Guest Blogger Janet Mullany Shares Details on TELL ME MORE + Giveaway!
UPDATE: The winner of TELL ME MORE by Janet Mullany is Lolarific! Congrats! Please email your addy to Contests(AT)KnightAgency.net.
What does C.S. Lewis have to do with erotic romance, you may well ask. One thing I find fascinating about writing is how my reading cross-pollinates my writing, particularly books I read long ago. The C.S. Lewis link to my recent release TELL ME MORE is a little obscure, but here’s how it came about.
While I was writing the book I read Lev Grossman’s THE MAGICIANS, a brilliant and complex novel that starts out at a sort of Potteresque school for magicians. The book becomes darker and more dangerous as its characters travel to a fantastical land invented by a writer who wrote a series of children’s books. Just like Narnia?—no, Narnia gritty and grownup and cruel.
So I had THE MAGICIANS on my mind and that led to me thinking about C. S. Lewis’s books which I read and loved as a child, totally oblivious of the rather heavy-handed Christian subtext.
But back to my book and my heroine and her adventures. At one point in the book she becomes involved in a community with a rigid social structure that gets together for various sexual activities. Jo, as a newcomer, is one of the apprentices who serve the higher levels, but she finds a way into the main part of the house, seeking her fascinating mentor who she’s spoken to only on the phone. Almost immediately she takes refuge in a coat closet. This coat closet does not lead to enchanted lands. Instead, she finds herself an unwilling voyeur when a couple uses the closet for other activities:
Clothing rustled. A zipper slid down.
One of her hands emerged from between the coats and almost smacked me in the nose.
I ducked.
Her hand grasped, fluttered, and grabbed the coat rack. I squeezed myself away from them.
It was a bit too late to reveal myself to them at this point; what the heck could I say?
Jo escapes from the closet and explores the rest of the house. Here’s an excerpt from THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER by C. S. Lewis.
Now she had come to the top of the stairs, Lucy looked and saw a long, wide passage with a large window at the far end. Apparently the passage ran the whole length of the house. It was carved and paneled and carpeted and very many doors opened off it on each side. She stood still and couldn't hear the squeak of a mouse, or the buzzing of a fly, or the swaying of a curtain, or anything--except the beating of her own heart.
There isn’t much similarity between the two but I was definitely channeling C.S. Lewis now, remembering how spellbound I was as Lucy walked down that passage, seeing mysterious magic symbols on the doors and at one point a mirror that has a frame of hair and a beard, making her reflection strange and sinister. She’s in a magician’s house to find a spell and solve a mystery. Here’s mine:
A corridor led off at the top of the stairs and I peered down it. The smell of food was stronger now. As I hesitated, there was a muffled thump and a ringing sound, and two wall panels slid apart—an elevator. Waiters emerged with a rolling cart of food. They took no notice of me, but pushed the cart and its covered dishes into a room. I peered around the door. Masked people, Jake and Cathy among them, sat at a long banquet table with an elaborate centerpiece, laughing and talking… At the table a guy wearing a mask that gave him the face of a lion, stood, and headed for the doorway and me, cellphone at his ear. He was tall and slender, a few threads of gray in his dark hair. As he passed me, I heard a few words, to my surprise apparently about investments.
“But of course…” He sounded slightly annoyed.
He sounded familiar. Very familiar.
“Mr. D?” My voice rose to a squeak.
He turned and looked at me and the lion’s eyes gazed at me, unreadable, in his mask. Aha! A lion mask! You may remember that the central deity in the Narnia chronicles is a lion called Aslan (the Persian word for lion), and that little detail just wrote itself in there.
Leave a comment answering the following question, and enter to win an autographed copy of TELL ME MORE: Which books did you enjoy as a kid that have stayed with you or even come back to surprise you?
The winner will be randomly selected and announced tomorrow morning. What people are saying about TELL ME MORE:
… a deliciously naughty novel with an intense steamy narrative. Jo's humble yet enthusiastic attitude makes the bedroom scenes fun and provocative, with more than enough tension to make your heart race. This novel is a hot, spicy adventure you shouldn't miss! --RT Book Reviews
This novel is erotica at its best. A good, strong story driven by interesting characters, and steamy scenes that will leave you smiling secretly to yourself. --The Raunch Dilettante
This past weekend here in the UK was a wonderful time for celebrations, and my family and I had an absolute blast. As an American who now lives in England, I thoroughly enjoyed being caught up in all the excitement surrounding the Royal Wedding. But the fun for us didn’t stop there, because we also took part in the Shakespeare Birthday Celebration on Saturday in the beautiful town of Stratford-upon-Avon.
