Love – the second time around

Yes – I have been here before. Not on Love Conquers, but in American Title. The two big questions everyone asks are: How does it feel to final for the second time and what did you learn from last time?

How does it feel? Exciting, thrilling, terrifying, all the things it felt last time. I was knocked out to be chosen for a second time, really one of those moments when you can’t believe it can be happening again. I thought that ATIV was a once in a life time experience. Friends encouraged me to travel to Pittsburgh for the Booklovers Convention because I would never be in a contest like that again. Well–

I’ve made up my mind this time to enjoy the whole process as much as I can. Once your entry is out there you’re entirely in the hands of the voting public. No amount of worrying and wondering changes anything.

What did I learn? Have a shorter title, so it’s easier for people to put it in their e-mails to vote! I have that with Never Coming Home. 

The biggest thing that I got from the contest? Without doubt the friendship of nine talented, clever, funny, warm hearted women. My fellow finalists in American Title IV.  Those on the outside might find it strange, how the finalists bond, but it really is a case of outsiders, however close and supportive, never quite getting everything that’s involved.

And what about a piece of inside information that may not be common knowledge? Well, did you know that Romantic Times never  divulges how many votes any of the entrants get? Those of us who went to Pittsburgh did try to sweet talk the lovely Liz French from RT into spilling the beans. All we got was an enigmatic smile …

Memory Loss–How Sweet It Is! NOT

**Qaey Williams sneaking in the back door**

Oh My Goodness. I cannot believe I did the ultimate brainfart! I completely spaced my post for the blog today–My deepest apologies to the ATV finalists and our readers…

Let me just blame it on the day job–yeah, that’s it, it’s all the fault of my day job. That and the excitement of everything.

I’m totally stoked to be one of the finalists in American Title V. Helen Scott Taylor interviewed me on the Title Magic Blog yesterday and today, I open my December issue of Romantic Times and what is in the MailBag section, but a picture of Helen with Wendy Corsi Staub and the copy of RT that initiated their conversation.

As if that weren’t exciting enough, I turn to the back cover and lo and behold there, in the full page, full color advertisement for Loose Id, LLC is a picture of my most recent novella (under my pen name Qwillia Rain), Meeting A Neighbor’s Needs! It is fantastic, I have to admit–check it out:

The cover was done by Croco Designs.

If that isn’t enough to get the old heart pumpin’ I don’t know what is… (other than being named an AT finalist, that is, LOL)

I appreciate your patience and I’m really looking forward to reading Tamara’s interview at Title Magic today. Heading that way now so I don’t forget. Take care all and have a fantastic night.

Qaey Williams
American Title V Finalist
In A Lover’s Silence

Real people

by Edie Ramer

Last week I had two interviews on Sylvia Day’s blog. This week is Tamara Hughes’ turn. Today Marie-Claude Bourque is interviewing Tamara about her historical romance, ONCE UPON A MASQUERADE. On Thursday, Tamara will interview one of her characters. I hope you’ll stop by and read them.

More interview news! Mai Christy Thao is posting an interview with me today on Title Magic, a blog of the American Title IV finalists. I’m delighted that Mai interviewed me, as she gave me advice even before I entered the American Title V contest. On Tuesday, Helen Scott Taylor interviews Qaey Williams. On Wednesday, Lexie O’Neill interviews Tamara Hughes. On Thursday, Trish Milburn interviews Barbara Longley. The other interviews will be scheduled next week. We’re all thrilled with the support from last year’s finalists.

My blog today was inspired by an interview. I finished writing DEAD PEOPLE a year ago. When I learned I’d be interviewing a character for Sylvia’s blog last week, I chose my heroine, Cassie, and thought I’d have to read the book again to get back into her mind. So I was surprised to connect with her so quickly, to get her voice. As if we’d talked just yesterday. As if she was — gulp — a real person. As if they (all our characters) have — double gulp — souls.

It’s a creepy thing to say, but maybe they do. To bring them fully rounded to the pages, we give them backstories with parents, siblings, ex-lovers. We give them hearts that hurt. We give them souls that are damaged. At some point, my characters do things I would never plot. They say things I would never say. And what about finding a wonderful new twist for a story … and realize we’d dropped clues right from the beginning. Was that our subconscious? Or was that our character, whispering in our mind?

In my interview with Cassie, she left to go a party with sexy devils, hunky firemen and lusty Vikings. I wrote that I ran after Cassie, begging her to take me with her. But if we could really party with fictional characters, I’d pass those lusty men and go straight to the March family home in Concord, MA. I want to meet them all: Jo, Marmee, Meg, Beth, Amy, Laurie. I was 8 or 9 when I first read Little Women. After all these years, the characters remain in my heart.

What fictional characters would you like to party with? Which characters stayed in your heart?

WHERE DO WRITERS GET THEIR IDEAS?

