Apr 23, 2010 | Writing |
For the writers: I love this post by Bob Mayer! Talk about smacking me upside the head with reality. I always make excuses for why I get good things when I get them. Just yesterday, when I found out that The Prince's Royal Concubine was a Top Pick from RT for the month of June, I emailed my pal Kimberly Lang and said how excited I was — and then I made an excuse for why it happened this time, as if it was due to the concurrences of planetary alignments, eclipses, the bad winter, etc, and nothing at all to do with the story I wrote.
Don't worry, she promptly emailed me back and told me to stop being so silly and of course it was because the book deserved it. đ Sometimes you need friends to smack you with the clue stick.
I hope you enjoy the post! See how many of the signs you have. I had 11 out of 13. I'll probably always think I could have done a better job, but I think that's normal. đ Let me know what you think about that post! I'm off to lunch with the fabulous Kimberly Lang right now, so will be back later……
Mar 17, 2010 | Writing, Life, Contests, Books |
Hey, y'all! Life has sure been busy the last few days, let me tell you. Yesterday, I had wonderful intentions to write all day. Didn't happen. First, there was the emergency trip to Sherwin Williams to buy paint samples. Then there was the curtain lady from JCP who came to try and sell me custom curtains (this is what happens when you go to a home show and sign up for stuff without thinking about it too much). The curtain appointment took 3 hours — and we were only talking about TWO windows!
After she left, it was back to Sherwin Williams for more samples. Then I had to wait at home in case the painter came by to see what I'd chosen (but I still hadn't chosen!). Once my hubby got home, it was back to Sherwin Williams a third time for more paint. I bought 7 samples yesterday, and finally made a decision. The painter is relieved, I'm sure. Tomorrow, he starts painting. Whew, who knew choosing paint was so hard?
This morning, as if yesterday wasn't busy enough, another guy from the Home Show came by. This was for a yard service and termite control. Since Hubby and I suck at yard care (weeds, fertilizing, etc), we really wanted to see what this would cost. Totally reasonable, so I signed us up. And for the termite control too.
(I didn't buy the curtains, however, if you were wondering. Though the fabric was beautiful, I have a hard time with $2500 for curtains for two windows — tall windows, to be sure, but still.)
This afternoon, I have to go pick up the paint that the painter is ordering this morning. And somewhere in all this mess, I have a book to finish. I'm seriously getting cranky about it too. Because I figured out a plot problem and fixed it, and now it's time to move forward. But my motion was on hold for household things, which has really frustrated me.
The best part of yesterday, however, was getting my North American author copies of The Prince's Royal Concubine. I wasn't expecting them so early, but when I saw the UPS man, I knew that's what it had to be because I hadn't ordered anything recently. So you know what this means! To celebrate, I'm giving away a copy today on the blog. Leave a comment and tell me about the best book you read recently. (Does not have to be mine, btw.) Or you can tell me about how life got in the way of something you were doing. đ
Update: using the handy dandy Random Number Generator, the winner is Jayme! Jayme, please email me your contact info and I'll get the book out to you ASAP! Thanks for all the comments, y'all! I enjoyed hearing about the books you like, and about your little life detours. đ
Mar 4, 2010 | Photos, Writing, Travel, Research |
For the writers amongst you, I've put the links to my series on how to write a Harlequin Presents in the sidebar. Scroll down to the “For Writers” category, and all the posts are listed there to make it easier to find in future. Hope you enjoy. đ
I'm still buried in this Russian book, but things are looking better. I was browsing the web for images for my inspiration file, and I came across these that I want to share with you. (Yes, these were taken by talented photographers who are not me.) đ
I believe this is from the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, but I'm not quite sure. (It might also be from the Smolny Convent.) Years ago, and I won't say how many, ahem, I had the privilege of traveling to Russia. We flew to St. Petersburg first (still called Leningrad, if that gives you an idea), and spent 3 days there before boarding an overnight train to Moscow, where we spent another 3 days. It was an amazing trip. The palaces are beautiful, and the landscape was prettier than I expected it to be. Fortunately, we were there in May, and it was quite warm. It also never got fully dark at that time of year.
