Sunday, October 31, 2010

Ghost, Ghouls, and Spirits



I adore ghost stories. When I travel, I try to pick up books that chronicle local ghost stories. But my favorite new ghost story is total fiction--Jenny Crusie’s Maybe This Time. What follows is a mini-review and then an invitation for you to share your favorite ghost story with me!

Maybe This Time, Jennifer Crusie’s nineteenth novel, published in September, is a tour de force contemporary gothic romance. Commitment-phobic heroine Andromeda (Andie) Miller journeys to a remote English estate relocated in Ohio to play governess to her ex-husband’s troubled wards. Once there, she falls in love, first, with the kids, then, with her distant ex-husband, North Archer, when he steps in to fix her problem with the resident ghosts who are attached to the two-hundred-year-old house.

Crusie’s Ph.D. roots show in this book as they do in all her works. She uses references, both literal and metaphoric, to Henry James, Charlotte Bronte, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, Lewis Carroll, and Mary Stewart. She taps in to the rich literary history that laid the ground work for popular fiction today--those seminal works that gave birth to both the popular romance genre and the popular horror genre.

On her website, Crusie says she “pays homage” with Maybe This Time to Henry James’s 1898 novella, The Turn of the Screw, a Victorian ghost story. Maybe This Time is a contemporary gothic romance which combines equal parts romance, a woman’s journey tale, and a creepy ghost story. At its core is a love story where second chances are possible. Yet, it’s a riveting, scary ghost story, at times, where no one is safe. The children are in jeopardy and anyone who tries to save the kids are a target of an elusive ghoulish murderer. While this novel is a romance at heart and we know the happy ending is a trope conventional to the genre, the reader worries until the very end if the hero and the heroine will ever reconnect and stay together permanently. It isn’t until the most dangerous and manipulative of the three ghosts, who wants North Archer for reasons that finally become evident at the end, invades Andie’s territory and threatens to take over that we understand what’s truly at stake and why it matters.

Who could have guessed that revisiting the classics of old could be quite so funny, entertaining, sad, scary, or hot for contemporary readers? In Crusie’s masterful hands, a ghost story is all that and more!

Okay, so now you’ve heard all about my new favorite “published” ghost story. (I say published because two of my critique partners--one local and one from school--have wonderful ghost stories pending publication.) Go, grab a copy of Crusie’s Maybe This Time. You’ll love it. I promise. Now . . . tell me all about your favorite ghost story. I dare you.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Interview with NYT Best-selling Author Roxanne St. Claire

The Rockville 8 is ecstatic to host New York Times Best-selling author Roxanne St. Claire for an in depth interview as her newest book - EDGE OF SIGHT- hits stores on October 26th. One lucky commenter's name will be chosen at random to receive a free copy of the book - the first in her new series "The Guardian Angelinos."

Welcome, Rocki! Thanks so much for stopping by for a chat!

Thank you so much for inviting me to visit one of my very favorite blogs! I’m delighted to be here and happy to answer any questions you can throw at me!

1)What brought you to writing as a career choice? What keeps you going and has anything ever seemed like a large enough obstacle to make you reconsider? (For example, a really cruddy R letter)

I’ve had my fingers on a keyboard since I was ten, writing love stories from day one. Quite honestly, I never burned to be a published author – I had no idea that was something mere mortals could do. In the late 1990’s, one of my brothers decided to write a legal thriller, which was published in hardcover by Doubleday. (DEADSPIN by Gregory Michael MacGregor.) Going through the draft and sale process with him was truly eye-opening for me. My very own brother sold a book – why shouldn’t I try? I’d been reading romance forever, and finally decided to write a manuscript for fun, to see if I had it a “real” book in me. The most amazing thing happened about twenty-five pages into the book…I loved writing. I was having so much fun, it became the only thing I wanted to do. But I had my own PR business and two young children, so writing certainly wasn’t the only thing I had to do. Still, I wrote late at night, early in the morning, whenever I could sneak in a few words, and finished the manuscript in less than six months. Only then did I discover RWA and all that organization has to offer an unpublished writer.

