Showing posts with label Elisabeth's Posts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elisabeth's Posts. Show all posts
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Current Project: TEMPTED Status: Revising - due next week!
Sorry my post is late today. My son's last day of preschool was this morning and they had a picnic/party for the kids, which the parents were all invited to. Because I have a book due next week that I'm not done with yet (ack!), this post is going to be rather short.
It's almost summer - I can barely believe it. My husband asked me the other day how much time I was taking off after I turn in TEMPTED, which is due June 1. I said, "Huh? Time off?" My agent is waiting for a proposal I'm only one chapter into. My novella is due September 1 and I haven't started it. And my next book is due December 1 (and I haven't started that yet either. Who has time for time off? We have a few things planned this summer but for the most part, I'll be working. I just signed the kids up for a camp, have another two camps they'll be doing as well. My goal is to keep them busy so I can stay busy.
Do you take time off from writing over the summer? And have anything big planned for the warm months - vacations, activities, etc? If so, I'll live vicariously through you.
Current Project: TEMPTED Status: 80K words and counting
So, yep, it’s true. My first paranormal releases TODAY. MARKED, book one in my new Eternal Guardians Series, is loosely based on Greek mythology and centers around a race descended from the heroes of Ancient Greece. (You know those “guys” – Perseus, Odysseus, Jason, Hercules, etc. Think: Hunky hunks.) Writing this series is totally different from anything I’ve written before but I’ve learned 10 very interesting thing from it that I thought I’d share with you here:
10) Gods are snarky. Who knew? I certainly didn’t before I started writing this series. The worst of the bunch? Oh, Hades, by far. Okay, yeah, he can grind one into dust with a mere look, but guaranteed he’s got a wicked sense of humor while doing so. (At least you won’t die un-entertained.)
9) Daemons are really ugly creatures. Seven foot seething monsters with cat-like faces, dog ears and horns straight off a goat? Ew. Not attractive, and definitely not sexy. Now every time I hear about a romance where the main characters are demons, I have this visual pinging around in my brain and think, “ack!”
8) Having a soul mate is not a blessing. It’s a curse. Especially if the goddess Hera is involved.
7) The Three Furies like to show up in my books. I have NO idea why! I can’t seem to get rid of them. (Honestly, I think they’re obsessed with me, but don’t tell them I said so.)
6) Bookstores should not be burned (and I just want you to know, no bookstores were injured in the production of this book).
5) Lavender is more than a pretty scent!
4) Caves have really become my friend. I mean, seriously. Who doesn’t love a good dark, dank cave now and then?
3) Apparently, I’ve turned into the opposite of Walt Disney – instead of killing off the mother in every story I write, I do it to the father.
2) It doesn’t matter if a guy is human, god, or in between. He’s still slow on the uptake. (Why is that?)
And the number one thing I’ve learned from writing this book:
1) When you establish world building parameters that basically say your hero heals faster than normal because of his link to the gods, you set yourself up for rapid recovery. In all physical aspects. Especially the bedroom. And this lends itself to all kinds of new ideas. (My husband is so gonna roll his eyes at this part when he reads the book.)
How many of us hate getting scathing reviews? How many of us would love to guarantee an A review? Dear Author and Smart Bitches are teaming up to give authors just that. A guaranteed glowing review. One you can quote all over the internet, use to drive traffic to your site and sell books.
Seriously. I can't think of a better idea, and I'm honestly shocked no one else has come up with it yet.
That was not a contented sigh you heard. It was an "ACK, It's spring." And more accurately, "OMG, it's SPRING BREAK"
Funny how times have changed. Not too many years ago I used to look forward to spring break. Now I dread it. Why? All three of my kids are home. Today is day one. And they've already been sent to their rooms for the second time. (And it's only 11 AM). At some point I have to get some writing in. (Not sure WHEN that will be...)
Because they're here (and upstairs yelling as I type) this is going to be an abbreviated post (mostly because I can't even think straight). Bethany wrote an awesome post yesterday about dark heroes. She mentioned cruelty being justifiable if the author can show the hero's character arc in such a way that he redeems himself by the end of the story. Since I'm writing a particularly cruel hero right now, I'm curious, what's too dark for you? Do you have any cruelty triggers that make a book a DNF for you?
Personally, I can handle just about anything (I grew up on soap operas, you know). But the one no-go for me is public humiliation. I don't know why. I've never been publicly humiliated. But I HATE to see it or read about it. Really makes me cringe. I love Susan Elizabeth Phillips, but the one book of hers I absolutely hated was Heaven, Texas because there's a scene near the end of the book (big black moment) where the hero publicly humiliates the heroine. Announces to the entire town that he wouldn't be caught dead with her and he only let her hang around with him out of pity. It didn't matter to me how far he crawled to beg her back afterward, that was a hair trigger for me I couldn't get past. He went from redeemable hero to irredeemable in about two paragraphs flat.
Funny, huh? I've read other books where I've forgiven a cheating hero, an abusive hero, a cruel hero...but the public humiliation one...I can't forgive that.
Your turn. What makes a character irredeemable for you?
Current Project: TEMPTED, Eternal Guardians book #3 Status: Chpt 5
Debbie's getting organized and I'm as disorganized as one can be! Sorry this post is late. I spent the morning gathering tax stuff for the DH who is home from work today doing taxes. Can you say...argh?! My eyes feel like they're going to pop out. but at least I don't have to do the taxes myself. The man is a hero, I tell you.