This next picture is of Peterhof, Peter the Great's palace on the Gulf of Finland. We got to tour it, and I have a photo of me standing on one of the bridges over the canal with this palace in the background. It's an amazingly beautiful place, full of gilt and art and antiques. My hero also has a palace, but it's not this grand. And of course he had to buy it back from the State after the fall of communism. But looking at these photos gives me an idea of what his palace is like, though on a smaller scale.
This is the Winter Palace, also known as The Hermitage Museum. It's a gorgeous palace on the banks of the Neva river. We spent hours wandering through the galleries. I see this photo as representing my hero's home. The Winter Palace is actually quite grand and vast, but this small slice of it makes it look like it could be a grand house on an estate somewhere. I especially love the snow capped trees.
More info on the Winter Palace here.
I love finding photos for inspiration. It's one of the most fun parts of beginning a new book. Thank heavens for Google! You can have photos at your fingertips and start writing about a place you've never been in a matter of hours. Yes, I've been to Russia, but I've never been to Argentina (The Devil's Heart, July 2010 UK) or the Arabian desert (Kept for the Sheikh's Pleasure, Sep 2010 UK). As much as I'd like to go to these places for real, I'm grateful for the tools that bring them to my fingertips. Even with Russia, it's been a long time and I needed a refresher.
Jan 25, 2010 | Writing, Research, Books |
I'm starting a new book this week, and I'm at that stage where I'm trying to figure out what the driving emotional problem is. I wrote a chapter back at the end of August on a new idea, and I think that's what I'm going to go with, but as I reread what I had, there's a big gaping hole: emotional conflict. *sigh*
I always do this. I always see a scene, write it, and wonder what is really going on. I still don't know, but I hope to figure it out quick. This book, if I am able to figure it out, takes place in Russia. đ That's a new setting for me, but I have in fact been to Russia — though it was many years ago, and things have no doubt changed quite a bit.
But I remember how extraordinary Red Square was. How vibrant the colors on St. Basil's. How brilliant the golden onion domes of the churches inside the Kremlin walls. The Faberge eggs were amazing too. I can hardly remember all the impressions I had of the country, but I love exploring my memories this way. It was a truly extraordinary experience.
What kind of settings would you like to read about? So far, I've written about Spain, the Caribbean, a Mediterranean kingdom of my invention, a desert kingdom, and Argentina. Next, it looks like Russia (assuming I figure out what the emotional conflict is). Have you been anywhere that you would love to read about in a novel?
P.S. Cavelli's Lost Heir has spent four weeks on Bookscan's Top 100 Bestselling Romances List! Thanks so much to all my readers for making this happen. đ
Dec 14, 2009 | Writing, Contests |
I have followed the comment trail over at I Heart Presents with sadness and even a bit of disappointment. It's up to the editors to sort out the rules, and I will not comment on that at all. And while I DO understand the disappointment of some of the people who are commenting, I have to say that I don't think personal attacks are ever warranted.
Yes, I was an unknown when I won the first Presents contest. And you can bet I was damn happy. Thrilled to freaking pieces. I didn't expect I had an automatic pass through the publishing doors, however. As it turned out, I did not. I had to work hard, through two sets of revisions in which I wanted to tear my hair out and even cried because I thought I was failing big time and would never get bought, but would quietly fade away when my lovely editor rejected me and stopped answering emails.
Happily, I finally nailed those revisions and my lovely editor bought the book. Four books later, I'm still thrilled and amazed. And I still have revisions and I still work hard and bite my nails and wonder if my editor will reject me. Because it DOES happen, y'all. Being published is not a guarantee of future publication. (So if you tell me that because I'm published, it's easy for me, I can assure you that you are wrong. Whether you believe it or not. And no, I didn't believe it before I was published either.)