And that would be the answer to what keeps me going: my writer friends, our shared experiences, the knowledge and inspiration and information that I gain from RWA and similar organizations. From the first rejection to the most recent revision letter (both can be cruddy “R letters!”) I depend upon a network of like-minded (read: insane heavy drinkers) to help me through. Obstacles that make me reconsider this career choice rear their ugly heads on a daily basis: a particularly impossible plot knot, a crappy review (another bad R), a horrific cover, a strangling amount of book piracy, disappointing sales, a miniscule royalty check (and yet another bad R)…the professional challenges are frequent and daunting. But this is my job now, after almost thirty books and nearly ten years, and I can’t imagine quitting, no matter how tough the job is.

2. Within the Rockville8, we have an ongoing discussion about writers’ Ur (or origin) stories. At the RWA National conference Jayne Ann Krentz (Amanda Quick/Jayne Castle) spoke about the importance of a writer finding her core story and Suzanne Brockmann touched on it in her session on theme. What do you consider your core story? What are the themes you explore as you write?

What a great question! I was in Suzanne Brockmann’s theme workshop, and I remember giving my own “core story” some thought at the time. When I look at my “wall of covers” and try to see if a theme emerges, I find that discovery and reconciliation is huge for me. My characters are invariably trying to find something/someone or need to forgive something/someone – and sometimes I can combine those two themes in one book. For example, I’ve written six novels that have a story or driving subplot that has to do with an adopted child searching for, running from, or reconciling with birth parents. Reconciliation with a former lover, or the always popular “reunion romance” is another story I love, as well as forcing the hero and heroine to work together to “find” something – whether that something is a person, an artifact, a clue, a killer. Of course, what they’re really searching for is love. Like many writers, I don’t really think about the theme of a story until I’m finished writing the book. Usually, I’m far too caught up in the character arcs or the action of the plot to consider something as lofty as a theme. But the theme emerges organically and the “core story” can be identified when the book is done.

3. Who and what are your inspirations and how do they influence your writing and career choices?

My career and “life” inspirations were and still are my very successful and wonderful siblings, all of whom are high achievers and focused individuals. I’m the fifth child of a happy, stable family, raised by parents who believed all of us were capable of anything. That kind of confidence is invaluable in any high burn-out, competitive, difficult business. My mother was a lover of books and the written word, introducing me to great novelists as early as sixth grade. And by great, I mean Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart, Sydney Sheldon, and Judith Krantz. I love entertaining, commercial fiction that keeps me up all night, lost in an unforgettable world with remarkable characters.

In our business, I have a few mentors and sources of inspiration. I met Debbie Macomber early in my career and her drive and professionalism has been a beacon for me, reminding me that no success comes overnight and that you make your own luck by setting goals. She taught me how to set, track, maintain, and achieve goals; we meet every January for lunch to review the previous year’s goals and lay out what we have in mind for the year ahead. That woman is simply amazing. I’m also inspired by my close writing friends who are encouraging, forgiving, and forthcoming with wine in times of need. You know who you are!

4. What elements of Romantic Suspense attracted you and made you decide to write within that framework?

I’ve always read and loved Romantic Suspense. I tried to write a straight contemporary as my first manuscript, but without thinking about it, I introduced an element of danger to up the stakes. After I sold my first few single titles, all romantic suspense, we were still living in the dark ages of “only one book a year” (that would be 2003). I could write faster than that, so I drafted a contemporary category book that didn’t interfere with my option clause and discovered that I really could write a book without villains. I wrote nine category books and loved every one. I write romantic suspense now, but know that there are many other types of books in me, including a Young Adult novel that I’ve sold to Delacorte Press for release in 2012. But, I do love me a bad guy chase, as well as the balance of life-threatening danger and heart-stopping emotion, so I plan to continue to write Romantic Suspense as long as it is selling.

5. Series are wildly popular among readers. Discuss the Bullet Catchers and your new series – how did you develop the concepts? What was the push behind branching out into a second series and how will the two series differ?

