Those books that just won’t let us go?

by Lucy Monroe

We’ve all read those special books that keep replaying in our mind’s eye, those stories we have to go back and read over and over again. Haven’t we? I know I have, more than a few. My library wouldn’t be so full otherwise. (I only keep the books I like to read again. ::wink::)

As an author, there are stories that have the same pull, but these ones are inside my own mind. They’re characters that keep talking to me and each other, plots that get replayed over and over again until I have no choice but to write them. Wedding Vow of Revenge was one of those stories. The concept of the hero as the villain is one I love to play with, but it’s not always an easy story to write. In fact, it’s one of the hardest. You have to redeem this guy who has caused the heroine, whom you love and hope your readers do too, so much angst.

Angelo Gordon made the perfect anti-hero, but could I bring him to hero status by the end of the book? That was the question I played with long before I finally decided to write his and Tara’s story. It’s my sincere hope I pulled it off for my readers because I know I fell for the broken alpha hero long before the book was over.

That’s a weakness of mine, those guys who look and act so put together, but are broken on the inside and need love to heal them.

True love was Angelo’s only chance at true happiness because it was the only emotion strong enough to break through his other barriers. How real was that love? Read Wedding Vow of Revenge and let me know what you think. :)

What are your favorite revenge stories? For me, Lynne Graham is a master storyteller on this theme and I couldn’t possibly just pick one of her titles. How about you?

Hugs and happy reading,
Lucy

http://lucymonroe.com

http://www.lucymonroeblog.blogspot.com

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Renovation Realities

by Debra Webb

Don’t worry I’m not going to talk about renovating this hundred and ten year old house of mine—though I could tell you some horror stories! I’d like to share a lesson I’ve learned over eighty-some-odd books. There is one absolute truth about creating a fiction novel: the story is only as good as the characters. If you’ve been around the publishing world for a while, whether published  or unpublished, this is not news to you. And if you’re not a writer but love to read, you know this from experience as well.

When I consider my favorite movies it’s quite easy to nail the reason I love them. Gladiator is one of my favorites. Not because I’m into watching the gore and violence or because the plot line was particularly compelling to me, but because of the character, Maximus, that Russell Crowe played. His brooding, wounded hero portrayal proved outstanding, in my opinion. Who can forget the lines, “…Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance in this life or the next.” Amazing! Then there’s another of my all time favorites, Long Kiss Goodnight. I loved, loved, loved Samuel L. Jackson in this movie! His portrayal of the character Mitch Hennessey was awesome and unforgettable. I have many, many other favorites. The reason I’ve presented these two particular examples is to demonstrate my renovation realities theory.

Generally when a story starts to develop in my very twisted mind I have one of two elements as a launching pad—a character that has stolen my attention and insists on being written or a plot idea that won’t leave me alone. Either way, it’s the characters that ultimately get the most of my time. Because I fully understand that when you hear a reader say, “God, I loved that story!” it is the character/s he or she loved. Creating those memorable characters is the key to an unforgettable story. Consider some of the classics that have endured the test of time: To Kill a Mocking Bird or Gone with the Wind. Both of those novels capture a time and place that is stunningly palpable to the reader. You can feel the story, taste it…smell it. But when you hear readers, young and old, talking about those stories the actual topic being discussed is nearly always one or more of the characters. Both authors created truly unforgettable characters.

So, how do we go about creating that unforgettable character? First, we make them real. Second, we renovate until we can stand back and say “yes, that’s what I was going for.” Whether you’re writing a wounded rogue or a quiet, sensitive computer whiz, he must have numerous layers just as real people do. It’s not enough to merely give him a name, a date of birth and profession, you need to give him the same elements a real guy would have. Where did he grow up? Any siblings? What about his parents? Dead? Divorced? Has he or she been married? Divorced? What was the environment like in his childhood home? What good or bad things happened to forge his personality and way of thinking? Whatever steps he takes, whatever judgments he makes about the plot, the other characters or his life in general are all motivated by who he is. You can’t fully develop who he is unless you give him a complete history. Think of your own life and the environment and events that made you who you are. That’s what you need for each of your characters. Whether it’s the hero or the heroine or the villain. Yes, the bad guys/gals have to be real too. The absolute best bad guys/gals are the ones readers feel some slight connection to. Creepy, huh? But it’s true. Look at Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs. A truly gruesome, sick character. But he had so many, many layers. Extreme intelligence. Charm. Etc. No matter that he was a demented killer, there were tiny, tiny fragments of who he was that were undeniably relatable.

MOTIVE IS EVERYTHING.

That’s right. Motive. Every single day of our lives we wake up and make one decision after the other. Whether to make the bed immediately upon rising or leave it for later. What to wear. Shower? Make-up? What to eat for breakfast? Load the dishwasher or not? A second cup of coffee or not? Spouse, kids, school, work, bills, etc., etc., etc. All those things and many, many more require decisions every day, every hour, every minute. Every single decision we make, spontaneous or not, is motivated by who we are and our thought process. What happened to you when you were five and older sister locked you in the closet? What happened on the playground when the bully took your milk money? How it felt when your first love dumped you because he/she was a complete idiot but you didn’t realize that until a long time later.