I will not speak to rules, because I am not qualified to make that judgment. But I can tell you that the two published winners didn't get an automatic pass into the top two. Their work had to be outstanding, and it had to live up to the Presents promise. I don't believe either one of them deserve to be attacked personally, whether or not you like that they won or think they violated a rule. It's your right to be disappointed, and to express dismay that published authors were allowed to enter. It's even your right to demand to know how the rules were applied and whether or not they were violated. But it's not your right to be mean to these women.
And I will say this until I'm blue in the face: JUST BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T WIN DOES NOT MEAN YOU WON'T SELL TO THE LINE! Ask Tina Duncan, Maisey Yates, and Mira Lyn Kelly! Of the two runners up when I won, one of them went on to sell into TRADE PAPERBACK under another name. I won't out her because she may not want that, but believe me when I tell you the woman is amazingly talented! I am thankful to call her a friend and to run ideas past her even now.
I understand being disappointed to realize you were competing against published authors. But who do you think you're competing against whenever you submit a manuscript? Your work has to be as good as what's published in the line to get bought. You are competing, whether you know it or not. And I really don't know whether there were published authors in the contest I won; being published already does not automatically make you a better writer for a particular line than someone unpublished who is targeting the same line. I've heard, from reliable sources, about single title writers who want to break into Presents and can't. They don't have the voice, and all the publishing credits in the world won't get them bought if they can't write the story.
Okay, so that's my opinion. If you were disappointed by the outcome, good grief I don't blame you at all! But please don't listen to the naysayers who tell you that you might as well give up because you'll never get a fair look and you can't compete with published authors. YOU CAN. You do it every time you submit, so keep writing and keep growing. It took me 15 years to get published. How long will you keep trying before you give up for good?
Dec 7, 2009 | Books, Writing, News |
The end is in sight, y'all. I hope to get there very soon, but when I looked at my daily totals recently, I realized I've written nearly 20k in a little over a week. It's a lot of work, at least for me, and I can't believe how much I got done in so short a time. I don't recommend you do this if you don't have to, btw. đ Thinking this hard, feeling my characters' emotions so strongly over so short a period, wears me out. I really look forward to at least a week of vegging and enjoying holiday activities. (Though I expect revisions, I hope I won't get them immediately.)
But I did have some good news to bolster me! (Besides Cavelli's Lost Heir appearing on the eHarlequin bestseller lists!) First, I learned that my fourth book has been accepted. The Devil's Heart is a July 2010 release in the UK! I'm very excited about this story. There is an Argentinian hero, a half-American half Italian heroine, and a priceless jewel.
The last bit of good news I got was the UK cover for The Prince's Royal Concubine, due out in March 2010, and a North American release date! The book will be out in Harlequin Presents in June 2010. To whet your appetite, I'm giving you an exclusive sneak peak at an excerpt right here on this blog. But first, the back cover copy:
Two glittering royal housesâŠ
Prince Cristiano di SavarĂ© hunts his prey by ruthless means. Tonightâs pickingsâŠAntonella Romanelli, crown princess of a rival country and part of a dynasty he has every reason to despiseâŠ
âŠone majestic seduction
Antonella is rocked by Cristianoâs unexpected magnetism. But thereâs ice in his wolfish smile⊠Sheâs far from the promiscuous, spoiled socialite he believes her to be, but Cristiano is here to persuade her into compliance. If bedding her is what it takes, then it will make his mission all the more pleasurableâŠ
EXCERPT:
Antonella emerged onto the top deck of the yacht, in search of someone who could arrange for a launch. She nearly stumbled when she caught sight of the man conversing with the yachtâs captain.
Cristiano di Savaré in a tuxedo had been magnificent. But Cristiano in Bermuda shorts, a crisp Polo, flip-flops, and Ray-Bans was downright sinful. He looked nothing like a prince and everything like some erotic fantasy of a muscled cabana boy who lived to serve the woman lucky enough to hire him.
