The Notorious Wolfes Video
You simply have to watch this video! My November book, THE MAN WITH THE MONEY, is the fifth title in the Notorious Wolfes series. You can read more about Jack and Cara here and here.
Guest blogging
I'm over at Tote Bags N Blogs today! Talking about that all too brief down time time between books…..
Uh-Oh: Wrong direction
There comes a time in every book I'm writing that I realize I've gone the wrong direction. If I'm lucky, it's only a couple of thousand words. If I'm not lucky, it's more than that. But it doesn't matter how many or how few words I have to cut, I hate it. I get this sinking feeling every time I realize it. 🙁
Yesterday, I lost a whole day's work because of that feeling. I was writing a scene that was so hard to write it was like trying to pull words from molasses. It took me a whole day to realize why: I'd gone the wrong direction.
I only lost about 1200 words, which isn't a lot, but my first clue should have been that it took me a whole damn day to write those 1200 words. When it's coming that slow, there's definitely something wrong. But I kept thinking I'd bust through the barrier and the words would flow. They did not, and I finally had to admit defeat.
How do you know when you've taken a wrong turn? First, ask yourself how hard it is to write forward. Are you fighting for every word you put on the page? Are you staring at the screen and wondering what happens next — or, worse, clicking over to Facebook and Twitter and seeing what's happening there? If so, you might have a problem.
Not every difficult patch means you're going the wrong way. I wish I could tell you how to know for sure, but for me it comes down to being unable to envision the story continuing this way and seeing it happen another way. Yesterday, when I saw the black moment if I took another direction, I knew I had to do it because I hadn't the first clue what the black moment was going to be if I kept forcing my book down the path I was going. The surest clue for me was that I could see a way to the end, complete with character growth, if I took the new direction. The old direction had me stumped.
Sometimes, your subconscious throws this stuff at you out of seemingly nowhere. Through eleven books for Harlequin Presents so far, I've learned to listen to that subconscious. That's one of the skills necessary to having a publishing career. You have to write steadily, and you have to know when to cut. Perfectly pretty words with no goals or stakes for the characters aren't doing you any favors. Likewise, words that might have a purpose but seem to rehash things that have already happened also need to be looked at hard. There is certainly some amount of characters thinking about what happened — but if you begin a scene with a recitation of everything that's happened up to that point, you might need to look again.
I find that I can write a whole lot of pretty nothing when I'm spinning my wheels. It's recognizing that it's nothing and cutting it before it does more damage that's the trick. Fortunately, I was able to do that yesterday. And what happened when I cut it and started over? I gained the words back pretty fast, and then some.
Never be afraid to cut when it's not working. Never be afraid to try a new direction. You might surprise yourself when you do. 🙂
New York City RWA recap
It's been a while since I've posted! But I've been so darned busy you wouldn't believe. I finished a book, revised it, and had it accepted. You can read about Adan Al Dhakir's brother Malik sometime next spring (Adan is from Strangers in the Desert, my May UK release). In the meantime, I'm working on another book that's due in about 2 weeks. And in between all that, I sandwiched in the RWA conference in New York City.
It was my first ever visit to the Big Apple — and I'm in love! What a city! I could live there if only I wrote a mega-blockbuster and could afford to have an apartment overlooking Central Park or a townhouse in Greenwich Village. Alas, I think I'm going to have to remain satisfied with the occasional visit. 😉
The Romance Writers of America conference was fabulous, as always. Not that I actually make it to any workshops these days. Before I was published, I loved workshops and hit as many as I could. Now, I seem to be booked up with editor meetings, agent meetings, meeting meetings, author get togethers, etc. I wouldn't trade it for anything, but the result is that unless I'm teaching the workshop, I don't go to any. But I do buy the conference recordings so I get to enjoy the workshops later!
