, travel books, and the AAA’s free publications. Finally the Internet exploded and it became much easier to soak up the characteristics of certain locations without even having to leave the comfort of my office. These days I do get out of my office more, thank heavens, but that’s another blog post for another day

When I was preparing to write DEAD STOP, I wanted a college town with a small town feel. I wanted the residents to know each other, I wanted them bonded by their shared histories. Serenity Heights, a town where nothing bad ever happens, was going to be a fictional town, but I really wanted a “model” that I could play with and mold to suit my own needs. One of my plotting partners suggested Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. Even better, I could actually visit the town since it was within driving distance.

I was thoroughly enchanted by Oberlin, by its rich history and the friendliness of the few residents I came in contact with. I knew from the moment I stepped out of my car and walked down Main Street that Oberlin would make the perfect Serenity Heights, that safe little fictional town where nothing bad ever happens — that safe little fictional town that I was planning to terrorize.

Currently I’m trying to nail the setting of my next romantic suspense. I’ve yet to set the actual location of the book, but I do know this one requires a big city. Any suggestions?

I have written many a WIP. Most in various stages of not finished. (If I mentioned there is almost 30 of them would you throw something at me? I have writer’s ADD, what can I say. Anyhoo . . . .)  Or I have great ideas for books and I will write down a line or two just to help me remember whenever I can sit my arse down and work on it. Inevitably though, I will read something, or worse, watch Lifetime and wham bam, I’ll be damned, it’s my idea.

I know there is really no such thing as an original idea anymore. Sure you can come up with a creative way to tell it, to interpret it, but truth be told it’s ALL been done before. My grievance however is the copycat effect.

I have written two-thirds of a WIP that I had read to a crit group, got so-so feedback and put it aside because I really need to re-work a certain aspect–as far as book reading goes, not so much plotline. Four years later, I am watching a (2008–so brand spanking new) Lifetime movie and low and behold the plotline is so similar I am watching the credits to see if I know the name of the “writer”. (and let me just say, this was a VERY specific storyline that the simliarities will have me doing internet searchces for a while to ensure that it was in fact a mere coincedence.)

Hollywood does this all the time–Armageddon  and Deep Impact  both came out at the same time–though I suspect the coincedence of Hollywood is a little more of one studio hearing of the others plans and trying to one-up the other–anyone remember the 3 or 4 Fisher/Buttafuoco  movies that came out the same week.

I have another WIP, again two-thirds complete only to read someone else’s book that is eerily similar and I think, “If I try and sell mine, they’ll say I copied her.” POP the book goes into hybernation or I want to run around shouting, “I swear I didn’t know she had written this book before me.” I suppose there is really no way to prove coincedence unless you go through some great lengths and have computers examined and whatnot to validate inception date–but who (other than myself) is that comletely obsessive about things?

It happens so often that other than some anal-retintive, will do anything to procrastinate writing gal like myself, people probably don’t give it a second thought. But it still freaky to me.

The modern romance heroine.
(and please note, I’m speaking in generalities here…)

She’s smart.  Sophisticated.  Talented.  In many cases, kick-ass, and able to hold her own (ask any doubting Alpha-male out there).
She’s seen a bit of the world.  She may be divorced, widowed, or a single mom.  She has a career.  She can curse like a sailor, or cut throats in the world of business.  She’s had at least one lover, often more.  These days she’s often a vampire, werewolf, demon, zombie—even the Promised One, the female fated to save the world (even if she has to use her ovaries to do it).

These are strong, capable independent women, and I applaud every one, have been known to attempt portraying them here and there.
But let me, MS. I-Hate-The-Box Raine, play devil’s advocate for a moment…

So what has become of the shy, retiring, insecure, and inexperienced heroine of yesteryear, who would blush at an inappropriate comment, dress down rather than show off her assets, draw blanks when witty conversation was called for, and cry during old black-and-white movies?

No doubt she’s taking lessons on being more assertive—and she’s got a TBR stack of books featuring kick-ass romance heroines beside her bed.

No doubt?

Maybe not.  There are a LOT of real women out there who are shy, still blush, dress conservatively, become tongue-tied, and cry during old movies.  Never mind how many scornful comments I’ve heard and read about “wallflowers”, or “repressed”, or “spineless” women.  They exist, they dream, they have hopes, they love—and they read.

And yes, many of them respect and love the uber-heroines because they can get into the skin of that fantasy and feel empowered.

But is there a difference between admiring those characters and identifying with them?  I can imagine a lot of romance readers not having heroines to RELATE to from those who are currently in vogue (not counting inspirational romance, or fantasy worlds with women wearing dog collars).

There are shy, soft-spoken women out there who don’t SEE themselves drop-kicking the car mechanic, or wearing bikini tops to the laundromat—women who would relate to heroines like themselves.  And I’m not necessarily talking about “sweet” romances, since outward appearances don’t dictate the level of heat in the bedroom.
Whatever changes such a heroine may undergo in the course of the story, maybe there’s nothing so God-awful WRONG about not being a female alpha, not being overtly sexually aggressive, or feeling like they don’t need to prove themselves to the world.