Lisa and Alice already hit the highlights of the Hauge workshop we went to a few weekends ago, but I wanted to talk a little bit about the Inner Journey of your main character because it really hit home for me. Romances are very character driven, and if you don't know your main character's inner journey, your book will fall flat. Hauge defines a character's Inner Journey as the journey from a character's "identity" to his/her "essence". Lisa explained these briefly in her post, but to refresh your memory, a character's "identity" is the belief about themselves the character holds on to at the beginning of a book. It's who they want the world to know them as. A character's "essence" is who that character becomes at the end of the book. It's who they finally have the courage to become because of the journey they've taken over the course of the book.
For a writer to create a character's inner journey (or character arc), the author must answer these questions:
1. LONGING – What is my hero’s longing OR need? What is the deeply held desire that the hero is paying lip service to because they’re too afraid to go after it? This is usually something that is missing from hero’s life.
A character's longing is usually what they consciously want. (What they know they want but are too afraid to go after.) Their need is what they unconsciously want. (What they don't really know they want.)
2. WOUND – What is my hero’s wound? A wound is an unhealed source of continuing pain. It usually happens to the hero before the story begins (setup) that they act like they’ve gotten over, but which deep down is still festering. This could be single event OR some ongoing situation.
3. BELIEF – What does my hero now believe about the way the world works? If a parent treats a kid badly, the kid then believes the parent must know he/she is evil or unworthy. What does your hero believe about themselves because of their wound?
4. FEAR – What is my hero’s fear? A character's fear is always linked to his/her belief about how the world works. “If they see what I truly am they will treat me...”
5. IDENTITY – What is my hero’s identity? The Identity is the mask the hero presents to the world in order to protect him from the fear that grows out of the belief that grows out of the wound that happened so far back the character thinks it doesn’t matter anymore.
This is the false self the character presents to the world to protect him/her from ever experiencing the pain from the wound.
6. ESSENCE –What is my hero’s essence? The Essence is what’s left after you strip the mask away. A person’s “truth”. Who the character would be if he/she wasn’t protecting themselves with their identity.
Who does my hero have the potential to become if they are courageous enough?
So in a nutshell...the inner journey is the characters journey/tug of war from living in their identity to their essence.
That tug of war is the character’s inner conflict.
The only way for the main character to get what he/she really wants is to step out of his/her identity and live in their essence.
A book is considered a tragedy if the main character never shifts from living in his identity to living in his essence.
Make sense?
Okay, now let's put it into real life examples. I'm going to use my current WIP, Tempted, as an example:
INNER JOURNEY
BOOK: TEMPTED
HERO'S NAME: Demetrius
LONGING: Wants the heroine to love him. (Remember, in a romance, love is almost always the longing of one of the main characters, whether they voice it or not.)
NEED: To be accepted for who he is.
WOUND: Was rejected by both his parents.
BELIEF: He is internally evil. He is not worthy of love because of where he comes from.
FEAR: Afraid if others know who he really is, he will lose what little acceptance he has – will be kicked out of the Argonauts. If he lets people see he’s good, he won’t be able to live up to it because he is internally evil.
IDENTITY: Acts like he doesn't care about anyone; is mean to people; doesn’t let anyone get close to him; loner; keeps people at a distance so they won’t get close and learn who he is.
ESSENCE: Caring, heroic, not evil, puts others first, has much to offer to someone else.
That's it. Easy, right?
Ideally you would do this for both your main characters, but for sake of space, I've only included one of mine. Now it's your turn. Take either your hero or heroine and map out his/her inner journey using this format. It looks very basic, but it will really open your eyes to who your character is and that arc you're creating for him/her in your story.
I have the head cold from hell that has now moved into my ears, so apologies if this comes out conjointed-sounding.
I turned in my revisions last night for ENTWINED. My editor already went through them and said I nailed it. She loves this book. More than MARKED. More than any of my Stolen books, which totally surprises me. Being the author, it's very hard for me to step back and see it from someone else's point of view. To me it's a giant mess. Maybe because the writing process for this book was so hard - I started it last spring, then got sick and almost died, then tried to get back to writing and couldn't until October. I feel like I flew through the end of the book trying to get it done, and now it's hard to look at it objectively. And I tackled some rather controversial issues, took some chances I was sure my editor would cringe at. So to hear her say she loved it? Totally floored me. Since my CP and beta reader both said the same thing (that they loved it, that they cried, that it was their FAVORITE book of mine to date), I'm inclined to believe (hope!) maybe they're right and I'm wrong. But still, I worry.
Writers are worriers at heart, aren't they? We worry that our book won't be good enough to snag an agent. That it's too different or similar (take your pick) to other books to entice an editor. That when industry professionals say they want "the same but different", it's such hogwash we will never sell. When we do sell, we worry that readers won't give us a chance. That our print runs won't be big enough, that the publishing house won't put money behind us, that our sell-through will suck. We worry our editor will hate the second book we've already toiled over, that he/she won't buy anything else, that our career will be over before it begins. And we always worry--no matter how many books we write--that THIS book will suck big green donkey whompers, readers will figure out we are a total farce and it will be the absolute END to our writing career.
