For the Love of a Good Anthology

I am an unabashed fan of anthologies. Why do I love them? Let me count the ways...

First - Discoverability

I love sitting down with one, stomach all aflutter with anticipation. The promise of a cozy, quick immersion in the talent of one of my favorite authors makes me grin. But it's the prospect of finding a new-to-me-and-just-waiting-to-be-discovered writer that has me sinking into my reading chair, squirming into that just-right spot, ready to dive for a few hours of reading bliss.

I've "discovered" some amazing talent by taking a chance on an anthology. Linda Howard - "Lake of Dreams," anyone? Anne Stuart, Carla Kelly, Eileen Wilks, Cait London, Katherine Stone, Mary Blayney, Lori Foster, MaryJanice Davidson, Cherise Sinclair, Stacia Kane. By taking a chance - and knowing I might have to kiss some frogs along the way - I opened myself up to wonderful new worlds.

Second - Re-readability

I love to re-read stories that have touched my heart. And the absolute best thing about a story from an anthology is you can have that emotional catharsis in relatively short order.

When I want to laugh, I'll go to Cait London's "The Nine-Month Knight" in Maternity Leave.

When I want to sweet and funny and lovely, I'll head for Eileen Wilks' "The Proper Love" in All I Want for Christmas.

For flat out emotion, you just can't beat Linda Howard's "The Way Home," in A Bouquet of Babies. Tears my heart out each time I crack that story open.

Third - Craftsmanship

Okay, so this reason is less about a love of reading and more about a love of writing. Creating a world, believable characters, a strong central conflict and a happily ever after is challenging enough in a regular length story. Cutting the word count means you really need to up your game and make every word matter. Reading a tight, well-honed short story is likely immersing myself in a master class of craft. Yum.

Fourth - Themes!

The last reason I'm drawn to anthologies is that I'm a sucker for theme - and how each of us interprets a given them in our own unique ways. Chocolate (check out Lisa Cache's "Eliza's Gateau"). Christmas. Father's Day. Halloween. Kink. Bad Boys. Valentine's Day (duh!). DIY for the paranormal set.  The Rockville 8 is planning our own anthology with a moon theme tying us all together. There's no end to the themes that can tie otherwise seemingly disparate stories into one happy gift for readers.

And speaking of gifts, consider giving one of these to your nearest and dearest romance reader (and that person just may be you!).

A Spirited Season - with The Rockville 8's own Misha Crews!

If Regency Christmas is your go to theme, try this collection of Carla Kelly tales.

For folks with a sweet tooth AND a jones for Christmas, try The Sugar Cook Sweetheart Swap with three delicious stories from Donna Kaufmann, Kate Angell and Kimberly Kincaid.

And while there's no Christmas in this rich collection, it's still a fantastic read and a perfect gift of the heart: Once and Forever - a new release that introduces the R8's Evie Owens to the world!

 Friends - what about you? Fan or foe of the anthology? Do you have a favorite? One lucky commenter will receive a copy of Once and Forever!

Meet My Mistresses...

Yes, it's true. The wise and beloved Rockville 8 is my first—and for a long time, only—critique group. But a couple of years ago I took a mistress. Four mistresses, to be exact.

When the Lifesavers invited me to join them I was flattered and more than a little mystified—four of my favorite authors, inviting me to work with them! And when, almost a year ago, they suggested we should publish an anthology of novellas, I was excited and more than a little terrified. I wasn't certain I could do it. But I did! And here's proof:

Available now on Amazon: Once and Forever, by Mary Blayney, Elaine Fox, Emelle Gamble, Lavinia Kent, and Evie Owens.

One lucky commenter here will win a copy of the new anthology, because my mistresses are the best! And as a way of introducing them to you, I asked them three important and revealing questions!

1) Many writers have a soundtrack they listen to when they write, or songs that they associate with their stories. Name one song that's associated with your novella (or the writing of it) in the anthology.