I was not a series reader before! I’m the kind of person who can’t stand to think I missed something, so when I’d read a book with a reference to a married characters, I’d worry I missed that story. I’d worry so much, I couldn’t concentrate on the book in my hands. I also thought recurring characters were kind of arrogant on the author’s part, making the assumption we’d read everything she’d ever written. Well, I was wrong. Series took off, and after I wrote three unrelated, stand-alone romantic suspense novels for Pocket, my editor was nudging me to come up with a series idea. I didn’t have one, but while researching executive protection for a new novel, I came across the slang term “bullet catcher” for a bodyguard. It really was like a creative lightning strike – I instantly knew I had the idea for a series and the cool name to go with it. I had no idea if the series would go beyond three books, but I was fortunate to write eight novels and two novellas under the Bullet Catcher umbrella.

When I moved to a new publisher, they wanted a new series, and I admit I was bereft. I didn’t really want to end the Bullet Catchers – I felt so comfortable and at home with those guys. I thought about what elements of the series “worked” for me and what was missing. I loved the idea of what the Bullet Catchers did (protection, investigation, security) because it created a great foundation for suspense stories, but wanted to add a new element that wasn’t in that series: family connection. There’s so much emotion to mine in a family! That’s when I came up with the big blended Italian clan, and the concept of a grittier “start up” organization called The Guardian Angelinos. I made these folks distant cousins to Johnny Christiano, one of the Bullet Catchers, and set the first book up to show how the little company was formed (the hero, wounded in battle, was turned down by the Bullet Catchers for a job). I’ve written three of the Guardian Angelino books and really love these people as much as the first series. And I’ve added some “cameo” appearances for Bullet Catcher fans.

6. What can we expect from you in the coming years? (Yvonne saw a post somewhere that suggested you are considering dusting off your first MS and selling it as a Kindle download…?)

I hope to do more Guardian Angelino books. The second and third books are coming out back to back next spring – SHIVER OF FEAR in April and FACE OF DANGER in May. And I have my first YA, tentatively titled DON’T YOU WISH and I am so ridiculously excited about writing in one of my very favorite genres. I love that story and hope readers do, too. I’m not so sure about that first manuscript on Kindle. It didn’t sell for a reason…if you get my drift. We’ll see…I’m open to anything!

I am also excited to let readers know that I have a “FREEQUEL” for EDGE OF SIGHT up on my web site now – a short story that tells the backstory of how the heroine and hero first met, their torrid affair, and heartbreaking goodbye. Called “Taken To The Edge” this is a meaty read that gives readers a fun flashback that sets the tone for the story and the series. Go to http://www.roxannestclaire.com/ and visit the “Free Reads” page.

I’ll be in and out all day to answer questions or comments, so please ask away! We are giving away a signed copy of EDGE OF SIGHT, so leave a comment or a question and we’ll pick a winner!

Thank you so much for having me, ladies. I’ve been a fan since I met most of you in Washington, DC for your retreat, and I’m tempted to become a distant member of your oh-so-fun chapter [Washington Romance Writers http://www.wrwdc.com/]! Being here is the next best thing!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Last night, I dreamed I was Michael Bublé's mother . . .*

In my defense, I'd gone to sleep thinking about how it was my turn to write the blog. Wait.  There's absolutely no connection there at all, is there? Hmm. Deborah had it all figured out this morning, but now I can't remember how she did it!

Oh well.  In my defense, I just got home from a writing weekend. Twenty-one pages in 1.5 days. My brain exploded and dribbled out of my ears about 1:30 this afternoon. Now? I got nothin' . . . Except links!

Sweet, fun, informative links! And at least one that sings . . .

My first link comes from Candy, proving the good sense of your trusty Rockville8 because we meet (most of the time) at Panera's—reportedly the healthiest fast food chain around. Also, one of the friendliest to writers.

Though not as friendly as the Novel Cafe, which I've never been to, but I learned about from the Murderati—who were blogging, recently about where they write—which I learned about from Do Some Damage, who copied them. If you, like Michael Bublé's mother, find that kind of thing interesting, here's one more to explore. 

And if you're the kind of weirdo who finds looking into other writer's offices interesting, you'll probably like this, too.

Oh you want one.  Admit it.

In my defense, I actually am old enough to remember typewriters that didn't have USB ports.