Yeah. You can tell I don't spend time worrying. Those doubt demons can take over when you least expect it. And it's THOSE doubt demons that dictate what we write. Let's face it. It's a thousand times easier to write the same old romance just like every other author than it is to take chances, to write something different, to put a new twist on something that's been around for a while...to tackle controversial topics. But think about your FAVORITE books. I bet if you looked closely you'd see those books stayed with you long after any other BECAUSE there was something in there that was so different, it grabbed on to you and wouldn't let go. That author took chances, and it paid off. Take Barb, for example. That vampire story she wrote that has now garnered her a request from one of the biggest agents out there is proof that experimenting outside the box and taking chances WORKS.
ENTWINED is my "taking chances" book. While MARKED was a new genre, something outside my comfort level, it was really in ENTWINED that I pushed the limits of what I'm used to writing. My characters, their back story, the things they do and the world they live in...I took chances with all of it, and I think (hope!) it paid off. At the end of the day, I don't want to be just another author readers are ho-hum about. Love me or hate me, I want readers to remember me.
How about you? Have you taken a chance that has paid off? Or is there something you really want to do but are afraid to try?
Current Project: TEMPTED, book 3, Eternal Guardians Status: Chpt 5
I don't know why I thought today was Genene's day to post. Genene...you're messing with my mind!
I've been in a reading slump the last few months. Actually, not really a slump, just a "I don't have time to read and nothing looks interesting to me" kind of mood. A few weeks ago I got my RITA books to judge, so I've been slowly working my way through those. (It helps that for the first time in months I'm not on deadline!) Last night while I was reading a contemporary romance, I had one of those aha! moments we writers all know about but don't often think of.
Secrets.
They are why readers keep reading. They are what keep you up late, into the wee hours of morning, turning pages. In a suspense, the secret is the "who-dunnit" mystery element. Sometimes it's "Who's the bad guy?" Sometimes the reader knows who the bad guy is but doesn't know why the bad guy is doing the things he/she is doing. And sometimes it's mutliple who-dunnit mystery elements that keep a reader flipping pages.
In other books - paranormals, historicals, contemporaries, urban fantasies - the secret can be a villain, but more often it's another mystery element that makes readers itch to know more. The heroine has a secret she can't tell the hero. What is it? The hero's mysterious past could ruin the blossoming romance and end the world. What is his secret? And sometimes, what keeps a reader reading isn't needing to know the secret but needing to know how others in the story will react to that secret.
I love secrets. I love giving my characters secrets. In my recent book - STOLEN SEDUCTION - the heroine has a secret she keeps from the hero about her involvement in his murder investigation. The hero has a personal secret that's changed his life. And then there's the whole who-dunnit mystery secret that encompasses the entire suspense plot.
In my May release, MARKED, the reader knows the hero's secret from the start of the book. What the reader doesn't know is how the heroine will react when she learns his deep dark secret and how that secret will impact her. Still a secret. Just done differently than my previous book.
What's the best secret you read in a book that kept you turning pages? And do you use secrets in your books?
Before I forget...I'm hosting the RomCon Contemporary Forum today. The topic is Romance Fixes. Hop over and comment to enter to win a copy of STOLEN SEDUCTION and a chance for a paid registration to RomCon 2010 in July!
Current Project: TEMPTED (Eternal Guardians Book #3) Status: Chapter Four
We’ve all been there. You hear about an awesome new book. It’s getting tons of media blitz. You see it all over the blogosphere, on Facebook, you hear about it on Twitter. You see it displayed prominently at the bookstore, in grocery stores, on the end aisle at Target. You think you’re missing out by NOT reading it, so you pick up a copy. And then you’re left scratching your head.
Writers are not the best critics. Probably because we see things through a writer’s perspective. We know about voice and language, point of view, plot and pacing. We also instinctively know when a story is good and when it’s not. So sometimes – knowing all that we know – it’s a surprise to pick up a book and enjoy it. And then realize…something’s still missing.
I started reading a new book last week that I was eagerly anticipating. I enjoyed the plot and characters, the world and conflict. The story itself was good. But I walked away from that book thinking it could have been better. I scratched my head over this for a long time. As a writer, my instinct is to try to figure out what didn’t work so I don’t repeat the mistake. And after thinking about it way more than I should have, I realized the problem I had with this book wasn’t the story, it was that I never felt like I understood the characters to the degree that I rooted for them one way or the other.
That’s a pretty major element in writing. Drawing your reader in so they cheer and root for your characters. So they cry and yell and angst with them, as well. Pulling a reader in so they become part of the story rather than an observer is key, but it isn’t always easy. And if you aren’t doing it, then I guarantee your books will never be considered great reads.
So how do you do it? I’m by no means an expert, but here are tips I’ve picked up over time:
1. You – the writer – put yourself in the scene. A wise writer once told me in order to make a love scene believable and not something that sounds like it was part of a sex-ed manual, you have to put yourself in that room with your characters. You have to become a part of the scene yourself. You can’t sit back and describe what’s happening like you’re making a shopping list. That advice has stuck with me, and it carries over into my other scenes, not just my love scenes.
2. You use deep POV. Sometimes this is tricky – you can walk a fine line between being TOO deep in a character's head and not being deep enough. Too many thoughts and ponderings slow pace, (and make readers roll their eyes at the angst) but not enough leave readers (like me) wishing I understood the characters’ thinking more. A good balance is no more than two short paragraphs (preferably 3-4 sentences) in a character's thoughts before you toss in action or dialogue to balance the scene.