This is an oft asked question once people know you’ve managed to write a whole book. I imagine it’s different for every writer, and I also imagine there are commonalities. A lot of my ideas occur while I’m walking my dog through the woods. It’s a time when distractions are few, and the natural world is conducive to channeling creative energy. I also get ideas from reading the news, or an interesting article in a magazine, from non-fiction books that catch my interest . . . even from snippets of conversation overheard in passing.

When I do get an idea, I write it down so that I don’t forget it. I keep a three ring binder for that purpose only. by the looks of it, I’ll have to live to be 150 before all the stories are written.

Why does an unpublished writer write? What is it that compels one to write a story bouncing around in their head? Writing can be a painful process, so why keep banging your head against that metaphoric wall? Perhaps writers are all a little bit OCD . . . ? Once my characters are created, they take on a life of their own, and I feel like their story MUST be told. I get restless when too many days pass and I don’t write. How about the rest of you out there? What are your thoughts?

Barbara Longley/TRUE TO THE HIGHLANDER

The Lure of the Anti-Hero

Author’s Note: The idea for this post came from the lovely Minx Malone, who sidelines as a Muse on occasion. Love you girl!

The Lure of the Anti-Hero

By Michelle Lauren

Like most little girls, I loved fairy tales. I enjoyed the classic themes, such as love conquering all, juxtaposed against fantastical elements like fairy godmothers and grumpy dwarves. Best of all, Prince Charming always came riding to the rescue at the end.

He was the first hero archetype I ever encountered. Most stories featured him, including Snow White, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. However, my ultimate favorite fairy tale was Beauty & the Beast. Only after I started writing my own novels did I realize why.

Prince Charming is boring.

True, he is attractive, rich and has impeccable timing (and, let’s face it, what woman doesn’t want that in a man?), but he is also safe. Not true of the “hero” from Beauty & the Beast. This guy is a wild card, a former playboy with a major chip on his shoulder and all the odds betted against him. In the end, he emerges, flawed but a better man for having found love.

He is the ultimate bad boy turned good. In modern times, the type of character is known as the “anti-hero.” The Gallery of Anti-Heroes defines him as “someone with some of the qualities of a villain, up to and including brutality, cynicism, and ruthlessness, but with the soul or motivations of a more conventional Hero.”

In other words, this guy is a knight in tarnished armor, someone who might do good for the wrong reasons. He has an edge. He has mystery. He is also just plain cool. The anti-hero dominates in modern action adventure films (some examples are Batman, The Punisher and Wolverine), and is becoming increasingly popular in some genres of romantic fiction.

In How to Tame a Harpy, my character Daniel is definitely an anti-hero. I think of him as having bad boy charm with good guy values. Tall, dark and dangerous, he is willing to do anything to protect those he loves, even if it means breaking a few rules. Jaded by past betrayals, Daniel is hesitant about trusting Siren with his heart but he cannot deny their attraction.

Who are your favorite anti-heroes, either in film or in fiction?

mcslist — editing

 By Marie-Claude Bourque

My husband’s name is Craig and I’ve been a little jealous of his craigslist jokes, so I thought it was time for me to come up with my own list, don’t you think. So since I am not the imaginative type, I write lists all the time. In fact, most of my writing endevours are done through a series of lists, plotlists, scene list, task lists, synopsis cheat list, ect. And they get mixed up with my groceries lists, to do lists, list of what I want to do when I grow up. You get the picture!!! -)) Yes I know a little weird, but hey it works for me.

So today, since I am currently highlighting myself away in a Margie Lawson INTENSIVE Digging Deep class, I thought I’d offered you this, my editing list. I usually edit one chapter at a time. So once I’ve done my first rought draft, hold on tight, here I go:

1-   Highlight my text and look for balance in various part  (see Margie Lawson EDITS System)

2-   Read chapter two times out loud after changing the font for a fresh look.

3-   Read again and ask why things happen all along (check for logic)

4-   Read and check for telling

5-   Read and check for hooks/hangers at the beginning and end of chapter and between scene (check Terry Spear wonderful online class on hooks)

6-   Read and check for action order (I like to put action as it unfolds in a sentence)

7-   Read and check for settings, is it seen through the POV character?

8-   Read check for 6 senses (don’t forget extra-sensory feeling, like eerie feelings, feeling something is about to happen)

9-   Read and check for sentence pace short/long, mix them up.

10- Software search for the words look, sense, feel (my overused words)

11- I then cut and paste the chapter in the online software AUTOCRIT that will check for repeated words and phrases, sentence length variation, cliche, oversuse of a first sentence word (I tend to start with the word “She” a lot.

12- Read through and check for words with Latin root. Because I am French, Latin words come first to me. I try to change them for stronger anglo-saxon words.

13- Read 2 more times aloud with different fonts.