WHO IS HE/SHE?

Give him or her a life and fill it with a history and I promise you will have created a compelling and unforgettable character. Now I don’t have any fancy charts or research books. I don’t even do all this up front. Most of the time I do it along the way (which means going back and layering—so if you can do it all up front, kudos to you!). That’s the renovation part. Yeah, I know, most folks (especially editors) call it revising. I prefer to think of it as character renovating. When I think of Victoria Colby-Camp, head of the Colby Agency, she is a perfect example. The first Colby Agency book, Safe by His Side, featured Victoria Colby (before she married the venerable Lucas Camp!). At the time she was a nice, “older,” lady who had a history with at least two sad components: her seven-year-old son had been stolen and her husband had been murdered. These horrific events had taken place about sixteen years prior to book one. With each installment of the Colby Agency, Victoria and certain other characters, Simon Ruhl, Ian Michaels, Lucas Camp, to name a few, took on lives of their own. These characters became staples of each story. This month, Colby Lockdown, hit the shelves and it is the 37th installment of the Colby Agency series. Yes, I said 37! This is the largest (as in number of books) author series in Harlequin’s history.

There is a scene in Colby Lockdown where the terrorists who have overtaken the Colby agency deem that someone has to die. Victoria steps forward and demands that if someone is to die, it will be her. The head bad guy thinks this is quite amusing. The courageous head of the Colby Agency offering to sacrifice herself to save her staff. So he agrees, Victoria will die first. As I wrote this scene, I really didn’t know what was going to happen. It was one of those unplanned, definitely not in the synopsis moments. But I needn’t have worried, the characters would not let me down. I can’t tell you what happens, you’ll have to discover that as you read the story. But this is the perfect example of fully formed characters. I didn’t need to know what happened next, the characters took charge and showed me what was going to happen. I cried as I wrote that scene. I cried when I read it months later as the story prepared to go to production.

I’d love to hear about your favorite characters from a story you loved or your own renovation reality story about writing a character.

For my blog today, I thought I’d  answer some of the questions I’ve been asked in the comments on past posts.  I’m always happy to answer questions, so if you have some, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Heather said:

One thing I’d love to see covered is what people will get from your 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance. How did you get all the authors to share their secrets!?! :-)

Well, one of the really great and unexpected benefits from having been in this writing/publishing business for 25 years is the fact that I’ve met a lot of fabulous people and made some really great friends.  And interesting thing about that is that if I love someone’s books then I usually really like them as a person. It works out a lot.

So, when the 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance sold out its first edition and it was going in to the second edition, I knew that one thing that would boost it’s usefulness was some input from writers for other lines. After all, I write for Presents/Modern Romance  and although I know about the other romance lines, I’m not an expert as the authors who write for them can be.   So basically – I asked!

I sent out an email to  20+ other authors, all writing for the range of romance lines for Harlequin and I gave everyone the same questions. And they all responded!  Romance novelists are great that way.

So now the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance has all the information it had before – the 12 points and the explanations about why they are so important. It has the things to think about and the exercises to do at the end of each chapter. And it has this great section at the end where those 20+ authors all talk about how they write and what they think you need to know about the line(s) they write for. And I will always be grateful to those fellow authors who stepped up and answered all my questions just for that section.

Shayla said -

I’d like to see more about the process you go through to get published. Does it change once you are published?

The most important way that the process of getting a book bought and scheduled  changes once you are published, is that once you have one book accepted and scheduled then you are assigned to a personal editor and you work exclusively with her. Everything you submit goes straight to that one person and she assesses it, suggests revisions and hopefully buys it. Your book doesn’t go into the ‘slush pile’ – the pile of unsolicited manuscripts that is shared out amongst all the editors in the office.

The other major difference is that you are given contracts for a certain number of boos – I’m currently contracted for 3 new titles  – and you are given deadlines – dates on which you will aim to deliver the manuscript to your editor so she can read it. I call these dreadlines as I always have too much book left at the end of too little time!  But I do try to submit as close to the date as possible.  Then my editor reads the book, she will probably suggest revisions – it’s a rare book that doesn’t need some ‘tweaking’ – and I will do those. Then – hopefully – she buys the book and a publication date is set. This is usually some months (up to a year) ahead.  And that is when editing/marketing decide on a title – I have very little input into that.

The next stage in the process is that at some point I am sent copies of my ‘proofs’. These are a print out of the whole book as it will look when published and I need to go through it to check for any mistakes, misprints etc. Meanwhile my editor will have been working with the art department – telling them a couple of scenes that might work on the cover and they will design and create the cover. Finally the book is  printed, bound and I will get my author copies.

Rr4ever said -

Personally, I’d love to know a little about what kind of books you read.