3. You explain the things that need explaining and you ignore everything else. I recently read a paranormal that left me so confused by page 50 I had no idea what was going on. The author didn’t explain the terms and tools and words that were unique to that book’s world enough for me to feel like I was part of the scene. And what she did spend time explaining seemed trivial and not needed. If it doesn't matter to the story, cut it. If it does, you better make sure your reader understands how and why.
4. You write to the middle. I have friends who are professionals who talk over my head. I know writers who do the same. A novel is not the time to prove you have a stellar vocabulary. If your reader needs a dictionary by her side to read your book, then you’re not writing to the middle. You’re writing to the extreme. And trust me, you will lose readers.
5. You think things through or–gasp!—plot, so that YOU know your world well enough to explain it and your characters. This seems like a no-brainer, but when I’m judging contests, the #1 thing that pushes a writer from great to mediocre is when you read something and know the author doesn’t have a handle on their world. Their descriptions aren’t detailed, things don’t seem to make sense, they contradict themselves. Nothing bumps a reader out of a book more than confusion.
How about you? What bumps you out of a book? I’m not talking about the common errors new writers make. I’m talking about the things that keep an already GOOD book from being GREAT.
Current Project: TEMPTED Proposal, book 3, Eternal Guardians Status: Chapter two
And here I thought I was doing so good at all my blogging responsibilities. Ack! I blame my lateness today on release/promo brain.
I'm rather tapped out on blog topics. Two plus weeks of blogging will do that for you, but one thing I've discovered with the release of this recent book - STOLEN SEDUCTION - is that no matter what stage you're at in your writing career, every writer is plagued with fear of one kind or another.
I'm always afraid when I blog that I won't have anything of interest to say. That readers will get offended, that my voice won't resonate the way it does in my books. When a book releases, I'm sure it's going to flop, that readers will hate it, that it will be the last of my career. And when I start a book (as I'm doing now) I'm always convinced it is the crappies thing I've ever written and the stupiest idea on the planet.
But you know what? 9 times out of 10 I'm wrong. Readers respond to my blogs. Whether that's because they like what they read or want a prize or enjoy my books, I don't know, but they respond. When a book releases I get a flood of emails from readers telling me how much they're enjoying my series and how fast they flew through my story. And when writing a book, I always, always hate it at one time or another. At some point I just need to get over that and realize, yeah, that's my pattern. Deal with it and move on.
Fear is a wicked thing, isn't it? It sits there on your shoulder, watching every word you type. It whispers in your ear (mine likes the phrase, "you suck!"), it calls to you in the middle of the night. And I'm fairly certain it plants itself at the post office so you have an excuse NOT to mail that proposal to your dream agent or editor.
How do you get past it? You face it, head on. Acknowledge it, yell at it, give it a name (dumbass works for me), but then ignore it. Ignoring it is the key. It's the only way you're going to ever put enough distance between your fears and your goals so you can finally move forward.
Fear, ironically, is a lot like my children. If I stopped and hovered every time they called, "Mom!" I'd never get anything done.
Ha!
I never thought of it that way. Fear = Gremlins. Go figure.
Okay, it's a new year, a new month and the Portland RCRW girls are doing the Sven's 70 Days of Sweat. Who's in it with me? 1000K words per day for 70 days. That's it. Anyone game? Kick that fear to the curb and join me.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Current Project: ENTWINED Status: Climax
The holidays have got me by the throat. Between Christmas shopping, Christmas cards, Christmas decorating (which my kids are upset I haven't gotten to yet) and Christmas parties, I think I'm behind on everything else. So...apologies for this being late.
Since this post IS so late, instead of a normal blog I'm just going to remind those of you in the chapter that tonight is our annual Christmas Party & Awards Meeting. 6 PM at Becky's house. If you need directions, check the chapter loop. I'm bringing yummy lasagna and the BEST white elephant gift. (Ya'll will be praying you get my gift.)
For the rest of you...don't you wish you were part of our chapter? There's always time to join.
We've talked about process several times. Plotting vs. panstering, character sheets vs. mulling things over in our heads. The act of writing is similar for each of us, regardless of the steps we take along the way. The only way to write a book is to sit at the computer and type. Or sit at a desk and hand write. Put words on paper. One page after another. That's the goal. That's what has to be done to get to 'The End'. But what about the mental game? Is that the same for me and you? Is it different if you're published or unpublished? When you're on deadline and when you're not? When you write for a NY pub or an epub? If you write novellas vs. novel length books? If you write category vs. single title?
My guess is no. But I'm curious to see if I'm right. A few years ago (three to be exact), I wrote out my mental process and posted it on my blog. Then I was unpublished and not working on deadline. Now I am. It was fun to look at what I wrote then and see how/if it has changed. To my surprise, not a whole lot has changed. My mental process when I'm writing a book is pretty much the same. The difference now - when I'm under deadline - is it's amplified. A lot.
ELISABETH'S MANUSCRIPT STAGES
Stage One - The Proposal Chapter One - My shiny new idea isn't quite so shiny anymore. I forgot how much I hate writing first chapters. Hook? Hook? Gah! I hate hooks. I'm clearly hook-illiterate. Chapter Two - Okay, maybe this isn't quite so bad. New POV, the setting works, I'm getting into the story. And wow, I sorta like my characters. Gonna have to go back and make some changes in chapter one, but I think this just might fly. Chapter Three - Zip, zip, zip through the first three chapters. My agent is going to love this. Synopsis - Pause to work on suckopsis. Pull hair out by the roots. Whine and complain on IM to anyone who happens to be online. Finally get it done and badda-bing...send away. Wait - And Wait. And Wait. At this point I should be used to waiting. But you know what? Not so much.