Like the rest of the country, we were all up early on Friday to watch Wills and Kate get married. In light of the special occasion, the day was declared a bank holiday, which meant we could all stay home and enjoy the party! All over our town, families were celebrating with street parties, but since my youngest wasn’t feeling well, we had a family celebration at home. My husband had us all out of bed bright and early for coffee and brioche as we settled in front of the telly to view the preparations for the big day. And there we stayed, glued to our sofas as we watched everything that was happening in London. As my husband knows better than to let me anywhere near a kitchen, he kept us well supplied with scrumptious treats and after the beautiful ceremony we had a lovely cream tea, complete with royal wedding decorations. LOL. We were definitely in the spirit of the occasion, and I love that my children were able to experience the atmosphere of joy and excitement that surrounded the wedding. My daughter’s favorite part was seeing Prince Harry in his uniform, while my son loved the Aston Martin that the newlyweds drove from Buckingham Palace to Clarence House. I thought the way Prince Harry had decorated the car was a riot, but my favorite part of the day was when the bride reached the altar and William looked at her and told her she was beautiful. The romantic in me just melted and I’m sure a lot of you felt the same.
Saturday turned out to be warm and sunny, which was perfect weather for the Shakespeare Birthday Celebration Parade that my son and daughter were taking part in. Stratford-upon-Avon is the birthplace of Shakespeare, as well as the home of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and the newly renovated Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST), which sits right on the river Avon. Each year there are government officials from all over the world who take part in the festivities, and this year the American Ambassador was among those who participated. There are always acting troupes dressed in elaborate Elizabethan costumes, along with the very smartly dressed military bands that march from the center of town, near Shakespeare’s birthplace, to Holy Trinity Church, where he’s buried alongside several members of his family. But my favorite part of the parade is always the school children who carry colorful posies of flowers that they take into the church and lay on Shakespeare’s grave. This year my son was among those who carried flowers, while my daughter marched with her music group. My husband and I had very carefully planned out how we would take photographs and videos of them both taking part in the parade, only to be drafted in at the last minute as banner holders, which turned out to be a hilarious comedy of errors. We about died when we found ourselves leading the school section of the parade, which takes a different route through the town so that the kids don’t have as far to walk. Unfortunately, no one had told us what route they were meant to take and after embarrassingly turning down the wrong road, we then had to turn around and lead the long procession of schools back onto the right path again! We couldn’t stop laughing, but the newspaper photographers who were walking along with us and the police who were lining the streets thought it was funny too, so it all turned out okay. But I doubt they’ll be asking us to take part again anytime soon. ;)
Though I wasn’t able to take many pictures of the parade, since it was all I could do to keep the wind from ripping the banner out of my hands, I did walk around afterwards and snap some shots of the town for you. Stratford-upon-Avon is a truly beautiful place and if you ever have the chance to visit, I know you’ll enjoy it. The Queen visited the RST in March and Prince Charles is coming to see the RSC production of Macbeth later this month, so maybe Wills and Kate will come along soon for a visit. If they do, I’m sure the newlyweds will have a warm welcome and a wonderful time.
Hugs,
Rhy
The Shakespeare Monument (top) and The River Avon with the RST on the right and Holy Trinity Church in the distance (bottom)
Rhyannon is the author of the Primal Instincts series, and recently released book seven, RUSH OF DARKNESS, in March. To learn more about Rhyannon, visit www.RhyannonByrd.com.
UPDATE: The winner of THE DOCTOR'S DEADLY AFFAIR by Stephanie Doyle is Katy Pool. Congrats! Please send your phsical addy to Contests(AT)KnightAgency.net.
I’ll admit it; I’m a huge TV fan. I watch tons and tons of it. Reality, dramas, comedies you name it. But by far my biggest weakness is for those shows which have a relationship component where the couple is struggling to get together. Or more often, doing everything they can to stay apart.
I watched West Wing to see if Josh and Donna would get together. Bones – to see if Booth and Bones would get together (I’m still angry about what they did with that couple this season) House - to see if House and Cuddy would get together. Finally they did!
Everyone always thinks the show is over when you get the couple together but to me it adds another layer. Right now I’m loving House and Cuddy.
Although I’m obviously in the minority because most TV shows will string it out and string it out season after season. Then when they’ve done everything they can to keep them apart – in walks the “other” love interest. I HATE the other love interest. You know they are just temporary filling to drag our favorite couple through even more. I told myself I wasn’t going to watch Castle. I was already suckered into Bones and suffering through their “will they or won’t they experience” and I didn’t want to take on another couple who will torture me for the next few seasons. But all it took was that one episode where I found myself invested in them and… bam. I’m stuck. So now it’s Becket and Castle – will they or won’t they?
I have to say my Silhouette Romantic Suspense (the last month for Silhouette before switching to Harlequin Romantic Suspense!) THE DOCTOR'S DEADLY AFFAIR is all about the “will they or won’t they experience.” As the story begins we learn this couple already has a bit of a past – one really bad first date. We’re picking up with them at just that moment where they are either going to figure out how to be together or separate for good.
Fortunately for them a little thing like murder is just the ticket to help them stick together and work out their issues!