Though not, thank gawd, old enough to have mothered Michael Bublé.

CoughTechnicallyCough.

And I wish I wasn't old enough to remember posting this.  Because I am very sad to have to tell you, kittens, that I am in fact still watching way too much TV.  Er.  I mean TVD!

In my defense, I . . . no . . . are  you kidding me? 

There's no defense for that!

But wait!  Before you go, I've got two more links!

This one, here, is the money shot.  It's the best program I've found, for down and dirty racking up the words.

And this one, from one of my favorite authors does, as promised, sing!

Man.  This linking stuff took almost as much thought as an actual post.  What was I thinking? 

Well, in my defense, I wasn't. 

Twenty-one pages.

1.5 days. 

Did I mention?



*You're welcome, Marjanna!

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Stacked -- the Slacker We-Were-at-the-Beach Post


Here are (some) of the Rockville 8.  From left to right, you've got Yvonne, Marjanna, Candy, Keely, Nichole, and our lovely guest, Julie.  We are gathered outside a diner in Delaware where we were about to have breakfast this morning after spending several blissful days at the beach.

Lisa & Michelle, we missed you!!!

One of the things we did at the Beach was watch a few episodes of the all too limited television series, Stacked, starring Pamela Anderson. 

It's a sitcom, set in a bookstore owned and run by two geeky brothers.  One of the brothers is a writer.  We loved it for the laughs, but we also related to a lot of the angst.  A LOT of it!

So look for a more thoughtful post here next week.  In the mean time, if you're a writer or you've ever worked in a bookstore, I urge you to check out Stacked.

You'll be glad you did!

Monday, October 4, 2010

V is for Verb – a love letter in two parts


Part One - V

In high school a friend of mine pointed out that the very best, most dazzling words – words filled with vim, vigor, vinegar and vitality - begin with the letter V.
I quickly realized the truth of her statement and forever after the letter V has held sway in the ventricles of my heart, the veins of my body, and the velvet of my soul.

Yum.

I make my case below:

Virtuous vixens vex vapid viscounts with verve.

Venal villains vacillate between vaporizing vagabonds and viewing viscera.

Vintage vampire vivifies vengeful Vulcan.

Victorious valedictorian vehemently vaporizes vigorous vegan voles voluntarily in vats of verdant vodka.

Oh, yes, I could go on.

V is for Valentine, viticulture and...vocabulary.Which brings us to...

Part Two – Verb

How many times has a critique partner or contest judge circled the various forms of To Be on a page of your writing and suggested you use a stronger verb?

Some of that is first draft-itis, right? Get it out, even if it's complete shite, because, as la Nora has said many a time, one can fix a broken page but heaven help trying to fix a blank one.

And some of it comes down to lack of vocabulary. A small pool of words to choose from leaves you limited in nuance and at the mercy of the dreaded and dreadful adverb.

For instance: She walked across the room.

Huh. Yawn.

There aren’t a lot of clues in the sentence to set tone.

So let’s try a different verb:
Maybe she sauntered across the room.
Or scooted, swayed, skipped, sidled, slipped, slithered, stepped or shimmied.

Just a random assortment of S verbs that move your character across the room...but, wow, do they impart different visuals and moods, right? If she's sauntering, maybe she has a reason to gloat or is feeling confident. If she's slithering, is she the villain? Does she sidle when she’s scared or on a mission or wants to remain unnoticed?

When you choose a load-bearing verb, you cut down on the need to explain – it’s already there in the writing. You can trim the fat until you get to the lean meat of your story.

Another example:


He ate lunch.

Double yawn.

Now, don't get me wrong. Sometimes a guy just needs to eat his lunch and move along. But you can convey so much when said guy shovels lunch down his gullet. Or drinks it. Or masticates each bite forty times before swallowing. Take advantage of our English lexicon. It’s there for our benefit and our readers’ pleasure.

If you find yourself using the same verbs (or words) over and over (the R8 calls these 'echoes' and we all suffer them, alas), I have two suggestions that might help.