Somewhere along the way, I have sent my chapter to trusted writing partners and will go through their comments. After doing this to each chapters, I have what I call my second draft, which I put away in a file somewhere, out of sight for 3 months.

Jee, I’m tired just reading this -)))) What is your editing process? Have I missed anything, let me know!!!

 Marie-Claude :)

 

 

Porridge today, Gromit. Tuuuesday.

By Tamara Hughes

Welcome once again to the blog of the American Title V finalists.  I’m Tamara Hughes, author of Once Upon a Masquerade.  And today’s topic is using references to popular movies, phrases, entertainers, etc. in your writing.  We all do it to some extent.  Yes, even historical writers do.  In Once Upon a Masquerade, I have a character that gives himself the chuckles by spouting Hamlet quotes at a ball until his friends are ready to beat him.  The questions is how much is too much?  And do you alienate readers who don’t get your reference.

An example of this came up recently for me.  I described someone by referring to ZZ Top in my work-in-progress, and one of my critique partners had no idea what I was talking about.  Granted ZZ Top is pretty dated, but come on man – long beards, glasses, hats, holding guitars and doing that swooshing thing with their arms.  Alright, now I’ve probably lost all of you.

The point is, when these references are used, you will always run into those that get it and love you for it, and those that don’t and may be annoyed that they missed a joke.  Of course, you could spell out the reference to make sure everyone plays in the game, but what fun is that.  It kind of ruins it for everyone who were already along with you.

This question came up again for me in a blog.  All of the American Title V finalists were asked to interview a character from their book.  As I brainstormed questions, a random thought bloomed that wouldn’t it be funny if my questions were something like this?:

What is your name?

What is your quest?

What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

For those not with me here, these questions are spoken by the keeper of the Bridge of Death in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

(Out of curiosity, is there anyone out there who would have known that?  And if so, how?  Are you a big fan?  Or is your guy? )

But I digress.  My question is: how do you feel about reading references that you understand and those you don’t understand?  In my opinion, if it’s a fleeting reference that I don’t get, I zip over it, no problem.  If the reference is repeated many times and I’m lost, then I get annoyed.

Let’s discuss OR as a wise man, er woman, once said on the infamous SNL, “Talk amongst yourselves.”

Have a great day!

Tamara

Welcome!

by Jessica Darago

Welcome, everyone, to the American Title V finalists’ blog! On behalf of all of us, thank you for coming by. We’ve only just begun our journey, and already it’s been a wild ride. We’re glad to have your company over the next few months and beyond.

First things first: Along the sidebar you’ll find lots of links to more information about us, the American Title Contest, Romantic Times Magazine, and Dorchester Publishing. More links are forthcoming, so be sure to check them often!

Second, bestselling author Sylvia Day has graciously invited us into her online home. Each week from now through December, Sylvia will host a Q&A with each of the American Title V authors and with one of her characters! The author interviews will be conducted by our own Marie-Claude Bourque (thanks, M-C!). You can find the interview schedule on Sylvia’s blog

First up is Edie Ramer, talking about her romantic ghost story, Dead People. Stop by for a fun read, and leave a comment for a chance to win prizes!

*administrator hat off*
*writer hat on*

It’s a glorious autumn day here in Northern Virginia. I took the long way to work this morning, along twisting roads lined with frosted, fallow fields. You’d never know such quiet and beauty lie so near the noise and rush of the nation’s capital. And while DC’s crowing glory is the springtime, for Virginia, it’s autumn.

When I set a scene, I love being able to base it on a real location. The internet is a wondrous thing, and it’s made a writer’s work infinitely easier (especially for those of us who write historicals), but there’s nothing quite like being there. A location is more than just an image; it’s sound and smell and texture and sometimes taste and … okay, I’ll say it, it’s the vibe you get from a place.

One day last autumn, a friend suggested we go hiking in Sky Meadows State Park. I was hip-deep in revisions on The Serpent’s Tooth at the time, wrestling with one scene in particular, a clandestine meeting between the heroine’s uncle and the woman he’s forbidden to love. A lot of my best writing happens when I’m hiking (the inside-my-head part of writing, anyway), so I agreed. And it was there, along an old carriage road, that I saw it: Toby, his collar turned up against the autumn wind, would ride his horse around that bend right there, and he would see Mary standing by the split-rail fence, her hands resting gracefully atop a fencepost, her searching eyes finding him at last and sparking with joy….

I found out later that Sky Meadows was named by former owner Robert Hadow after the Isle of Skye, the region of Scotland where many of the book’s characters come from and where a good chunk of the story takes place. It’s been years since I last visited that original Skye, but I saw the resemblance. I felt the vibe.

I didn’t type a single word that day, but it was one of the best writing days I’d had in a while.

There’s nothing like being there.

Have a great day, everyone!