Tell me who your favorite TV couple is in comments and I’ll pick someone to win a signed copy of THE DOCTOR'S DEADLY AFFAIR. The winner will be announced tomorrow afternoon.
About Stephanie: Stephanie Doyle, a dedicated romance reader, began to pen her own romantic adventures at age sixteen. She began submitting to Harlequin at age eighteen and by twenty-six her first book was published. Fifteen years later she still loves what she does as each book is a new adventure.
She lives in South Jersey with her cat Lex, and her two kittens who have taken over everything. When she isn’t thinking about escaping to the beach, she’s working on her next idea.
Countdown to Turkey Day with The Knight Agency: Jenna Kernan
UPDATE: The winner of a signed copy of HIS DAKOTA CAPTIVE by Jenna Kernan is Shoshanna Evers. Congrats! Please email your physical addy to Contests@KnightAgency.net.Leave a comment to win a signed copy of HIS DAKOTA CAPTIVE by Jenna Kernan. The winner will be announced tomorrow morning.
Tools to Make Me Thankful
In this season of gratitude, I would like to show my appreciation for an eclectic list of gizmos and software for which I am truly thankful. And though none of them will bring world peace, they bring peace to me and that is a good start.
1. TextAloud Program: This has been a Godsend. This software speaks my words back to me. I guess I’m an auditory learner, because my manuscript can say: He it form Mars. But because I remember writing, He is from Mars, I often don’t see the mistakes. But Crystal and Mike read only what is written. Crystal and Mike are the voices I purchased with the program. Crystal reads my heroines POV and Mike reads my hero’s. Because of Mike and Crystal’s hard work, I have many fewer mistakes in my writing. In fact, when I finish this blog, they will help me proof-read it. They are not perfect, as they can’t tell REED from READ, and they don’t sound exactly human, but I love them both like family and would gladly invite them to my Thanksgiving table if I could.
2. Handheld Dictation Tape Recorder: I’m embarrassed to admit this one as I heard on the radio that Sony has stopped producing the Walkman and the host wondered aloud if anyone in the world still listened to cassettes. I do. I buy books on tape (real tape, mind you) at yard sales, book stores, church bazaars and other odd places. Everyone is getting rid of them, so I have dozens of wonderful stories waiting for me. I also listen to CDs, but I can’t stop them and get back to exactly the same place. Boy, if you pause that cassette, it is there waiting in the exact place you stopped. I listen in the car, in the tub (and since there are no ear buds I don’t have to worry about getting them wet) and when I’m getting dressed. All times when I couldn’t read. This particular cassette player was designed for dictation. The speaker is built in and it has the odd feature of being able to speed up or slow down the speed of the recording. Since I am a New Yorker, I set the speed just a little faster than normal to hear more story in the time I have to listen. Isn’t that pathetic?
3. MP3 Player: For listening to podcasts during the day. The variety of options are endless. I also listen to downloaded audiobooks. In addition, it has become a sleep aid. When I have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep I click over to Joseph Conrad’s, HEART IF DARKNESS. “The horror. The horror!” Yes, I have listened to it awake, but something about the reader’s voice and Conrad’s long sentences makes this a perfect sedative for me and for thousands of students in 10th grade English class. It also makes a nice flashlight in hotels to help me find the bathroom at 3 AM. I know, there’s an App for that, but honestly, I still don’t know how to use my cellphone, so give me a break with the Apps.
4. Post-Its: One more tool I can’t live without then editing or revising a manuscript—Post-its and if you visit my website News page at www.jennakernan.com you will see why. It’s not pretty.
So there you have it. These are the gadgets/software that makes my world a happier place. In this season of thanks, let us not forget the useful tools that aid us in our work, calm our soul and are often much better company than our relatives.
What software or gadgets rock your writing world?
Or
Would you rather spend two hours on Thanksgiving with your laptop or your Aunt Marge?
Countdown to Turkey Day with the Knight Agency: Renee Bernard
UPDATE: The winner of a surprise book from Renee Bernard's backlist is Johanna R Jochum! Congrats! Please email your physical addy to Contests(AT)KnightAgency.net. :-) To win a surprise book from Renee Bernard's backlist, leave a comment. The winner will be announced Monday morning.
Things I'm Thankful For This Year
How can I not be thankful this year? This was the year of letting go and I’m always going to be grateful for all the wonderful lessons that invoked. Like a lot of people, when the economy shook like an earthquake, we just tried to hang on. And anyone living on the west coast knew better than to congratulate themselves on surviving too quickly. After all, what’s an earthquake without a few aftershocks? And sure enough, this has been a year of aftershocks—financial and personal.