Mary Blayney: I don’t listen to music when I am writing. The fewer distractions the better for me. But there is always a song I associate with a story. In Playing for Keeps it’s Holding Out for a Hero  by Bonnie Tyler. I first heard it in the movie Footloose and for certain stories of mine, Captain’s Mermaid, Lover's Kiss and If Wishers Were Horses: in the anthology Mirror Mirror, it’s in my head the whole time which is not quite as weird as it sounds. Good thing I love the song.

Elaine Fox: I used to write with music, and sometimes now I’ll turn something on (usually classical—nothing with words) to create a mood. But I always end up turning it off once I get going. Seems I need total silence for my words to start flowing—and to keep flowing. But if I were to have had a soundtrack for this novella I’m pretty sure it would have gone something like this.

Emelle Gamble: In my novella Duets Actress Molly Harper, after a terrible ambush by the paparazzi, hides out in her best friend’s truck by laying on the seat and covering her face. The radio is playing Moondance, her favorite song. But it’s not a marvelous night for anything. That Van Morrision classic is also one of my favorites. It’s all about the night, the ‘fantabulous’ night when everything is right. Duets, on the other hand, explores a whole lot of nights that are anything but perfect. As a writer, those are the nights that interest me, because I think those are the ones we all live through until, if we’re lucky, we get to the one where “…all the nights magic seems to whisper and hush—And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush…”  I guess I’m just a bittersweet kind of girl, because for me, the bitter does make the sweet sweeter.

Lavinia Kent: I can’t. I am probably the world’s most unmusical person and don’t listen to music when I write. I find it very distracting. I do occasionally listen to the Benedictine monks’ CHANT, but I can’t say that it’s what inspires my hot and heavy romance. I really wanted to make something up because I’ve always longed for some musical understanding, but my mind faltered at even attempting such a task.  Now if we were to talk movies or other books...

Evie Owens: One of my favorite places to write is the local Panera's. I can't write in silence, all alone in my room. I can't listen to music with words. So at Panera's there's stuff going on around me but it isn't my stuff, so I don't have to pay attention to any of it. I can just get lost in my story. There is a song, though, that sort of set the mood for Erin and Martin—Bloodstream, by Stateless. You Vampire Diaries fans might remember this song from one memorable Damon-Katherine kiss on the old front porch...

2) Tell us about the romantic hero in your life.

Mary Blayney: The conventional and honest answer is that my husband Paul is the romantic hero in my life. The only one for more than forty years. He is calm to my storm, steadfast to my mercurial and sometimes as annoying as he is lovable. But if we put in "fictional" romantic hero, the list is a lot more fun. My favorite heroes are those who have honor at the core of their being. On that list: Aral Vorkosigan and his son, Miles from the series by Lois McMaster Bujold; Roarke (and Eve Dallas) from JD Robb’s In Death series; Martin, the Psychic Detective from Evie Owens novella of the same name;  and Michael Garrett from my own Lover's Kiss. The list goes on but I am sure I have already exceeded the word count.

Elaine Fox: Mmmmm, my romantic hero… Well, aside from being Argentinean with a lovely Spanish accent {{sigh}}, he’s kind and he’s handsome. He’s supportive and funny, intelligent and strong. He’s also a total pain in the butt when I’m not putting my writing first and he doesn’t let the distractions that lure me away pass without comment. (But that’s a good thing, right? No really—I’m asking.) He also puts up with my moods, my problems, and my dog, and he can make me laugh at even the most unexpected times, and that is a good thing. But there are many literary romantic heroes in my life, and the ones I turn to most frequently are Jane Austen’s. Mr. Darcy and Mr. Knightley top the list, but I’m also very fond of Edward Ferrars, Col. Brandon, and Captain Wentworth. Men with strength and spine, honesty, dignity and character. There is nothing more attractive to me than a guy you can depend on!