First, while at your revisions, try keeping your computer's thesaurus open alongside your WIP. When you run into a morass of to be’s, to have’s, to do’s, or to make’s, start playing with the thesaurus to see if another verb can pull the freight instead. You won’t (and shouldn’t) replace all of the to be’s, etc., in your writing. But, with vigilance, you can guard against their proliferation.

Second, take a dictionary to bed with you. Stop laughing! (Guffawing, chortling, snorting, giggling and in general pointing your finger at the screen and sniggering). I'm serious, grab a lightweight dictionary, open at random, read a page or two. Not only will you expand your vocab and thereby increase the color options in your palette, but...it'll probably put you to sleep PDQ.

Two birds, one stone. No more insomnia and a head stuffed with delicious new words. Of course, my advice is to turn to the V section first. Vs rock.

So tell me, what's your favorite V word? Or verb? What verbs do you tend to overuse? What's a broken sentence you drafted then fixed in the revision?

V is for Verb – a love letter in two parts


Part One - V

In high school a friend of mine pointed out that the very best, most dazzling words – words filled with vim, vigor, vinegar and vitality - begin with the letter V.
I quickly realized the truth of her statement and forever after the letter V has held sway in the ventricles of my heart, the veins of my body, and the velvet of my soul.

Yum.

I make my case below:

Virtuous vixens vex vapid viscounts with verve.

Venal villains vacillate between vaporizing vagabonds and viewing viscera.

Vintage vampire vivifies vengeful Vulcan.

Victorious valedictorian vehemently vaporizes vigorous vegan voles voluntarily in vats of verdant vodka.

Oh, yes, I could go on.

V is for Valentine, viticulture and...vocabulary.Which brings us to...

Part Two – Verb

How many times has a critique partner or contest judge circled the various forms of To Be on a page of your writing and suggested you use a stronger verb?

Some of that is first draft-itis, right? Get it out, even if it's complete shite, because, as la Nora has said many a time, one can fix a broken page but heaven help trying to fix a blank one.

And some of it comes down to lack of vocabulary. A small pool of words to choose from leaves you limited in nuance and at the mercy of the dreaded and dreadful adverb.

For instance: She walked across the room.

Huh. Yawn.

There aren’t a lot of clues in the sentence to set tone.

So let’s try a different verb:
Maybe she sauntered across the room.
Or scooted, swayed, skipped, sidled, slipped, slithered, stepped or shimmied.

Just a random assortment of S verbs that move your character across the room...but, wow, do they impart different visuals and moods, right? If she's sauntering, maybe she has a reason to gloat or is feeling confident. If she's slithering, is she the villain? Does she sidle when she’s scared or on a mission or wants to remain unnoticed?

When you choose a load-bearing verb, you cut down on the need to explain – it’s already there in the writing. You can trim the fat until you get to the lean meat of your story.

Another example:


He ate lunch.

Double yawn.

Now, don't get me wrong. Sometimes a guy just needs to eat his lunch and move along. But you can convey so much when said guy shovels lunch down his gullet. Or drinks it. Or masticates each bite forty times before swallowing. Take advantage of our English lexicon. It’s there for our benefit and our readers’ pleasure.

If you find yourself using the same verbs (or words) over and over (the R8 calls these 'echoes' and we all suffer them, alas), I have two suggestions that might help.

First, while at your revisions, try keeping your computer's thesaurus open alongside your WIP. When you run into a morass of to be’s, to have’s, to do’s, or to make’s, start playing with the thesaurus to see if another verb can pull the freight instead. You won’t (and shouldn’t) replace all of the to be’s, etc., in your writing. But, with vigilance, you can guard against their proliferation.

Second, take a dictionary to bed with you. Stop laughing! (Guffawing, chortling, snorting, giggling and in general pointing your finger at the screen and sniggering). I'm serious, grab a lightweight dictionary, open at random, read a page or two. Not only will you expand your vocab and thereby increase the color options in your palette, but...it'll probably put you to sleep PDQ.

Two birds, one stone. No more insomnia and a head stuffed with delicious new words. Of course, my advice is to turn to the V section first. Vs rock.

So tell me, what's your favorite V word? Or verb? What verbs do you tend to overuse? What's a broken sentence you drafted then fixed in the revision?