But we simplified our lives, and I announced at the dinner table that instead of looking at it as “cutting back”, I wanted us to think of it as a real opportunity to “do better”. (Boy, did that meet with some blank stares! ;-) But I boxed up the stuff we didn’t need, cleared out the garage, sold it if it wasn’t nailed down and remembered all those old-fashioned skills I’d once considered hobbies for a rainy day. I discovered my inner homemaker; banished any illusions I was aiming for Martha Stewart perfection and just accepted that eclectic and colorful were going to be my mantras.
Life is too short to worry about matching flatware.
We’re eating together (whenever we can) and I’ve perfected my meatloaf. Our art projects cover the walls, and my girls and I have invented our own style of belly-dancing. We don’t go to the movies, but Fiona has a puppet theatre stage show that is always changing and I love the live performances. We don’t go shopping (this is one I’m very grateful to give up since it’s an activity I never enjoyed) but NOW, we set up our own “store” and take turns being the shopkeeper. My four year old is a ruthless bargain hunter and extremely savvy when it comes to selecting shoes.
I told a friend that your pride dies first when you land on your rear end, but strangely enough, once you’ve dusted your pants off, a person’s sense of humor just takes its place. I’m thankful to be able to laugh. If you can’t laugh, you can’t love. And if we gained any ground in my little clan, we ruled in the category of love. I’m so thankful to have this family and to be loved (despite mama’s odd hours at the computer keyboard).
I know the life of a romance writer is supposed to be about glamour. I should be describing how grateful I am for that trip to Europe or that wonderful vacation we took to the south of France or make something up about a second home in the mountains… Ah, the joys of fiction! But I think it’s more important to share how vital it is for me to escape in those books and pages, to allow those characters to insert themselves into my life and let me “pop out” whenever I have a few minutes to work at my desk. I’m grateful for the creative outlet that allows me to be productive with these voices in my head vs. heavily medicated and mumbling to myself in corners ;-)
Every Tuesday night, hosting “Canned Laughter and Coffee” on Reader’s Enterainment, I got to laugh and talk to other writers and I’m way past grateful for the giggles that reminded me each week that I’m: a) not alone in the craziness, b) lucky not to be powering my computer with a bicycle and c) not writing fast enough!
This was the year that my fictional world took off. My historical romances, the Jaded Gentlemen, kept me distracted, but I also managed a few other manuscripts while no one was looking (a time travel, a science-fiction/fantasy romance and even an erotic romance—keep your fingers crossed!!). Instead of being set back by events of the past year, the writing thrived and I thrived with it.
Most of all, I’m grateful to the readers that chose to escape with me. Of all the books they can read, they mystically and benevolently pick up mine, and I’m continually amazed by this miracle. I’m grateful for every email and note of encouragement and have vowed to answer every single one to make sure that those strangers realize the wonderful impact of their words.
Countdown to Turkey Day with The Knight Agency: Marjorie M. Liu
UPDATE: The winner of a book from Marjorie M. Liu's Dirk & Steele series (winner's choice) is Maureen. Congrats! Send your physical addy to contests(AT)knightagency.net.
Majorie M. Liu, New York Times bestselling author of the Dirk & Steele series and Hunter Kiss novels, is stepping into the spotlight today to share what she's most grateful for this year. Leave a comment sharing what you're most grateful for, and you'll be entered to win a novel from the Dirk & Steele series -- winner's choice! Check out the Dirk & Steele backlist here. ________________________________________________
I think about what I'm grateful for every day -- and it always starts in the morning.
Yesterday, for example. Just before dawn, I could observe from my bed an army of squirrels racing to the tops of trees, silhouetted against the dark sky -- and I thought, "Wow, what a fun thing to wake up to." And then the sun rose, and that was beautiful; and the air tasted clean outside when I took the poodle for a walk; and breakfast was good, and the house was flooded with morning light.
Small things, you know? There are big things I'm grateful for: my family, friends, good health, a roof over my head and food on the table. I'm grateful to have a job I love.
But it's the little moments that are just as special, and they're everywhere, all the time. It's good to be alive. Every day is worth being grateful for.
I wish you all a lovely Thanksgiving, and a wonderful holiday season!
Countdown to Turkey Day with The Knight Agency: Maria Geraci
UPDATE: The winner of THE BOYFRIEND OF THE MONTH CLUB by Maria Geraci is Sara! Congrats! Please send your physical addy to Contests(AT)KnightAgency.net.
Today Maria Geraci, author of the upcoming release THE BOYFRIEND OF THE MONTH CLUB, as well as THE BUNCO BABES TELL ALL and THE BUNCO BABES GONE WILD, helps us continue our countdown to Turkey Day with a fun Q&A post about Thanksgiving traditions at her house. She also graciously agreed to take a Thanksgiving quiz to see if she was smarter than a 5th grader. See her results below. :-)
To win a copy of THE BOYFRIEND OF THE MONTH CLUB, leave a comment. The winner will randomly drawn and announced tomorrow morning.
1. Who’s in charge of carving the turkey at your house?That would be my husband, Mike Geraci (I have a strange habit of using his full name when referring to him). I clean the turkey, stuff it, and cook it. He carves it and then takes all the credit!
