Mar 23, 2009 | Writing, Travel, General, Celebrations
Don't forget to comment on the one year anniversary post below for a chance to win a prize!
Okay, so I can't believe it's Monday already. Probably because I blogged on Saturday (see post immediately beneath this one for link). And I have nothing new to talk about! I'm still so excited about my fab cover, and yes I will be putting it in the sidebar very soon and on my website.
I could just stare at it all day! I love my Alejandro. So sexy. Ahem, where was I? Oh yes, nothing to talk about. The weekend raced by. Hubby and I went out to do errands on Saturday, then went to my parents' house for dinner yesterday. Suddenly, it's Monday. Hubby is back at work and I'm staring at the WIP. Characters are stuck in a house together, alone, and sparks are flying. I suppose I should really be listening in and typing, come to think of it.
One of my friends went to Costa Rica to finish her book before deadline. I'm wishing I could do that. Instead, I'll have to pretend. *sigh* Time to whip out the tropical poster and play island music, I guess…..
If you could go anywhere to finish your book, where would it be? Or where have you gone that was good for the muse? (When I lived in Hawaii, I didn't write nearly as much as I should have — found the beaches and lifestyle distracting, in fact. LOL!)
Oct 17, 2008 | Travel, General, Fun |
Every year, the Heart of Dixie RWA has a retreat. This is my second year going, and I am so looking forward to it! As you read this, I'll be meandering my happy way into the Tennessee mountains, chatting with a friend, and looking forward to the massage waiting for me this afternoon.
After the massage, I'll shower and get dressed (casually, very casually) for a fun evening of talking, dancing, drinking some concoction or other, and general whooping it up by the giant fireplace in the Inn.
Saturday is general laziness, along with massages (not me since mine is today) and a plotting party. It was at the retreat last year that I mentioned my desire to write for Harlequin Presents — and Kelley St. John told me to go for it. She also sent me the contest announcement about a month later. 🙂
Saturday evening is our Murder Mystery party. Last year, we dressed like 1920s gangsters and it was a blast. This year, we're going for more casual — a spa retreat, which means we get to wear our pajamas and all be girls (I was Rhett Bumbler last year — the fedora and fake cigarette was fun, but I'm glad to be a girl this time).
Monday morning, I'll be back at the computer, hopefully refreshed and ready to work. Hope your weekend is a blast too!
Jun 13, 2008 | Research, Writing, Travel |
Aside from hot alpha males with attitude and heroines who whip them into shape? Travel. Exotic locations.
Finally, all that time in Europe is paying dividends! (Although it paid plenty of dividends when I lived and traveled there — priceless experience.) But now, I get to revisit those places I loved while I create the world of my Harlequin Presents story.
I didn't stay in the Gritti Palace in Venice, but it's the inspiration for one of my hero's hotels. The Gritti Palace starts around 500 Euros a night. Can you imagine?
There was a time, when I lived there, when that would have cost about $350. Today, it's nearly $800. I don't think I'll be staying there anytime soon. 🙂
But I can imagine it! I can view the pictures and see my hotel come to life. I can imagine the luxury of that place, the service, the gorgeous views from that terrace. I'm doing armchair traveling to write this story and I LOVE IT! Why didn't I do this sooner?
I always wanted to write for Presents. But I stubbornly kept putting it off. Until the Instant Seduction contest. I can't thank HM&B enough for having the contest. I'd still be saying someday, and I wouldn't be armchair traveling through my old guidebooks and getting inspired by pictures of sumptuous rooms and table settings.
What do you write and why do you love it? Do you love to armchair travel? What's the best vacation you ever had? The coolest place you ever lived?
**Best Vacation: Venice
**Coolest Place I lived: Toss up between Europe and Hawaii
May 5, 2008 | Writing, Travel, Research |
One of the fun things about being a writer is that you never know where you'll find inspiration. Saturday, I was so looking forward to my historic homes tour because, though I love old houses, I also needed to have a complete picture in my head of an antebellum mansion for one of my books. And going on this tour delivered in spades!
From the gardens to the infinity edge pool, the 200 yr-old oak trees, the plaster friezes and medallions, the leaded glass, the art gallery (!), and the indoor racketball court, this house had it all. It had the new and the old all meshed together in a home built in 1858. And, this person had more art on the walls of this home (not to mention in the art gallery he'd built) than the official art museum downtown has. In fact, as I was walking through, I saw the original painting of a print I have. Talk about stunned. Who knew?