Emelle Gamble: I could write 500 words in my sleep about my real romantic hero, ‘Phil-the-fist’ who was a love at first sight love, and continues to be. He’s real, he’s wonderful, and he’s mine. But the ‘romantic hero in my life’ that keeps me awake is that guy in my head who populates my past and present storylines. I feel like I keep re-writing him, stalking him, trying to get him as real to me as ‘Phil-the-fist’. He’s complicated. He’s quiet and watchful and you can count on him. He’s sexy and elusive and I don’t know what he’s going to do next. He needs the love of a good woman to feel complete, not be complete. The search continues…

Lavinia Kent: My husband.  Yes, I know it’s the typical, expected answer (and he also serves as my proofreader, so I don’t dare say anything else), but if you could have seen him at the moment that I first read this question you’d realize it wasn’t quite so typical.  The poor man had a cold and not a pretty one, a red drippy one. And he is not a good patient. He would rather suffer (not quietly) than walk the fifty feet to get his cold meds. Which means that I run back and forth on little errands, patting his head, making his tea and honey, telling him I am very sorry that he feels this way.  But the thing of it is, even as his nose drips and clogs at the same time he makes my heart go pitter-pat. And that is the core of romance to me. (And I should add, the fact that he’d do the same for me, is six-foot three with fabulous hazel eyes, fixes my grammar and let’s me write about him certainly doesn’t hurt.)

Evie Owens: Being single, this just seems cruel and I blame Mackenzie Lucas, because she insisted it was an important question. But if I reframe it to include fictional heroes, then I've got just two words for you: Lloyd Dobler.

And the last, but possibly the most important question of them all:

3) Robert Downey, Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch, or Jonny Lee Miller. 

Mary Blayney: Jonny Lee Miller is my favorite Sherlock Holmes. I suspect that’s because I “know” his Sherlock better than I know the others. Cumberbatch is great onscreen or TV, but I cannot stand the way he portrays Holmes, or maybe it’s the way Holmes is written in that series. Robert Downey, Jr is an actor I will watch in almost anything but I find his Holmes more irritating than sympathetic. Building sympathy (empathy?) for the character is the key in my “affection” for Holmes by Miller. Is that too intellectual? To reduce it to a more basic level: for hotness it would have to be Robert Downey Jr. 

Elaine Fox: Sherlock-wise, absolutely Benedict Cumberbatch. He’s smart, weird, intense and, IMO, very very funny. 

Emelle Gamble: Really? I’m not choosing any man who has slept with Angelina Jolie. I mean, come on. So Jonny Lee Miller, her first husband, does not make my list. Cumberbatch? Yes, love love love me some modern Sherlock, but I’m not sleeping with the dude. Have you seen his apartment? Which leaves, of course, the right answer. HA! Robert Downey Jr….bad, a little mad, and dangerous to know. Take a deep breath and lose yourself in those all-wondering and devouring eyes. I’m betting the trip would be bumpy, but worth it.

Lavinia Kent: When I first got this question it didn’t specify that the question was best Sherlock—and I didn’t quite put it all together.  My answer was a little different then—and you’ll just have to guess about that answer. [Note from Evie: Or ask her in the comments!] I did enjoy the first Robert Downey, Jr. movie.  I thought it was great fun and I LOVE Steampunk.  And if the question was, “Who’s the best shirtless Sherlock?” then Jonny Lee Miller would win in less time than it takes to blink. But for best Sherlock, I can only go with Cumberbatch. The oddness of his character rings so true to me. I find myself believing that his mind could actually work that way. And I love that I can forget that his Sherlock is set in the modern day and that, even wielding cell phones and computers, he still has the Victorian edge of the original. I love them all, but if I can only have one, Cumberbatch is my only choice.  No question.

Evie Owens: Benedict Cumberbatch. Of course.

Comment to win Once and Forever.

Do it now!

Let's Kick Some Keyboard!

Question: So, ah, if it's not too personal, what's your NaNoWriMo word count today? 

If you answered 10,000, please leave the room and don't come back.  If you answered 5,000, you can stay where you are but for God's sake be quiet. If you answered less than 5,000 (perhaps you said: zip, zero, zilch?) then I've got good news for you: 

Saturday, November 9 is Writing Marathon Day.  Woohoo!

Clear the calendar, take the kids to Grandma's, and send your husband to a sports-beer event. It's time to kick some keyboard.