2. Name one thing you usually only eat at Thanksgiving that you wish you could have every day. Oh my God. Years ago, I found this great vegetable medley recipe. You take a large bag of frozen vegetables (carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli). Dump it in a casserole dish. Add 1 can of Durkee’s fried onion rings (reserve a small amount of onion rings for topping), 1 small jar of chopped pimentos, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, 4 ounces of sour cream, shredded Swiss cheese (about 6 ounces) and mix it all together. Add pepper to taste. Place in a 350 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes until bubbling hot. In the last 10-15 minutes of cooking, you can sprinkle the top with the rest of the fried onion rings and some more cheese if you want.
My kids absolutely love this stuff. I only make it on the holidays because I don’t want to know how many calories are in it!
3. What is your fondest or funniest Thanksgiving memory? Probably the Thanksgiving I was still in college and couldn’t go home because I was working a part time job and had to work the Friday morning after the holiday, so I was really bummed. My parents surprised me and drove up to school (a 5 hour trip) with a complete meal. We had Thanksgiving dinner, just the 3 of us, in my little apartment!
4. How would the main character in THE BOYFRIEND OF THE MONTH CLUB celebrate the holiday?Funny you should ask, because this scene actually happens in the book! Grace begins Thanksgiving day with her family by keeping their years long tradition of watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on television. Her brother Charlie (who’s a main secondary character in the book) misses it because he’s working, which causes some tension between them. Then her mother and her abuela go out power shopping, while Grace decorates their artificial Christmas tree and Grace’s dad (Pop) and Charlie decorate the house Clark Griswald style (think National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation movie.)
5. Are you smarter than a 5th grader? The following quiz was created for elementary school kids. Take the test, and share your score – and elaborate on why you think you are a Thanksgiving whiz or maybe why social studies was never your strongest subject.
1. What year did the Pilgrim first celebrate Thanksgiving?
a) 1521
b) 1621 (correct answer)
c) 1721
d) 1821
Yay! I got this right. Maybe I am smarter than a 5th grader!
2. How long did the first Thanksgiving celebration last?
a) 1 day
b) 2 days
c) 3 days (correct answer)
d) 4 days
Oops! So the right answer is 3 days and not 4. But… If I was one of those pilgrims, we’d definitely be celebrating as long as we could. I mean, I’d take any chance to break away from milking cows and tending crops and cleaning and the other multitude of chores I’m sure women did back then. Wouldn’t you?
3. Which president established Thanksgiving as the last Thursday in November?
a) Abraham Lincoln (correct answer)
b) Andrew Johnson c) Franklin Roosevelt
d) George Washington
Abraham Lincoln? Are you sure? I’m pretty positive they didn’t teach this back in my 5th grade.
4. Where was the first Thanksgiving celebrated? a) Mayflower b) Plymouth (correct answer)
c) Springfield
d) Boston
Yay!
5. Wild turkeys can NOT fly.
a) True
b) False (correct answer)
This is a perfect example of a trick question. Of course, I got this right, but still…
What a fun quiz! I love Thanksgiving! There’s no pressure to buy or give presents. Just good food, surrounded by family and friends and the knowledge that I’ve made it one more year on this planet with the opportunity to give thanks for all the wonderful things I’ve been given. This past year, I’ve had several friends diagnosed with different medical problems. Thankfully, everyone is doing well and fighting their hardest to keep healthy. It makes me doubly thankful that my husband and kids are healthy and safe and that we have a roof over our heads and food on our table. You really can’t ask for more in life than that.
I’m also extremely grateful to have a new book coming out next month. It’s called THE BOYFRIEND OF THE MONTH CLUB and it’s a romantic comedy about a woman who turns her dysfunctional book club into a boyfriend club, where women come together to discuss the men they’ve dated, comparing them to classic literary heroes and villains.
It’s getting some great advance reviews. Publishers’s Weekly says, “Geraci (BUNCO BABES TELL ALL) fills the fluffy but enjoyable story with literary references, and her leading lady is endearingly flawed. Romance readers will revel in the Austen-perfect happy ending and the warm friendship among members of the club.”
I’d love to give away a copy of the book to one commenter (will be mailed out the first week of December- perfect for your holiday reading!)
Thanks TKA!
Maria Geraci writes fun, romantic women’s fiction. Her third novel, THE BOYFRIEND OF THE MONTH CLUB, comes out December 7, 2010, in trade paperback, from Berkley, Penguin, USA. Please visit her website at www.mariageraci.com for more information on her books.
Countdown to Turkey Day with The Knight Agency: Diana Pharaoh Francis
UPDATE: The winner of a surprise book by Diana Pharoah Francis is Zombie Joe! Please send your address to Contests(AT)KnightAgency.net.