Stage Two - The Reality Chapter Four - Okay, now what? It sold? Oh, boy. Now I have to write it. The idea made sense in the synopsis. But that was months ago. I haven't looked at this thing since my agent sent it off. Oy. I think I'm in trouble here... Chapter Five - Getting into the groove. I actually like this. This story might just work. Sure, characters are angsty, but they're fun. Chapter Six - I am the best writer on the planet! This is going to be a NY Times Best Seller! Maybe I should take a break and think about writing my RITA speech.
Stage Three - The Middle Chapter Seven - (Right around the 125 pg mark). OMG. What was I thinking?! This is the most contrived piece of drivel that was ever written! I'll have to PAY people to read it. And melodramatic? Argh. Sounds like a bad version of Days Of Our Lives. I'll probably get sued. Chapter Eight - I'm too far in to give up. I will not give up. I will NOT! I have a contract. People are counting on me. Push through, push through, just keep pushing... Chapters Nine through Eleven - Okay, if nothing else, I like my characters. I don't have a clue where the plot is going, but the characters are strong. That's something at least. Chapter Twelve - The hero's getting on my nerves. He needs sex. At this point though I have NO idea where I'm going to fit that in. But seriously? If he doesn't quit pestering me I'm going to slit my wrists. Chapter Thirteen - Oh, crap. I've passed the halfway mark and I STILL have all these plot points to get through. I'm going over my target word count, there's no way I'll get all this in here in 100K words. No way. I'm doomed. Chapter Fourteen - Need chocolate. Must. Have. Chocolate. These two are driving me nuts. My editor isn't going to give a rip about these two. And the plot? Holy Crapoli. How will I ever tie this all together? Chapter Fifteen - Building. Slowly. But still so much to get through. *big sigh* Okay, refocus. Time to get serious. I can do this. Really, I can. I might lose all my eyebrows in the process, but I can do this.
Part Four - The Beginning of the End Chapter Sixteen - Tension, angst, black moment foreshadowing (and that's mostly for me, not the book) Chapter Seventeen - Here it comes. Climax build up. Black Moment. Yes, hero, I know you hate me. Hang on with me. I won't leave you out to dry, I promise. Chapter Eighteen - BAM. Black Moment. UGH. I'm emotionally drained. I need coffee. Or chocolate. Or coconut cream pie. Mmm...wonder if Shari's is still open... Chapter Nineteen - Climax. My shoulders are tight. I feel like crawling out of my skin. Maybe I should kill someone just for the fun of it to ease all this stress? Chapter Twenty - Resolution. Wrap up all the loose ends. Surprisingly, I did it! Kissy-face moment. Slobber, slobber, pant, drool all over each other. Man, I write pure sap. But it's not half-bad sap. ;)
Type T-H-E E-N-D.
Reeeeeeeeeeelief. I should get a medal or something. Too bad no one in the house will care that I finally finished. Wonder if there's champagne somewhere...
Hit "send".
Stare at blinking cursor.
Feel something funny. What is that? Oh yeah. I recognize that flutter in my belly. It's angst. Not over writing the book but over the fact I finished. Was the book crap or was it really good? Now I'm just not sure! And I have to wait to hear from my editor to find out the answer. (There go the eyebrows for sure...)
*smacks hand against forehead* Why do I do this again?
*sigh*
On to the next proposal...
***
How about you? What are the steps you go through when you sit down to start "Chapter One". Share your process!
And before I forget...this is for our dear friend, Alice:
Current Project: Entwined (new title) Status: At the big reveal
There are so many topics spinning in my brain these days that I can talk about. Deadlines, being behind on deadlines, edits, what happens to your brain when you stay up past 2 AM working...but I don't want to talk about any of those. I want to talk about The End.
My first series is coming to a close in January with the release of the third Stolen book, STOLEN SEDUCTION. I love this book and these characters, and I love how the story - all three stories - came to an end with this one. There was a time I wondered if I'd ever publish one book, so to see my third hitting the store shelves is a truly euphoric time for me. But at the same time, it's also bittersweet. I've devoted 3+ years to these characters and their lives. In some ways, I feel like they are alive. In my head they're as real as my neighbors, or my kids' teachers or the news anchor I see every night on TV. And even though I have new characters to keep me busy, and new stories to tell, letting these characters go is definitely harder than I thought.
As I was setting up the blog tour for the release of STOLEN SEDUCTION, one interviewer asked if I'd write something about the end of the series and how I knew STOLEN SEDUCTION would be the last book. Many series these days go 4, 5, 6+ books, often, it seems, their longevity spurred on by book sales rather than on story. I'll admit, as a writer, I struggle with this question - when is a series done, and how many books is enough?
Every series is different, and originally when I wrote STOLEN FURY I didn't set out to write it as a series. But - as often happens - new characters popped up and I thought, you know, it would be fun to write his/her story. STOLEN HEAT and STOLEN SEDUCTION were spawned from that idea. But because these books are connected by characters and an art gallery in Miami - not an overarching series plot - I knew I didn't want this to be an ongoing series. I also knew that every series has a lifespan, and I never wanted to get to a point where writing these books was a chore or they lost the magic that made them special in the first place.