Though I'd gone to see the house, it was actually the gardens that inspired me. I'd envisioned my antebellum mansion having gardens, but I hadn't envisioned the gardens to this extent. Now, I know what the sweeping lines look like — the ornamental grasses, the statuary, the fountains, the trees, the benches — and I can remember them while I write.
Of course it's possible to get your inspiration from a research book, too. I've certainly done that when I needed something. For one of my books, I need a jungle. I've lived in Hawaii, so I've seen jungles of a sort, but I can't go to a South American jungle for research. Hence the book I bought that details living and traveling through jungles. Cool.
For my Harlequin Presents, THE SPANISH MAGNATE'S REVENGE, I have a bag full of things I got in Madrid — maps, brochures, postcards — and the photos I took. I loved Madrid. What a fabulous, lively place! I'd go back in a heart beat. Maybe my Spanish magnate has a brother who needs a book. Even a friend would do. I'd have an excuse to go explore those art galleries again, to sit in the Plaza Mayor and sip a Tio Pepe.
This July, I'm going to New Orleans for a family trip. I'm looking forward to that because I plan to, you guessed it, use the trip for research. It's been many years since I've been there, and I want to explore the French Quarter, take the River Road trip to see the plantations, and enjoy the local food. I never know what will strike me as something I need for a story, you know?
Do you have any favorite research methods? Do you travel for inspiration? Have you ever used a place you've been as a setting, or used an element from it, in your stories? If you could go anywhere to research a setting, where would you go?
May 2, 2008 | Travel, Photos, Life, Fun
What's on tap for you this weekend? I'm going inside this gorgeous home. It's the oldest documented antebellum mansion in Alabama. Every year, the town of Twickenham, which is Huntsville's historic district, opens several homes to the public. For a mere $17, I get to tramp through about six beauties, peering at people's antiques, going gaga over their renovations and views, and wishing like heck I had the kind of money to afford one of these babies.
Ah well, at least I get to go inside! I think it's a cool thing that people open these old homes to the public. The tour raises awareness for preservation of old homes, and shows people just what treasures we have still in the South today. Read more about the Huntsville Tour of Homes here.
Hope you have a great weekend! Once I finish that tour, I'll be writing like crazy!
Feb 11, 2008 | Photos, Writing, Travel |
Okay, so it wasn't really a weekend, it was only a day. And there were 150 other people in the room too, so I guess I wasn't strictly spending time with Bob. But writing is about the hook (and, frankly, about lying), so there it is.
L to R is me, Misty Wright, Danniele Worsham, Bob, and Kim Kerr. We're the Heart of Dixie members who drove to Atlanta for the workshop.
Bob had lots to say about writing. Some of it I won't do (outlining). Some of it I will (lots, actually). If you can't go to a Bob Mayer workshop, pick up a copy of The Novel Writer's Toolkit, which the workshop comes from. The book is pretty good, though Bob's in-person delivery is better.
I also got to meet the fabulous and hilarious Jennifer LaBrecque. Here we are again, sans Misty, with Jen. I sat next to Jen throughout the day (8:30 to 4:00) and she kept me laughing for much of it. 🙂 You can find Jen blogging over at The Soapbox Queens.
I also got to see my buddy Carol Burnside! No pics of Carol, but that's because I was dumb and didn't take my own camera. I “stole” these pics from Danniele, who is smart enough to have her camera everywhere she goes. I must remember to take the camera!
I returned from Atlanta feeling energized and ready to work. Good speakers do that for you. Bob doesn't paint rosy pictures of writing, but he doesn't tell you you'll never succeed at it either. I've met those types, the ones who say don't give up your day job and you'll never make enough money to support yourself. Yeah, I know the odds are long, but the reality is that some people do make a living at writing. Not everyone is a J.K. Rowling (most aren't, in fact), but it's damn possible to support yourself if you work hard.
One of the most interesting things Bob said (I thought) was that we're in the entertainment business and we have to remember that our books are products. You are producing a product, not a baby — even though you've put your heart and soul into the work. You have to be able to see your book like a reader sees it. Because that's how an industry professional is going to evaluate your work. They want to sell it, not wallow in the lovely and amazing words you slaved over. Painting a pretty picture, getting lost in linguistic gymnastics simply because you want to do it, isn't the goal. Creating a compelling story is. Make the reader care about your characters, not your pretty sunset.
And now, to take the hardest part of the advice Bob gave, I'm off to use my computer for writing, not surfing.
Have you attended a workshop or class that inspired you? Changed any part of your process because of it? Did it work for you or did you go back to the old way of doing things?