From today until Tuesday, November 23rd, Knight Agency authors are counting down to Turkey Day with special guest blogs and giveaways every day. Contributors will include Diana Pharoah Francis, Maria Geraci, Marjorie M. Liu, David Mack, Renee Bernard, Jenna Kernan and Knight agent Pamela Harty.
Diana is starting us off below. To win a suprise book from her backlist, leave a comment. The winner will be randomly drawn and announced in this post tomorrow morning.
_________________________________
Diana Pharoah Francis:
I’ve been through a lot of interesting (in the Chinese curse sense of the word) health issues in my life, particularly over the last ten years or so. Odd health issues, like scar tissue in one artery, plaque in other arteries (nowhere near my heart), three back surgeries, chicken pox, and whooping cough. Oh stop looking at me like that. Yeah, I’m a walking disaster. But I believe I understand the why behind it all.
The universe is testing my sense of humor about life. It’s determined to find out if I can laugh in the face of whatever it decides to throw at me. And this year was a doozy.
In short, since last Thanksgiving I had a fusion in my neck, my father nearly died, my puppy had a second femoral head osteotomy (they removed the femoral head to help with hip displasia), my mother-in-law had some terrible episodes with her diabetes and also nearly died, and now my dad is back in the hospital.
But.
I still have a sense of humor and a lot to be thankful for. My dad and mother-in-law are recovering well. My back is doing really good for now. The whooping cough is passed (oh, yeah, that was a couple of months ago).
And, to make the cup runneth over, my books are pretty successful, my fans are terrific, my kids are amazing and lovely, my husband is also amazing and lovely and I’m as much in love with him now as I was almost twenty four years ago when we met. I have wonderful friends, I love to write, I have a house and a day job and insurance, and my bed is awesomely comfortable. (We got the bed this year too and if you knew how uncomfortable and small the old one was, you’d really get why this hits high on my list.)
But here is my top ten list for day-to-day things that I’m grateful for that aren’t mentioned above:
#10.) Flannel sheets
#9.) The ocean. We go camping out on the Oregon coast each year and it is always so fun and I adore the cold waves, the sand, the tidepools, the fog and the tang of the salt. #8.) Music. I tend to take it for granted, but it is so important in my life and in my writing. #7.) My new kitchen. It’s so functional and pretty! I love cooking in it. #6.) Wide open spaces with wildlife everywhere and air so clean you can see forever. The smell of sage and irrigated pasture and pine—there’s nothing like it. #5.) The puppies that follow me everywhere no matter where I go and always want to sit on my lap. I can’t ever feel down with them around. #4.) Awesome fans who want to keep me warm with soft, cozy knitted things. You know who you are. #3.) Books. Oh, how I love that they never run out and every day brings another book I want to read. #2.) Being easily amused. I am so easily amused and it’s a good thing. I laugh a lot.
And the number one thing I am grateful for:
#1.) Snuggles and kisses from the kids who still are willing to be cuddle up with their dorky parents.
I may face more trouble in the future, and I may have to climb up a lot of tough hills, but I try to always remember that there are a lot of things in my life that are wonderful and amazing and no matter how bad things might seem, I still have a lot to be grateful for. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Via Lucienne's blog: I'm guest blogging today over at Naughty Author Chicks on erotic fiction, so if you're over eighteen and want to check it out, here's the link.
Lucienne Diver Discusses the Economics of Word Count
Lucienne Diver is guest blogging at Magical Words today about the "Economics of Word Count." Here's an excerpt:
"Simple economics: it costs more to print big, thick books than it does for thinner volumes. Shocker, right? This means more economic outlay for the publisher without a guarantee of returns on their investment. (And yes, I’m primarily talking about print publishing here, because while the audience for e-books is growing, their sales still only account for between 2% and 4% of the market and don’t yet pay a living wage.)"
Deidre Knight is blogging about her latest release, BUTTERFLY TATTOO, on Leah Braemel's blog today! She's talking about her dream movie cast for the book, taking surfing lessons as part of her research, and much more. As an added bonus, Leah's giving away both a digital and print copy of the book. Click here for the blog.
I was the middle school girl who used to blush in sex ed class when the teacher said “penis.”
No joke. I thought I was going to flunk that class, although I’m not sure it’s even possible to do that. If you had told me in sixth grade that, not only would I be typing the word “penis” on my keyboard quite frequently, but I’d actually be using several more adventurous ways of describing this portion of the male anatomy in published books, I would’ve denied it with every mortified breath in my body.
But here I am today, writing super fun, hot sex for Blaze, paranormal nookie in urban fantasies, and warm-hearted love scenes for Special Edition.
So if I can do it, anyone can. But what are some ways to dive into a love scene and not just “get through it”? How can these scenes be some of the best-flowing and most rewarding writing you’ll ever do?