They may not be Amazons, but they’re chock-full of unrealized potential that could make GREAT stories with fantastic character arcs.
Don’t they deserve romances too?

Thoughts?

A well-known editor once said this about Romance:

“….many other forms of genre fiction get less of a bad rap, I have to believe that a greater problem is the general American spurning of the validity of emotion. Good luck working past that. Until people believe and are unashamed to admit that finding fulfillment through a personal sexual relationship is valid, romance as a genre is going to have problems.”

AH HA! Is that why Romance Writing is called smut? Trash? And cheap? No wonder.

Why is it that people have such a hard time dealing with emotion? God forbid folks admit that silly things like love, marriage, and COMMITTED SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS (not just shagging anything that’s warm and breathing) are what separates us from the animals. Why does true, heartfelt emotion embarrass many of us?

In romance two people with issues meet and go through hell to find their happily ever after. In romance, (just like in life) EVERYBODY has baggage. So when two headcases (admit it, we’re all a little whacked) can scale each other’s walls and find completeness, that’s a damned miracle. It should be celebrated not ridiculed and belittled.

Romance writing isn’t easy. In fact I think our task is even more difficult. Not only do we have to sustain and develop an external conflict, we have to juggle two separate emotional journeys. That’s three sets of conflict, bucko. Two internal (hero & heroine) and one (or maybe more) external. Showing believable character growth, especially in matters of love takes skill. Anybody who thinks they can just bang out a romance novel in a weekend is sorely mistaken. This isn’t rocket science, but it’s not Fun With Dick & Jane either. It’s deep and complex. After all, we’re dealing with the intricacies of the human condition. What say you?

I never used to used to listen to music while I wrote.  I’ve always preferred quiet, but for whatever reason that’s changed.  The play lists I used to create to listen to while I wasn’t writing have turned into soundtracks for my stories.  Each song fits a specific scene, while some songs fit the whole theme.

The title of my September release is MY PREROGATIVE, which is also the title of a song by Bobby Brown, (redone years later by Britney Spears).  The title alone should tell you a bit about this story.  While the song isn’t exactly perfect for the book, the title fits, and the song was still on the play list…

I admit it,  a lot of me is in Kelsey.  I’ve been a bartender/waitress for 20 years, and I’ve traveled all over the world.  The idea was to give those who’ve never worked a job like that a glimpse at how a person’s outlook on life can be different.  Your mind works a bit different when you live a world that is almost always dark, when you watch the sun rise before going to bed, and get up just before the sun sets.

The first song on the MY PREROGATIVE play list was  Cuz I Can ~ Pink “I drink more than you, I party harder than you, and my cars faster than yours too. Hah!”

When Cuz I Can first starts you can hear that line…trash talk’n before the song even starts.  It sets the mood, and I love it. I love Pink; I think she’s the epitome of a person who stays true to herself, especially in a business with so much pressure to conform.  From her debut album MIZUNDERSTOOD, she’s remained true to who she is…and that’s how I saw Kelsey, the heroine in MY PREROGATIVE.

Like most people Kelsey is multi-dimensional, so as the songs of the playlist are revealed, you’ll see that there are layers…but to start with.. what Kelsey shows the world is her gypsy style happy love life side. Then we start to peel away the layers, and see more and more of what she thinks, how she feels, and who she is.  Each one of these songs struck a chord with me while I was writing Kelsey’s story…so check them out..
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So Ames got me wondering (scary thought I know). Do folks wanna sell no matter what the cost? Not pulling any one publisher e or otherwise out as an example, but there are some good ones out there and there are some disreputible ones. Both keep signing new authors and publishing more and more books.

I do think some authors, when they get that offer or contract, have that little squiggle in their tummy that says, “y’know maybe you oughtta wait a minute and think on this.” But all they can see is the author name, title and ISBN number. Alas, they are blinded and sign away often times they lose in the end, but they were not to be detered. They could only see the book and not the details that followed.

Then there are folks who self publish. I have know a few. There are verious reasons why they go this path, but it seems ever harder to me. A couple of these folks have sold enough books that it made it worth the time and effort, but with the infux of new books out in the market every year, not having that publsiher behind you for an extra little push it’s very difficult.

Patience is NOT my strong suit. I don’t know what I would have done had I not been lucky when I sold my first book(s) to Samhain (Whom I adore). And by lucky I mean that they ARE a publsiher I adore. I’d like to think I wouldn’t take “just” whomever would offer me a contract–at the same time, I suppose the authors are submitting, it’s not like these publsihers are seeking them out right? Any which route you go, it’s difficult.

I guess it comes down to: do your homework. Know who you’re submitting to.

(my brain hurts now . . . enough thinking for this week)

No, not the television show. Dear Author has already blogged about it, twice even. And, in case you have no clue what I’m talking about, agent Lori Perkins is working with some of her clients on a new e-publishing venture. As in she’s editing and apparently, buying material.

We’ve already done a deal with the Harvey Klinger Agency for one of our launch books.