This year, I went a day early so that fabulous Presents author Jennie Lucas and I could go on a Greenwich Village food tour on Monday. We ate our way across Greenwich Village, I assure you. It was wonderful! And I even managed to buy two pairs of shoes. 😉 That night, I went to dinner with several of the Presents authors as well as Harlequin Historical author Michelle Willingham and Desire author Day LeClaire. Another fabulous evening!
The next day, I went on a whirlwind tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and had brunch at author Kate Hewitt's lovely apartment. Later, I met with my editor. That night was the Literacy Signing, where I saw so many readers and friends — and got to meet Jackie Hussein who took the train up from DC for the event, and Pearl from Pearl's World of Romance, who came all the way from Holland and also brought a Dutch copy of one of my books! After the signing, Sandra Marton held her famous pizza party for Presents authors. We ate pizza, drank wine, and talked and laughed. So much fun!
Wednesday was a meet and greet with the editors, lunch, and then tea at the Plaza hosted by the always elegant Jane Porter. Spent a lovely afternoon with Sandra Marton, Janette Kenny, Susan Stephens, and Carole Mortimer chatting in the concierge lounge, and then it was the PASIC party at the Algonquin hotel. Finished up the evening in the rotating bar above the Marriott.
The next day, Thursday, started with a meeting with my agent, the Presents author lunch (in which several of us commandeered a limousine to take us to the bistro) and then an agency party in a very posh suite on the 44th floor of the Marriott! Later that night was the Harlequin Black & White ball at the Waldorf Astoria's very famous Starlight Ballroom. I felt like quite the star to be treated so wonderfully! And I brought home some of the white feathers that decorated the vases in the room. Of course I danced my fool head off, and shouted lyrics until I was practically hoarse — but there's nothing like it and I'm always glad, even with aching thighs and burning calves the next day.
Friday was slightly more subdued. A Harlequin authors' forum, lunch with Kimberly Lang and Faygie Levy (of RT magazine), then cocktails in the bar with several friends. My husband arrived that afternoon and managed to entertain himself for the entire evening since I dashed up to our room and changed for the RITA/GH ceremony and told him I wouldn't be back for a while. It ended up being after 1:00 in the morning when I got to our room, and he was passed out asleep.
Hard to believe the conference went by so fast, but it did. Everyone was leaving the hotel on Saturday when my husband and I were gearing up to go touring New York City. We had a blast for 3 whole days before returning home yesterday. The fireworks on the 4th were incredible. We had a full view from our room on the 42nd floor. Six simultaneous displays going off over the Hudson River. Fabulous!
And that was my week in New York!
Times Square
Carole Mortimer, me, Sharon Kendrick
New York skyline from top of the Met
Sandra Marton, me, Caitlin Crews
Times Square
The Hubby and me on the Staten Island Ferry
NYC skyline from our room
Staten Island Ferry and the Statue of Liberty
Lady Liberty
Just a few minutes before the fireworks begin!
Fireworks over the Hudson!
Maddie’s Marine
[Download not found]In case you've missed it elsewhere, I have a free story for you. In 2006, I was asked to contribute a short story for an anthology. Before I wrote for Harlequin Presents, I wrote military romance. My 2008 Golden Heart(R) finaling book was also a military romance, and it’s no secret that I wanted to publish my stories about a military Special Forces team.
But in 2008, I also entered the Harlequin Presents Instant Seduction contest with a chapter and synopsis of a story I’d called The Spanish Magnate’s Revenge. The rest is history. I won the contest, wrote the book, and sold it six months later. And I’ve been writing for Harlequin Presents ever since — a fact for which I am daily grateful!
I’ve decided to share this short story with you because I think you might like to try something of mine that’s different from what you’re used to seeing from me. You’ll find that the hero is still an alpha male, but instead of a billionaire, Major Ryan Cavanaugh is a Marine. A tough, gorgeous, honorable Marine who has a few issues with newspaper reporter Maddie Forester.
This is formatted in PDF so you can read it on your ereaders. 🙂 I hope you enjoy!