Here are just a few little tips to consider:
Making It Memorable
When you talk to your friends about sex, it’s likely that the best stories have to do with the times you had unexpected experiences…like when a crazy boyfriend took you to an old house in New Orleans, made it up to be a bordello with a choice of erotically themed rooms, and rocked your world in every one of them. (Yes, that was kind of in one of my Blazes. And I wish.)
Even if you’re not writing erotic romance, think of your wildest fantasies and just put them to paper. Don’t be afraid to push that envelope. As the wonderful Brenda Chin, the senior editor of Blaze, would tell you, it’s easier for an editor to tame what you’ve already written than to push you forward. If you’re going for sexy, be a wild woman. Go for it, even if you decide to erase what you’ve just written. (You probably won’t.) If you’re writing a less sexually intense book, you can tone down the graphic words and situations and still make it memorable (like when a boyfriend took you to an old house in New Orleans and romanced you there, bringing you into an old-fashioned room and seducing you by pouring water from a porcelain pitcher and giving you a slow basin bath and… You get it. ).
But, as we know, it’s not just the situation that makes for a truly affecting love scene, and that brings us to…
Transformation
This second point is pretty obvious, but I look at love scenes as a most intense opportunity to develop the characters. A love scene is never a throwaway scene—it’s never just about how body parts are reacting from point A to point B. It’s about what’s going on inside the characters, too.
The characters’ interaction is transformative—and if it’s not, that’s something to explore, as well. Why wasn’t the hero or heroine touched by the experience? And if they were emotionally overwhelmed (and, let’s face it, that’s usually the case), this is a springboard for more character development. Does it make your characters more vulnerable in some way? Does it make them stronger? How can what just happened between them affect the push/pull of their developing relationship?
The List
On the practical side, I keep a list of words for my love scenes. Provocative, vivid words that not only inspire action, but provide sensuous images. Synonyms like “brush,” “skim,” “trace,” “coax,” for when I want to describe a hero caressing the heroine’s…face. Words for everything from foreplay to entry (“churn,” “ram,” “thrust”—and I do believe that’s enough to give you an idea of what I’m talking about).
I can’t tell you how many times one of these words has propelled a scene. We can get stuck on technical stuff like word choice, and this way, I just look at my list and off I go. If you’re an organized personality like I am, you might want to write down every “love scene” word that comes to mind right now. Then you can even put them into groups (like foreplay and entry, etc.). Keep it at your side during the next love scene and see if this gives things any extra oomph.
Speaking of Imagery…
This point goes along with the characterization and imagery I already mentioned. Something that gives a love scene another dimension is when I use a character’s point of view and inner growth to create an imagery arc. What sort of symbolism can you use during the scene that explodes at the end into a climactic moment that will work for the reader, too? If you’ve got a heroine who is scared to death that her world is going to break apart, can you use mirror imagery during the foreplay and build up, then use some kind of crashing glass to describe her release? Symbolism can add an extra layer to the scene and make it a more emotional experience.
Amaretto Over Ice and Wild Orchid
If you’re just not feeling a love scene—or you need an extra push to get started—you might consider outside help. Back when I was writing my first Blaze, I was ready to go, but I kept thinking about what my friends and family would say when they saw other descriptions for the word “penis” in a book with my name on it. (If this were a Blaze or one of my urban fantasies, I’d write the word. ) So I consulted the experts--my favorite sex movie ever, Wild Orchid, and a splash of amaretto over ice in a fancy glass.
Now, I’m not telling anyone to booze it up. I was using the prop of amaretto over ice in a crystal glass because it makes me think I can be sophisticated and wanton at the same time. (Okay, it made me a bit giddy, too.) And Wild Orchid? It is so wicked and corny. They are a perfect Blaze combination for me. You no doubt have other triggers, and I’d suggest trying those and then going to the keyboard to see what you get.
I hope these sparked something, either for your love scenes or a very special Valentine’s Day in real life. (If there are any guys reading this, try Wild Orchid, amaretto, and add chocolate. Guaranteed winner.)
Have fun with both!
Chris writes urban fantasy as Chris Marie Green and romance as Crystal Green. BREAK OF DAWN, Book Three in her Vampire Babylon series, has just been reissued in mass market format and book six, DEEP IN THE WOODS, is hitting shelves March 2. To learn more, you can go a number of places—www.crystal-green.com, www.vampirebabylon.com, Chris’s blog (http://crystal-green.blogspot.com/) , Facebook (at http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-Marie-Green/1051327765 ) or Twitter (at http://twitter.com/ChrisMarieGreen).
**An abridged version of Chris's article, "Loving a Love Scene," was released in our company newsletter earlier this month. This is the first release of the full-length version.**
UPDATE: The winner of IMPROPER RELATIONS by Janet Mullany is Margay. Please email your physical addy to contests(AT)knightagency.net.
When I was asked to blog about a pair of lovers for the Knight Agency’s Valentine’s Day celebration, I knew immediately who I’d write about—Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane, the famous couple from Dorothy Sayers’ novels, which I’ve loved and admired for years.
