We have another fabulously talented author joining us this Wednesday. You might have read the great reviews she’s been garnering for her most recent release HIS FOR THE TAKING at Smart Bitches Love Trashy Books, and also over at Dear Author, now you’ll get the slightly warped story behind the story straight from the author. (And I use ‘warped’ in the most complimentary manner possible.)

That’s right folks the funny, charming, slightly warped–and I’ll come clean, past critique partner of mine–Julie Cohen will be joining us!

Stay tuned…

There’s nothing like great dialogue. It’s memorable and sticks with you long after many other details of the book, movie, or tv episode have faded to blurry recall. 

Here’s some of my favourite exchanges.

From the movie Goldfinger:

Jame Bond: Do you expect me to talk?
Goldfinger: Why no, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die.

From Firefly:

Mal: Don’t hurt him. Just scare him.
Jane: Pain is scary.

From Die Hard:

Hans Gruber: Do you really think you have a chance against us, Mr. Cowboy?
John McClane: Yippee-ki-yay, m*therf*cker.

Some of the best stuff is from the older movies.

From The Thin Man:

Reporter: Say listen, is he working on a case?
Nora Charles: Yes, he is.
Reporter: What case?
Nora Charles: A case of scotch. Pitch in and help him.

From Gentlemen Prefer Blondes:

Esmond Sr.: Have you got the nerve to tell me you don’t want to marry my son for his money?
Lorelei Lee: It’s true.
Esmond Sr.: Then what do you want to marry him for?
Lorelei Lee: I want to marry him for YOUR money.

And this is from a current a wip of mine. In this scene, Winston has just met Raine at a bar:

Winston: “Uh-oh. She’s thinking. She’s thinking, ‘but he’s a stranger’.” His voice was low and softly mocking. “But just think, I won’t be a stranger tomorrow morning.”
Raine: “No. You’ll just be a memory.”
Winston:“Oooo.” He grimaced. “I’ll need a drink to recover from that one. What are you having?” He signaled to the bartender.
Raine: “Am I recovering from something too?”
Winston: “My devastating charm?”
Raine:“I’ll have a ginger ale.”

So how about you guys? Post some of your favourite dialogue exchange–tv, books, movies– in the comments.

I’ve been thinking about this post for a few weeks now, wondering how on earth to condense the story behind the story to my current release, “Test Me!”. It’s been a five year voyage to get this book to publication and I finally realized where to begin. You see, it all started with a towel.

For whatever reason, I remember thinking as I wrapped my head in a towel, that it sure would be embarrassing if I were wearing just a towel on my head and someone walked in. Not that I’m big on nude strolling, but you know, if I were to do it for 0.5 seconds…I’ve got the kind of luck that it would happen to me. And it wouldn’t be my Mom or someone who wouldn’t care. No. With my luck, it’d be some really hawt guy that I never wanted to find out the precise location of my cellulite. The idea was too delicious. It simply HAD to be written. Only, instead of me, it’d be some hot blonde or something. So, I got started on the scene and then I realized, these two have to have a good reason why he’s seeing her walk around nekkid. (You know, after I got pass the thought that she had to have a good reason for walking around nekkid.) That was when I discovered I didn’t really have very good plot skills.

(What? I told you this was a long story!)

Suffice it to say, it took quite a while to write the first complete draft of this book. I learned a lot of lessons on my way to the second draft and by the time I was sure I was done, I felt as if I’d ripped out my guts, inverted them, stretched them out and stuffed them back in. In other words, I’d learned quite a lot from several very forgiving authors and CPs and I began the long road of submissions. Believe it or not, “Test Me!” is actually now known as something of a pregnancy book. Every editor who read it had to transfer me to another editor as she went on maternity leave. I started to wonder what was in the ink. Either that or my love scenes were unbelievably potent. Let me tell you, nothing slows down a story read like three or four pregnancies.

One thing that did come out from all those editorial changes was that as likable as the homegrown hero was, there was something missing about him. His heroine was smart, sassy and intimidating and he wasn’t holding his own against her. I have to admit, I fought that. I wanted to control my hero. I wanted to make him a “Hero” with a capital H. A too good to be true and ‘why-can’t-I-have-one-of-those?’ Hero. The problem, it took way too long to admit, was that those kinds of guys are annoying as hell. They make no mistakes. They do everything because it’s the right thing and they never imagine that doing the right thing is anything but soulfully rewarding. If I had to live with that guy, I’d have killed him. I’m just not that kind of girl and neither was my heroine, Vetta. She knew that sometimes, doing the right thing really sucks. Most of the time, actually.Travis Carmichael, scientist and casual womanizer, was not one of those guys. He was that raw element of unapologetic maleness. He’s a guy. He’s a guy’s guy. If you don’t like it, go somewhere else. He needed that quality to make him worthy of my heroine. To make him worthy of me.