How many words can you string together in 24 hours? Heck, they don't even have to make total sense! In past NaNo years, I've written stellar passages like this:

It was a dark and stormy night, (ah, can't use that, but setting should be dark, moody, dangerous). The car Camaro--red Camaro-- cruised to a halt outside the seedy bar. Electra parked and stared moodily ahead.  She had surprise on her side and the cool steel of a INSERT NAME OF GUN HERE heavy in her pocket.  Jason Bourn Jason Nourn Jason McNeil Jase would atone for his sins today or, she thought grimly, she would die trying to make that happen. In a swift movement, before she lost the little courage she had, Electra swung out of the car and walked, strode, marched, stalked …. 

Well, you get the picture. It's not supposed to be perfect or even totally coherent. A few years back, I took myself off on a writing weekend. I wrote almost every waking hour of the 2.5 days I had. The story, bundled up inside me for months, flowed out like a river of words I couldn't halt. Finally, I tried to take a break and went to a local diner, but soon was scribbling the next scene on the paper placemat under my lunch. By the end of the weekend, I knew the characters and structure of my story. I didn't know whether Electra would stride, march or walk but I knew the important stuff: the who, the what, the where, and the why.

On Saturday you can stay at home and write in your PJs all day, or hang out with like-minded writers. In the DC region, there are three in-person events planned and more may pop up as the week progresses. Click here to see the full calendar. If you can't attend an in-person event but want some company, check in with NaNo for livestreaming or join the #NaNoThon on Twitter for updates, challenges, and giveaways.

Paired with this day of writing mania is a focus on fundraising. National Novel Writing Month is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that believes your story matters.  NaNo has set a fundraising goal of $50,000 (hmmm, that number seems familiar) and suggests you put a financial value on the length of time you're going to write and donate that amount. And, there are PRIZES!!!!

Why donate? Well, first, hosting a month-long writing event ain't cheap. NaNoWrimo needs to raise approximately $1.2 million to put on the 2013 NaNoWriMo and other programs.  Second, when you donate to National Novel Writing Month, you help bring free creative writing programs to more than 500,000 kids and adults in approximately 100 countries, 2,000 classrooms, 600 libraries, and 500 NaNoWriMo regions every year. 

So, this November 9, put your money and your word count where your mouth is. Give to NaNoWriMo and pound those little plastic keys until they sing for you!

We'd like to hear from you about your NaNo experience and if you're going to a Saturday event. Tell us all about it.

Zombie Mythos & The Culture of Fear

The Rockville 8 is proud to host guest blogger, Nikki Hopeman, a talented new voice in mystery and horror writing. Nikki's debut novel, Habeas Corpse, will be released November 2, 2013, by Blood Bound Books, and her masterful short story "Black Bird" appears in Mistresses of the Macabre, out now by Dark Moon Books and available on amazon.com. Today Nikki talks to us about Zombie Mythos and The Culture of Fear.



#

Ahhhh … October. Beautiful reds, golds, and yellows adorn my neighborhood and I get to look forward to all the local munchkins stopping by for a trick or a treat. The crisp scent of falling leaves hangs in the air… and the foul odor of decaying flesh hangs about my computer.

Photo Credit: 123RF

I’m a mystery and horror writer. I’ve written stories about such things as wrongfully accused witches, garage sales gone wrong, vengeful birds, and nerdy zombies. Theo Walker, the protagonist in my upcoming novel, Habeas Corpse, is an awkward zombie who works for the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police as a forensic technician.

Zombies are, by far, my favorite horror trope and they are wildly popular right now. Why are they so interesting and how did the zombie mythos come about? There is no one singular origin for the zombie in popular culture, like we can trace the vampire’s appearance to Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Although there is mention of the dead rising to eat the living in the Sumerian tale, The Epic of Gilgamesh, today’s pop culture zombie is mostly a construct of Haitian religious beliefs and our own Western ideas of terror.