First a word about Dorothy Sayers (1893-1957). She was one of the first women awarded a degree from Oxford, where she attended the prestigious Somerville College and graduated with a first class honors degree in modern languages. Like her friend C.S. Lewis she was a noted Christian scholar and wrote translations, short stories, reviews, poetry collections and translations, but she’s best known as one of the most brilliant detective writers of the twentieth century.
Her first novel, WHOSE BODY (1923) introduced Lord Peter Wimsey, an aristocratic dabbler in detection work, overbred, full of nervous intelligence, and shell-shocked from World War I. Harriet Vane enters the picture in STRONG POISON (1930), the fifth of Sayers’ novels; she’s a modern woman, an intellectual, who lives in sin with her lover, and has been accused of his murder. Peter solves the mystery, clears her name, and proposes marriage, having fallen in love with her.
She accepts, right?
No. Being dependent on a man, particularly an aristocratic and overbearing one, is against everything she believes in. Harriet refuses, but offers to become Peter’s mistress, thus insulting his name and honor and all he stands for. And so the relationship continues uneasily as would-be lovers but as successful detectives, for a couple more books.
Then we come to GAUDY NIGHT (1935), a novel set in Oxford, where Harriet is invited back to her alma mater for a college reunion to find out who’s behind an unpleasant attack of poison pen letters. This is possibly Sayers’ most brilliant book, and also the one maybe closest to her heart, set in her beloved Oxford, and debating the question of women’s roles in society, particularly that of unmarried women in academia. As one of the female college scouts (servants) says, But some of these clever ladies are a bit queer, don’t you think, madam? Funny, I mean. No heart in them.
Now Sayers had a bit of a problem with Peter. She’d originally invented him as a society man whose silliness masked a formidable intelligence and capacity for problem-solving. And he had a weak chin. He was in fact, pretty much asexual in the early books. Certainly by the time Harriet arrived, he was changing, and by GAUDY NIGHT he has become downright hot, if not hawt. And the level of sexual tension between him and Harriet is downright astonishing, even with all clothes on and formal address—Lord Peter and Miss Vane.
Here’s one of the most extraordinary and beautiful scenes I’ve ever read, when Harriet finally admits to herself that she’s in love with Peter (he’s been proposing marriage to her every month for some time, and she’s turned him down every time). She’s sitting on a riverbank, watching him read:
… she studied his half-averted face. Considered generally, as a façade, it was by this time tolerably familiar to her, but now she saw details, magnified as it were by some glass in her own mind. The flat setting and fine scroll-work of the ear, and the height of the skull above it. The glitter of close-cropped hair where the neck-muscles lifted to meet the head. A minute sickle-shaped scar on the left temple. The faint laughter-lines at the corner of the eye and the droop of the lid at its outer end. The gleam of gold down on the cheekbone. The wide spring of the nostril. An almost imperceptible beading of sweat on the upper lip and a tiny muscle that twitched the sensitive corner of the mouth. The slight sun-reddening of the fair skin and its sudden whiteness below the base of the throat. The little hollow above the points of the collarbone.
He looked up; and she was instantly scarlet, as though she had been dipped in boiling water. Through the confusion of her darkened eyes and drumming ears some enormous bulk seemed to stoop over her. Then the mist cleared. His eyes were riveted upon the manuscript again, but he breathed as though he had been running.
So, thought Harriet, it has happened. But it happened long ago. The only new thing that has happened is that now I have got to admit it to myself. I have known it for some time. But does he know it? He has very little excuse, after this, for not knowing it. Apparently he refuses to see it, and that may be new. If so, it ought to be easier to do what I meant to do.
She stared out resolutely across the dimpling water. But she was conscious of his every movement, of every page he turned, of every breath he drew. She seemed to be separately conscious of every bone in his body. At length he spoke, and she wondered how she could ever have taken another man's voice for his.
Isn’t that gorgeous? And when Peter does propose to her, it’s done in a way that brings together all the threads of the book, the debate on women’s status, the issue of equality between Harriet and Peter, and as a tribute to Oxford itself. Using the Latin of the ceremony that bestows a degree at Oxford, Peter asks:
Placetne, magistra? Do you agree, mistress?
Placet. I agree.
Without fail, that sends shivers down my spine every time I read it, which is what a good love scene should do. What do you think? Have you read GAUDY NIGHT and what’s your favorite scene?
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Janet Mullany’s next book, coming out this month, is IMPROPER RELATIONS, a Regency chicklit about annoying relatives and finding love where you least expect it. Leave a comment in the blog, and enter to win a signed copy of this book. The winner will be announced tomorrow afternoon.
UPDATE: The winner of TELL ME MORE by Janet Mullany is Lolarific! Congrats! Please email your addy to Contests(AT)KnightAgency.net.
Jo escapes from the closet and explores the rest of the house. Here’s an excerpt from THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER by C. S. Lewis.