How do you really know when a series is done? I think the author knows. Yes, I left some secondary characters hanging throughout the Stolen Series that could pop up in new adventure books, and yes, their stories would be fun to read. But those characters were never part of the core main group in these books, and as such, I knew writing those books within this series would be stretching it. And I never wanted to stretch it. Not with these books. Not with any books if I can help it. As a reader I have stopped reading authors when it became clear they were more interested in stretching a series for the numbers rather than on letting a series end when it naturally should.
I talked about something similar earlier in the week over at the RomCom blog - specifically about movie series and sequels and how they're very often never as good as the first. You don't see that so much with book series. Often times the 2nd, 3rd, even the 4th books are as good if not better than the first. But readers aren't dumb. They know when a series has reached its ending, even if publishers don't.
There's a Josh Groban song that always makes me think of my Stolen books. In it he sings,
Remember I will still be here As long as you hold me in your memory
Remember when your dreams have ended Time can be transcended Just remember me
I'm with you Whenever you tell my story For I am all I've done
Those words always make me feel better when I think of this series coming to an end. Yeah, it's sad. And yeah, I'll miss them, but the great part about books is I can dive into these characters' worlds anytime I want. The pages are always right there and they're never really gone. And even if I'm not writing their continuing sagas, the characters do live on. In a back corner of my mind. With all the other characters I've been lucky enough to share some time with. In that respect it's kind of fun. Makes me think they're having a party back there. And the guest list is very, very elite.
How about you? What do you think of series' time spans? How many books is too many books? And how/when do you know enough is enough?
In case you're interested, this is a link to that Josh Groban song. I'd have pasted it in, but I couldn't find the artist's video and this link has images from major movies. But you can at least listen to the song if you want.
Current Project: Deceived Status: 53,000 words and counting...
News flash: The sun is not shining here. When I left on vacation, it was 70 degrees and sunny in Oregon. When I came home it was 50 and rainy. I'm not sure what you all did while I was gone, but I'm not liking this burst into fall as much as I normally do.
This is Secret Beach on the eastern shores of Kauai. One of the most beautiful places I've ever been to. It's called Secret Beach because it's hidden off a dirt road, and you have to hike down a cliff to get to it. These pictures don't do it justice but let me tell you, it's a secluded paradise, rimmed by palm trees and rocks and million dollar mansions that look down from above.
We spent most of one day here on our vacation. The sun was strong, but there was plenty of shade to keep us cool. The surf was a bit rough, but my kids found some gentle coves to play in and had a ball. I walked up and down the beach with them, finding shells and pulling them out of rip currents (yeah, that was one bad part about this beach this time of year), while the DH lounged and read STOLEN SEDUCTION.
You see, my idea of the perfect vacation is sand, surf, a drink in one hand and a good book in the other. This time around, because we took the kids, I didn't get to read as much as I normally do, but I wanted to give the DH a chance to read my upcoming release. I knew if he didn't read it on vacation, he'd never get around to it.
Unfortunately, the kids distracted him too (in a good way). I think he got through half the book. He says he's going to take it with him hunting next week and finish the rest. Of course, I'm his wife - the center of his world and his *hopeful* ticket to retirement - so he has to like everything I write, but it's becoming a real kick to watch him read my work and know he's enjoying it because he truly likes it...not because he has to.
He and I went out to dinner alone one night while we were there (gorgeous restaurant at the Marriott, btw) and spent almost the entire meal talking about my books. He's very interested in the option proposal I put together and sent my agent, and it was fun brainstorming ideas and getting the male perspective on my adventure plots. Usually we talk about my books after they're written. And while I never have a problem discussing them with CPs during the process, I've never thought much about discussing them with him until now.
Some writers I know rely on their spouse as their first reader. I don't, mainly because my hubby is not a huge reader. But he does have some good ideas and I'm discovering brainstorming with him might be beneficial.
What about you? Do you brainstorm ideas with your spouse? Do you talk about books together - yours or others'?
Current Project: DECEIVED, book 2 - Eternal Guardians Status: Halfway done
This is where I'm headed on Saturday. Look like fun? Oh, let me tell you, grasshopper...
If you learn one thing from me, let it be this: Do not ever, ever, EVER make travel plans during times of high stress, after a near death experience or when you are on heavy (and I mean heavy) pain killers. If you do, you'll most likely live to regret it, and your spouse should be shot.
My husband has been in San Francisco all week for business. He came home tonight to three screaming kids and a wine-drinking wife. I'd been so busy prepping for our trip that I hadn't written a word all day. It was my night to drive carpool to volleyball practice, I'd spent all afternoon tearing my hair out over the eldest two Gremlins' homework assignments while the youngest Gremlin dragged out every Halloween costume we own and proceeded to strip, dress, strip again and hurl dress-up clothes all over my semi-clean house. The hubby took one look at me (and the board games Gremlin #3 somehow also managed to scatter all over the room during one of my distractable moments) and said, "Let's get dinner out." (Wise man.) So we did. We dropped the eldest at VB with her friends then went to pizza. Where the younger two ran like demon children, we yelled occasionally to make it look like we were being responsible parents then proceeded to drink beer to drown our sorrows.