Historically, zombies have existed in many cultures with names like revenant, draugr, and jiangshi. No matter the name, a zombie is a person who has returned from the dead and kills to satiate its own hunger. According to certain branches of Vodou, or voodoo, a sorcerer can revive a dead person. These "living dead" are then used as slaves, sometimes for nefarious means, and forever under control of the sorcerer. The idea of an eternity of slavery to an evil sorcerer seems unpleasant, indeed terrifying, to most people.

Those of us who love zombies work to make them scarier, new, and fresh, more interesting than Romero’s shamblers or even the faster predators we’re familiar with from The Walking Dead. How does a writer put a spin on a time-honored trope without losing the essence of what he or she is writing?

For horror writers, the first thing to look at is what makes the monster scary. Most monsters kill, so either their method of dealing death must be highly unusual or we have to look at something else. We are repulsed by the idea of aimless wandering, of forced slavery, and being imprisoned in our bodies. Our fascination and loathing of the modern zombie takes root in those fears of mindless subservience. Add to these fears the threat of a contagious, cannibalistic eating machine, and the horrific modern zombie is born.

How does a writer capitalize on a known fear? Tweak an element of what makes a monster terrifying or personalize it in some way to make it relevant to the reader. In Habeas Corpse, my zombies are part of society, but they live just on this side of exclusion. My zombies desire flesh, but an intense desire not to be outcast keeps their cannibalistic yearnings in check… at a price. In order to be a part of their community, my risers must deny what they are.

The next time something scares you (except for the little gremlins and goblins at your Halloween door) think about what it is that creates the fear… and take it one step further.

Happy haunting!
　

#

Nikki Hopeman loves the kind of horror that leaves her quaking in the back of the closet, the kind that won't let her close her eyes. Life before writing includes a bachelor’s degree in microbiology, a few years as a veterinary technician, floral arranger, blueberry picker, babysitter, and VW Beetle mechanic. She holds an MFA in writing popular fiction from Seton Hill University. When she’s not writing, she can be found in the tattoo chair or on her Harley Davidson. Nikki shares her home in Pittsburgh with her husband, two sons, two crazy corgis, and an angry hamster. She can be reached at www.nikkihopeman.com or on Twitter @nikkihopeman. Her short story, "Black Bird," appears in Dark Moon Books’ Mistresses of the Macabre. Habeas Corpse, Nikki’s debut novel, will be available from Blood Bound Books on November 2.

　

　

　




　

Get Inspired, Stay Inspired: 5 Ways Already with You

If you’re working hard on this thing called publishing, you’ve probably been at it for a long time. And you know you’ll probably be at it for a long time yet to come. So, how do you stay inspired for the long haul? How do you keep creating characters, keep describing scenes, and most importantly, keep the words coming? I’ll tell you the trick that gave my writing a boost. It's a trick that was with me all along. Chances are it's with you, too. The trick is I got in touch with my five senses. And getting in touch got me inspired.



Nic's Cherry Tree

A season or so ago, when the cherry tree in front of my house was bursting with blooms, I almost missed it. Living in our world of look-but-don’t-touch meant I wasn’t always connected to what was going on around me. So I decided to get in touch with my five senses. I started with touch. Every time I passed that tree, I took a moment to run my fingers over its buds. I was surprised how that simple act freshened my outlook—and made the words come quicker the next time I was at the keyboard, trying to describe the texture beneath my heroine’s fingertips.

 

You can get in on the act. If you typically drink your coffee with cream, take a few sips without. Really get into the bite of those brewed beans. Let yourself get the giggles when you hear the neighbor kids playing on their swing set. Don’t just stop to smell the roses. Smell the falling leaves this season as well. What will taking a few moments to connect with your senses do for your quality of life? What will it do for the quality of your writing?

 

I didn't expect what it did for me. So give it a try. Getting in touch with your five senses just might refresh you in the short term—and keep your writing fresh for the long haul.

 

How do you get inspired? How do you stay inspired? The Rockville 8 would love to know.

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

This is another installment in the series about Body Language.  This week, the focus is the mouth.  The mouth is an expressive indicator of mood and thoughts.  It is fundamental to reading body language.  Many know chewing the lip can be an indication that the individual is experiencing uncertainty, anxiety, or worry.  I find that chewing your lip is an action I see a lot in books since it is an obvious sign of distress. 