And I’ll try to remember to chat about my reading most months. But I have a problem this month because I’ve been reading books that have been entered for the Romance Writers of America big contest – the RITA awards. And as the judging for that is strictly anonymous, I can’t tell you which books I’ve read.  So I have been reading – but I can’t tell you what!

Oh – and I almost forgot two of my special friends and great authors Liz Fielding and Anne McAllister and I are sharing a great contest this month. This is the 4^th year that we’ve been running our Here Come the Grooms contest . There are three great prizes of three great books – so why not take a look at  my blog and my contest page for details and enter and try your luck.

Finally – I wanted to share some really great news –

As many of you know, I’m celebrating 25 years of being published  – my first ever book, The Chalk Line  was published in December 1984.

In all those 25 years, one of the things I always dreamed off was to win the honour of having my book names as a Romantic Times Top Pick in the month it was out.   It never happened – well,  not until now. Several of my books earned the score of 4.5 stars, but none of them were ever awarded that elusive Top Pick.

Then suddenly, at the end of 2008, my November release, Bedded By the Greek Billionaire was the first of my books to be awarded the Top Pick for that month. I was thrilled.  An ambition achieved. So imagine my delight when I just discovered that it’s happened again. I just learned that my next release – The Konstantos Marriage Demand has also been given the Top Pick selection for March. Once again I’m celebrating.  And it has really made my month.

The Konstantos Marriage Demand will be out in America in Presents EXTRA on March 16^th but I’ll have another Kate’s Corner to write a post for before then so I’ll tell you more about that book then. (Though if you want to grab it early, it is available on eHarlequin right now both as a print and an ebook.)

So that’s it for this month – I’ll be back on March 15^th to chat with you again. Don’t forget if you have any questions to post them here.  See you soon.

And if you’d like to know more about me and my books then you can find lots of information over on my web site or read the really up to date stuff on my blog.

Happy Reading

Kate

This is an exciting day for me because today marks the beginning of my blog on the wonderful We Write Romance website. I was delighted when Heather suggested I contribute regularly to the site by blogging about what I know best: grammar and writing.

After much discussion, we decided to call this blog “Carolynn’s Clues” because that’s basically what I want to do: offer pointers and information about common mistakes in grammar and usage, as well as discussing ways to improve our writing.

I welcome questions regarding any aspect of writing from the most basic English grammar and usage questions to the more involved queries regarding writing skills such as point of view. My blog will be scheduled for the second Tuesday of every month, so be sure to watch for it.

Basically, I plan to address current issues as I become aware of them through my reading or through discussions on my various writers’ email loops. And, of course, I’ll respond to your questions. Remember, “There are no stupid questions,” so click on “Contact Carolynn” above and tell me what’s puzzling you. I’ll respond in next month’s blog.

As I’m sure you’re aware, the English language is in a constant state of change. New words enter our language on a regular basis. For example, the verbs “unfriend” and “Google” would not have been recognizable just a short time ago.

As words are being born, other words die away. My daughter gave me a calendar that is based on “Forgotten English,” and the word for January 21 was “mothery,” defined as “Thick, mouldy, as beer or vinegar when stale.” I’ve never heard the word “mothery” used, but I’ve heard the word “mother” applied to the film that forms on old vinegar. This definition of “mother” is still in modern dictionaries, but it’s not something I hear on a regular basis. How about you? Are you familiar with the word “mother” as it applies to vinegar?

But I digress. What I really want to talk about today is a trend that I believe will eventually result in a permanent change in the language. I’ll confess right now that I’ll never be happy about people using the subjective case when the “rules” of grammar say the objective case is called for. But these days many people would say, “You’ll be working with Mark and I” instead of “Mark and me.”

This topic came up recently on one of my email loops that’s limited to published writers. One writer complained about hearing the incorrect usage “with Mark and I” on television recently and another pointed out that this usage has been around on television for a long time.

Another writer mentioned that her father had taught her to leave the other person out of the sentence to judge correct usage. In other words, if you wouldn’t say, “You’ll be working with I,” then you wouldn’t say, “You’ll be working with Mark and I.”

Yet another chimed in to say she is convinced that many people believe “me” sounds pedestrian while “I” sounds lofty. As a matter of fact, the writers of the Q&A section of The Chicago Manual of Style Online refer to the usage error “with Mark and I” as a “genteelism” because people think it sounds proper even though it isn’t.

Additionally, according to the Chicago style manual, “ill-schooled and insecure writers and speakers engage in what linguists call ‘hypercorrection,’ misapplying the rules governing pronouns by using the nominative where the objective is called for (as in the mistaken form between you and I for between you and me).”

I don’t about you, but I would prefer not to fall into that “ill-schooled and insecure writers” category. At the same time, in my opinion, the trend is definitely toward using the subjective case rather than the objective case following prepositions.

What about you? Do you cringe when you hear someone say, “You’ll be working with Mark and I”? Or do you even notice? What about “between you and I”? Does that usage grate on your nerves or does it sound perfectly normal? Chances are, as the incorrect usage continues to be used regularly, it will eventually be universally accepted.