At one point my husband looked at me across the table and said, "Remind me again...WHY are we taking them with us to Hawaii?"
To which I replied (oh, so sweetly), "Because you're an idiot."
He had the audacity to look shocked (imagine!), and said, "Excuse me?"
And what was I to do but tell the truth? "I nearly died and was on drugs. You were the sober one at the time. You LET me book this trip. Therefore the blame falls squarely on your shoulders."
Just picture it. A distraught husband, only days past the point where he thought his wife was going to die, agreeing to give her anything she wants so long as it makes her happy. Including a family vacation to Hawaii he thinks will motivate her to get well, even though a little voice in the back of his head is whispering, "This might not be the brightest idea you ever had..."
Do you see the problem here?
Don't get me wrong, I love my Gremlins dearly and I'm tickled the hubby would subject himself to this kind of torture just to see me smile. And normally I would be over the moon for this vacation, but right now I'm not. I have a book due Dec. 1 that I didn't work on all summer due to my illness. I didn't add any new pages last week because I was reworking the opening of book one per my editor's request. Add to that I am just exhausted when the DH travels (which he's been doing nonstop for the past two weeks) and the fact my brain feels like mush AND the fact I'm trying not to freak out over this new claustrophobia thing I somehow developed from my hospital stay and you can see why this vacation isn't sounding quite as relaxing as I once thought it would be.
Of course, I know we'll have a wonderful time. My mom is going along to help out with the kids. We're staying at a beautiful resort right on the beach and I know once I get there and the pre-travel stress is over I'll enjoy myself. But deadlines don't wait for vacations--even if you almost die--and I do now have to take the laptop with me and write every day to make up for the pages I lost last week. And while some of you are shaking your head, saying, "poor baby", let me remind you how hard it is to write in your own house with the distractions of every day life and family. Now add in sun and surf and FUN and see how much writing you get done.
I know. Woe is me. I'm not complaining, really. I'm just...stresssssing. (Like that's anything new.)
Okay, I'm done rambling. Make me feel better...PLEASE! Tell me about a trip you took that turned into a "working vacation". How did you stay focused?
And just for fun, I'm posting this picture because, well...isn't it CUTE???
If you're wondering, What is Elisabeth up to today? you're spot on with your curiosity. Today is not my normal blog day, but I'm here, out of the goodness of my heart, giving up my scheduled writing time to tell you some exciting news.
(You can't wait, can you?! I know. I'm all a twitter with it, too...)
Drumroll please...
We're going to be switching things up here on the blog! From now on I'll be blogging on Thursdays, alternating with the beautiful and talented Genene Valleau every other week. Fridays will then become what we're going to call Free For All Fridays. What are Free For All Fridays, you ask? Oh, let me tell you, grasshopper. Free For All Fridays are basically open mike days:
MWV members...have a writing topic you want to rant about, a question you need answered or just something you'd love to discuss with write-minded individuals? Email it to me at elisabeth@elisabethnaughton.com (my contact info is also at the bottom of this page) with your post and we'll put it up!
Regularly scheduled MWV bloggers...have news you want to share? A new release, a sale, an event, a contest, a game you'd like to play or even a writing challenge? Pick your day and go. No schedule! Free For All Fridays are available on a first come, first serve basis.
Guest bloggers...have a new release you want to spread the word about? Well, email me and we'll get you up on Free For All Friday!
(*Cough, ack, cough* Please note: The powers that be (that would be moi, by the way) reserve all rights granted unto here for to us (I doubt that's appropriate legalese, but, oh well) to edit and/or say, "No frickin' way!" if your post topic is inappropriate, offensive or just plain stupid, FYI.)
That's it! It's basically that simple. From now on, we'll have our regularly scheduled bloggers Mon-Thurs, and Fridays will become open free for alls where you may (or may not) get what you're expecting.
And with that in mind, I'm taking the first Free For All Friday. (You knew it was coming, didn't you, you sly dog, you...)
Okay, I recently finished reading the Twilight Series, and though it took me forever to get through the first book (I exceeded my tolerance level for teenaged angst way back when I was teaching), I flew through books 2, 3 and 4, mostly because I couldn't wait to see what would happen to Jacob. (Yes, I am very clearly in the Jacob camp and am most definitely not an Edward lover. Could be that stone cold thing...I'm already always cold and have a hard time imagining cozying up to a popsicle. But that's a topic for another post...) So, I think it's easy for you to understand that I enjoyed New Moon way more than Twilight because Edward was missing for most of the book and it was all about Jacob! Recently, my daughter and I watched the the Twilight movie (she loved it), and while I thought it was okay entertainment, until I read the books I wasn't planning on seeing the next movie. Now I am. (Like I said, it's all about Jacob.)
Here's the trailer for New Moon, which releases from theaters November 20, 2009:
But that's not really what made me want to watch this movie. No, what convinced me is the following "banned" version of this trailer. Check it out:
Now if THAT doesn't make you want to watch New Moon, I don't know what will.
What's the last movie trailer you saw that made you want to see that movie, like, now?