Placing your hand over your mouth can be polite if yawning or coughing.   But it can also be a “cover” to hide your emotional reaction.  The hand might hide a smile, smirk, or disapproval—an expression that the person might otherwise be unable to stop but still not want anyone to see.            

Smiling is one of the most complex issues to read.  There are fake smiles and genuine ones.  But how do you tell the difference? 

The Definitive Book of Body Language by Allan and Barbara Pease describes the first recorded scientific studies into smiling performed by nineteenth century French scientist Guillaume Duchenne de Boulogne.  He used electrodiagnostics and electrical stimulation to differentiate a real smile from one that is not.  He discovered that the smile is controlled by two sets of muscles—the zygomatic major muscles and the orbicularis oculi.  The zygomatic major pull the mouth back to show the teeth and enlarge the cheeks.  The orbicularis oculi narrow the eyes and cause what’s commonly referred to as “crow’s feet.”

Zygomatic major muscles, which run down the side of the face and are attached at the corners of the mouth, are consciously controlled.  Therefore, they are the muscles used to produce false smiles that attempt to create the appearance of being friendly or subordinate.  Conversely, the orbicularis oculi, next to the eyes, are independent and reveal a real smile.   One sign of a sincere smile are wrinkle lines beside the eyes.   This is the reason that a smile might be described in a book as “not reaching the eyes” since an insincere smile doesn’t engage the orbicularis oculi muscles. 

The next time someone smiles at you, look at what part of the face is engaged to discover true intent.   And if they cover their mouth while doing it, beware.  It may not be the friendly conversation it appears to be on the surface.   

  

Conflict: The Building Block of Compelling Fiction

Photo Credit: 123RF 

On Saturday, author of The Taker Trilogy, Alma Katsu, spoke to Washington Romance Writers about one of the building blocks of any story--conflict. Katsu, who earned a Masters’ degree in fiction writing from Johns Hopkins University, equipped writers in attendance with tools to analyze and fix their own fiction when it falls flat--whether they’re writing literary fiction or genre fiction.

While we’re all programmed to avoid conflict, however, it's the tension created by conflict that is the driving force that creates a page-turner for your readers. Katsu argued that conflict is not the straight, steep uphill climb writers have been taught, but a jagged up-and-down ascent that moves upward until the climax and dénouement.

Conflict is every barrier that keeps a protagonist (or character) from obtaining their goal and can be either internal or external. We should use conflict to develop plot as well as reveal character and it applies to all characters, but it’s not the same as story or plot. Conflict is multi-layered. It drives your story forward and it adds dimension to your characters.

Katsu identified four types of conflict that are in every good story: central conflict; underlying, or chronic conflict; internal conflict; and transient conflict. If you’re finding your scene flat, you should analyze each scene, identifying the conflict. One or more of these four types of conflict should be in every scene. You need to ask yourself, "Do events resolve too easily?" If the answer is yes, then ask a second question: "What’s the worst thing that could happen here." Then make it happen.

Each step of progress your character makes should be met with opposition and setbacks in some form. By charting out your character’s goals and progress through the story, you can also see if you’ve inserted enough opposition to create the conflict and tension you need to keep your readers interested and reading.

The workshop provided excellent information and tools for any writer to improve their craft. Katsu is hoping to present a variation of this workshop at RWA Nationals in San Antonio next July. I’d recommend that you catch her talk wherever you can. For a list of her upcoming events, see below.

She’s a great teacher with a different angle on conflict that gives any writer concrete, actionable steps to adding conflict to every single scene of their books. You don’t want to miss her practical wisdom because conflict is the bedrock of your fiction writing!

Find Alma on her website at: http://www.almakatsu.com/

Books: http://www.almakatsu.com/books.php

Events: http://www.almakatsu.com/events.php


Blog Question: So what's your experience with conflict in your fiction? Is it hard or easy for you to see and build in? And who have you found does it really well?