He turned at her approach, no doubt because the captain ceased paying attention to him and watched her progress. She could see the captainâs eyes moving over her appreciatively, but it was Cristianoâs gaze she felt most keenly. Though he wore mirrored sunglasses, she was aware of the burning scrutiny behind them.
Sheâd dressed in a cotton wrap dress and sported a pair of sandals with a sensible heel. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, and sheâd gone minimal with her makeup. She wasnât trying to attract attention, and yet it never seemed to matter. Attention was what she got.
âYou have heard about the storm?â Cristiano said, skipping the preliminaries.
Antonella pushed away a tendril of hair that escaped her ponytail and blew across her lips. âYes. When is the launch?â she asked, turning to the captain.
âThere is a slight delay,â Cristiano said before the captain could reply. âMany in the harbor are requesting transportation.â
âI see.â
âHave you made flight arrangements yet?â
âNo. I had hoped to go straight to the airport and take care of it.â
âBueno. You may fly with me.â
Antonellaâs pulse beat like the wings of a thousand hummingbirds. The man was unbelievable. âThank you, but no. I will get a flight when I reach the airport.â
Cristiano shoved the Ray-Bans onto his head. The sunlight had disappeared as clouds rolled into the harbor. His eyes, she realized, werenât blue or gray. They were deep, dark brown.
No, green.
Hazel, thatâs what it was called. Brown ringed the pupil, but the bulk of the iris was green.
Striking.
How had she missed this at dinner last night? Sheâd sat across from him, but sheâd barely looked directly at him with RaĂșl sitting beside her. The one time she had, sheâd been far more mesmerized by the look on his face than the color of his eyes.
âAntonella,â he said sharply.
She jerked. âWhat?â
âDid you hear me?â
âYou were talking about your jet.â
âYes. Itâs ready, and I have room for you. All commercial flights off the island are booked.â
âBut you just asked me if Iâd made arrangements!â
âI meant last night, before the hurricane changed direction.â
She shook her head emphatically. âIâll take my chances at the airport.â
Was she crazy? She might despise him, but was it worth putting herself in danger to have the satisfaction of refusing him? Wasnât the most important thing to get back to Monteverde and speak to her brother? If only Dante had been the one to come to Canta Paradiso! Heâd have gotten Vega Steel and this would all be moot.
Except he had to stay to hold the country together. And his wife was about to give birth. Antonella had been the only choice, and sheâd failed. She wanted to climb back into bed and pull the covers over her head until it all went away.
But she couldnât. Cowardice was not an option.
âDonât be childish,â Cristiano snapped.
Arrogant bastard. She forced herself to take a long, slow breath before speaking. âItâs not childish to avoid the company of people you despise.â
âNo, but it is childish to put yourself in danger because of it.â
It was disconcerting to hear her thoughts echoed in his words.
Antonella stared at the mountains rising around the harbor. The airport was on the other side of those mountains. It could take hours to reach at this rate. Dark clouds billowed over the green peaks like a thick blanket unrolling. The wind had already picked up speed in the few hours between the time sheâd gone to bed and now.
How she got home didnât matter, so long as she did. âI will fly with you if there is no other option. Though when we reach the airport, I will check to see if I can book a flight first.â
âAs you wish, Principessa.â
âBut I cannot fly into Monterosso.â How would that look? And how would she get home to Monteverde? There were no direct flights, and the border was cut off. A princess of Monteverde could not be ferried across the border by Monterossan soldiers. It was unthinkable.
His expression hardened. âOf course not. We will land in Paris first. You can arrange transport from there.â
A dark thought occurred to her. âHow do I know you will keep your word? That you wonât take me to Monterosso and demand a ransom for my return?â
His voice stroked over her like silk. âIf I were to kidnap you, mia bella, I could think of far more interesting things to do than demand a ransom.â
What do you think of this cover? (I think I need a fan and some ice water!)