I don’t say that to be vain (she says, throwing her flowing hair over her well-moisturized shoulder). But write enough stories and you start to think about what kind of characters you want to be remembered for. You want to be known for believable characters. Real people with real chemistry and real conflict. At least, that’s important to me. Real characters. Real Romance. And on my good days, I want to be Really Funny. I didn’t want Travis to be a hero you forgot about. A guy with no balls who’s pretty much there for my heroine to control with little twitches of her hips. So, you might not always like him. You might want to wash his mouth out with SOAP–perhaps his brain too–but once you meet him, you’ll remember him.

Finally, the elements of the characters was right. So I sent it off to my editor over at Samhain Publishing and wouldn’t you know it, five years, five editors, two category lines retired and at least a hundred dollars in postage…Test Me! found a home. And a cover with boobs, but that’s a different story behind the story…

*~*~*~

Vanessa Jaye, here– You can get your hot little hands on TEST ME! at Samhain.

This week’s guest blogger is Dee Tenorio. Dee has several best selling titles out with Samhain Publishing, but decided to do something a little different with her current release and turned up the heat in her usually very sexy story lines to something that approached scorching! But you’ll still find her trademark humor and depth of emotion. So don’t forget to come on by and take a glimpse into the inner workings of the Dee’s thought processes. ::be afraid. be very afraid:: lol.

There’s been lots of posts recently looking back on reading accomplishments for 2007. Well, let me tell you, when I looked in my reading rearview I was surprised at the new landscape I’d entered without noticing!

While I haven’t a clue as to how many books I’ve read. I did notice one pattern that has emerged far more strongly than in any year previous: there were many (many, many) books started, but few finished. I’d honestly say about half. And I suspect my reading as a whole was down last year too. (But it was a trade off because I watched waay more DVDs and spent more time with friends.)

As for Romances, they represented a paltry 1/3 of what I read in 2007, instead the majority of my reading was fiction, mainstream, suspense/thriller, mystery, horror, YA, etc. Which also meant that 90% of the authors I read were new-to-me. (Yay!)

Of the romances I did read, most were either comfort/re-reads, or from my favorite genre– Historical Romance. I did try (and enjoy) several contemporary romances, but imho most of them, while marketed as contemporary romance, were actually Woman’s Fiction. With very few notable exceptions I stayed away from the ‘hot’ subgenres of romance– erotic and paranormal.

Conversely, because I side-stepped most of the paranormal/erotic glut of the past years, I do find my interest piqued by a couple of upcoming releases. I’m also really interested in some good sci-fi romances (if you have an recommends, I’d appreciate it!) Having said that, I think that my reading will probably continue in the same vein this year as last, with romance (while being my favorite genre) not being the genre I read the most of. (yes, yes, that *was* a dangling preposition. Geesh.)

I don’t necessarily look at this turn of events as bad, it just means when I do pick up a romance, when it works, it’s going to really work because I’ll appreciate that magic, that can only be found in romances, more, while avoided the inevitable ennui that accompanies over-indulgence in any one thing.

What about you guys? How did your reading break down for 2007? And what do you expect it to be this year?

I had a couple of things I wanted to blog about, but true to form, I’m going to go with the silly. Surprise!

Tis the season to over-indulge. There’s always one or two things that you know you shouldn’t do, eat, drink, during the holidays, that you inevitably… do, eat, drink.

And then some.

I’ve gotten the crazy spending under wraps, at this point in my life, and my friends and family, you sort of have all the gewgaws and gadgets you want or need. Not that we’re affluent, just that you realize stuff is well, stuff. Takes up space, gets dusty, cost money, just ‘another-one-of’, ‘more’, stuff.

Also, I don’t wait till Dec 20-24^th to do my shopping and/or send out my cards anymore. (Yes, folks, the crazy woman inevitably running for the till at 4:45pm on Dec 24th was me.)

But here’s one habit I can’t quit: I love me some Turtles. Those holiday boxes of 90000 bite sized pieces of delicious nougat, caramel and chopped nuts, covered in milk chocolate? I can polish off a box in a matter of hours. Like this past weekend fer instance– which marked my inaugural gorging. ::blushing::

I should feel bad. (I do). And yet, I know that before the holidays are over I’ll do it again…. (and again). Besides, around here, they’re only available during this season.

So what’s your Xmas overindulgence? Chocolates? Egg Nogg? Fuitcake? (co’mon now, the supermarkets wouldn’t stock those sweet, sweet, fruit-filled, door-stoppers if they didn’t sell). Have a secret passion for those cute battery operated dancing stuff toys? Do you need a 12 Step to get through the holidays without your glue gun? Co’mon, fess up.