With the caveat that the lack of information and the vagueness of it all kind of bothers me, I’m totally intrigued with the idea of Ravenous Romance, and here’s why… Will having an agent and a long-time publishing professional at the forefront of this endeavor raise the bar in e-publishing? ( Will more quality e-publishers rise to the top while the more questionable ones fall to the wayside? Is this another huge step in the evolution of original* e-publishing? )  

Now, before you get all psycho-cheerleader on me, hear me out. I’m not saying all previous e-publishers suck…or anything else equally as narrow-minded. I started out in e-publishing, and I have my loyalty to it. I also think e-publishing has done a lot to change the face of publshing as we know it, but I’m not dumb and I’m not blind. And while I think we can all agree that questionable books get published by New York every week, I think it’s also safe to say that, by and large, quite a bit of questionable material gets pushed out of the gate in e-publishing as well. Because, well, anyone can set up shop as an epublisher, anyone can call themselves an editor and anyone can call themselves a cover artists, but that doesn’t make it true, or *gulp* wise.

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*I say original as in original release, not e-book versions released by NY publishers.

*snicker* I made a funny! Okay, seriously…..

Our good friend, Sasha White will be here on Wednesday promoting her new book, MY PREROGATIVE!

Kelsey Howard is happy with the single life. She has friends, a job tending bar, a nice apartment, and the freedom to enjoy wild sex games with strangers— the riskier the better. But what she really wants is love.

Then Kelsey realizes she’s got a voyeuristic neighbor watching her every move—and every move she makes is arousing them both. Not only is she not scared, she thinks she may have found her soul mate. Especially when she meets the mystery man in the flesh. That’s when the fun really starts, and Kelsey realizes just how far she’s prepared to go for love.

I would like to introduce you to one of my guilty little pleasures.
(Don’t give me that look—we all have them).

A few years ago I was channel-surfing, not really paying much attention.  I noticed that I’d landed on a station that was showing a marionette-type program, something obviously meant for children.
And then I started watching…

I saw a tiny little service station attendant walk up to a tiny little sports car and fill the tiny little tank.  Suddenly, the tiny little driver backed his car over the attendant who screamed in agony, his body flattened beneath the wheels, and the tiny little driver sped away without paying.

Oh yeah.  I was immediately on board.

The show was called “Captain Scarlet”.  It was produced in the 1960s, and featured something called Supermarionation.  And they were not kidding.

There were tiny little people living in LIFELIKE tiny little homes, driving tiny little cars, flying tiny little jets.  And whoever was in charge of making this thing was very fond of blowing things up—and yes, they were REAL explosions, and done very well.

I confess, I was fascinated.  Tiny little guns fired tiny little bullets that left holes in tiny little bodies (when they weren’t wearing tiny bulletproof vests).  Tiny little furniture with tiny little drawers that really opened.  There were tiny little video screens, tiny little landscapes, tiny little waterfalls, tiny EVERYTHING, done in AMAZING detail. 

Captain Scarlet was the hero with rugged jaw and blue eyes, who sounded amazingly like Cary Grant.

He, of course, had backup, which included the jet-flying Angels.  Destiny Angel, a hawt little blonde, was obviously Scarlet’s favorite.

And then came the fateful day…

Captain Scarlet and his gang celebrated a victory.  And there was Captain Scarlet dressed to the nines, coolly sipping a tiny flute of champage, and Destiny Angel, decked out in a skin-tight dress with a tiny feather boa.
Naturally, I imagined the rest.
Captain Scarlet woud ply Destiny with champagne from his tiny little bottle.  He’d slip into his tiny smoking jacket, fondle her pert, tiny breasts, proceed with a tiny bit of foreplay, then whip out his tiny little erection to the sound of her tiny, high-pitched cries…

The interesting thing is that, although I watched a number of the programs, and I remember that the detail was INCREDIBLE—I couldn’t tell you what ANY of the storylines were about.

Morals of this story?
1) Don’t get TOO bogged down in the details.  You may impress your reader for a while, but overload is a distraction.  The details should EMBELLISH the story, not overwhelm it.
2) You can come up with a blog that equates writing to just about ANYTHING if you try hard enough.

Imagine you’re in a theater or reading a book. You’ve invested a large chunk of your time immersed in this fictional world. The plot, the characters … everything about the story has got you wound tighter than a corkscrew. You can’t wait to get to the end, but then once you do, the unspeakable happens…

You hate it. In fact, you have a particularly violent reaction. You scream foul. You breathe fire. You fantasize about doing bad things to the writer, director, whatever. I’ve had this experience before. In each case, it wasn’t that the writing was bad, (on the contrary, it was so good, the characters sprang to life).  It’s just that I’m a romance writer. My idea of a satisfying ending doesn’t always jibe with the fiction I read or the movies I watch. That’s why I sometimes imagine my own endings, and you can bet they’re way different than the originals.

What novel or film ending do you wish you could rewrite and what specifically would you change?

Here are just a few of my rewrites. Spoilers abound … so you’ve been warned.
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