And because it's Free For All Friday, this is where I remind everyone that if you're in the Portland, OR area tonight, please stop by Powell's 3rd Annual Romance Event where I'll be signing books at 7pm! The official deets from Powells are below:
Rose City Romance Group Signing Join us in supporting local romance authors at our third annual Rose City Romance event! Meet these talented women, ask questions, and get books autographed in a casual setting. Featured authors include:
* Cathy Lamb (Almost Home) * Delilah Marvelle (Lord of Pleasure) * Minnette Meador (Edge of Honor) * Jenna Bayley-Burke (Her Cinderella Complex) * Meljean Brook (Demon Bound) * Jean Johnson (The Sons of Destiny Series) * Margaret Mallory (Knight of Desire) * Gina Robinson (Spy Candy) * Elisabeth Naughton (Stolen Heat) * Hanna Rhys-Barnes (Widow's Peak) * Lisa Hendrix (Immortal Outlaw, Immortal Warrior)
Friday, September 18th @ 7pm Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd. (800) 878-7323
Since today is open, I thought maybe we'd do something fun. In the comment section, answer the following questions. Hopefully we'll all learn something new about each other!
1. What (book) are you working on now?
2. What's on your night stand?
3. Who is (are) your favorite author(s)?
4. Last book that made you cry?
5. Last movie that stayed with you longer than the credits?
Current Project: Project? What's that? Status: Um.........
I get the late blogger award. Though as I type this it's 9:55 PST, so I think I still get credit for getting it in under the wire. (Feel free to cyber slap me. I know Lisa's been waiting for a good excuse for years...)
Ever have those days...weeks...SUMMERS...where you feel like you're drowning? Yeah. That's me right now. At this moment I am sitting in a hotel room in Kennewick while my mother takes my Gremlins swimming at the indoor pool to wear them out for bed. We've been in the car most of the day, driving back from Montana where we spent the last week visiting my brother, sister-in-law and 3 yr. old nephew. We had a great time, but it's a loooooooong drive, and I'm still heavy in promo for STOLEN HEAT. While my blog tour wrapped up early this week, I'm still hosting my big STOLEN HEAT Release Contest and Freebie Giveaways on my blog through tomorrow. So this was a "working" vacation. I also dragged my mother (and Gremlins) to every bookstore, Wal-Mart, and Fred Meyer in the area so I could sign stock. My mom took pictures (watching me sign stock is a new thing for her). My kids helped put the "Autographed by the Author" stickers on the books. I tried to hurry so I didn't have to talk to any booksellers with my raspy-ass voice no one can understand. "What?! You're the author? Yeah, right."
I'm exhausted, but I did have a few good things happen to me this week. First of all, I got news that STOLEN HEAT is in airports around the country. That was cool news. I'm in airports!!!!!!!! Kendra informed me HEAT finally showed up in Fred Meyer (for some reason Freddies is 2 wks behind release dates - at least for me with both books, but I'm not complaining). And my agent emailed to let me know she LOVED my new proposal idea. That was a huge relief as I wrote that proposal before I went into the hospital, and I couldn't even remember what the heck it was even about! She wanted me to fix a few minor things, mostly descriptions and word choice (and pointed out I've stopped swearing, which cracked me up), and I did all that last night, so we'll probably sent it off to my editor next week. So cross fingers and toes that my editor likes it as much.
This is kind of a rambling post...my brain is fried...but I realized on this trip that road trips are great because you get to see places you don't normally visit. I discovered that Coeur d'Alene, ID is GORGEOUS and a place I could easily live, Spokane isn't nearly what I expected, Montana is breathtaking, and windmills are pretty cool looking (I haven't driven along the Columbia since they put in the miles and miles of windmills...those things are ENORMOUS!) Road trips are also gold mines for research (I even passed some gold mines, believe it or not), and little book ideas were popping through my head with every mile of road we ate up.
I'm ready to go home. And I'm not planning anymore BIG road trips for some time, but now that I've done it with the Gremlins (and can I just say thank the heavens above for portable DVD players and Nintendo DS machines?), I won't be so averse to doing it in the future.
How about you? Any good road trips you can recommend? When was the last time you went somewhere you'd never been before?
Current Project: Promo for STOLEN HEAT Status: Exhausted
Unless you live under a rock you know that my second book, STOLEN HEAT, released this week. I know Alice has a Saturday Update coming tomorrow, but I'll post mine now. What have I done this week? Promo'd my tushie off. I've been all over the blogosphere blogging, giving away books, answering questions and talking up the story. I'm also hosting giveaways on my blog every day for thirty days, so I'm there as well, monitoring comments, uploading guests, doling out prizes and contacting winners. And if that weren't enough, I have a booksigning in Springfield tomorrow, one in Portland next week, and a book club meeting at Powell's after that. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled STOLEN HEAT has released and that buzz is building and people are excited about the book but I'm exhausted already!
This is the life of a single title author. I don't think I knew what it would be like before I sold. And I'm not complaining, I'm just stating a simple fact here for those of you working on your books, targeting agents and editors and waiting for "the call". There's so much more that goes into a book than simply writing. There are revisions and copy edits and ads to place, promo materials to mail out to workshops and conferences, release announcements to send to booksellers and librarians. There are interviews - online, in person and on the phone - there are blog tours, photo ops and conferences you really should attend to keep your name and face in front of editors, agents and readers. And amid all that, your agent wants to talk about your option material, your editor's sending you revision notes on the next book, production needs a list of ideas for the new cover, and the editorial assistant wants your acknowledgements and dedication, like, yesterday because you spaced it off. And the WIP? You know, that one you're already contracted for and is due soon? Yeah. You still need to find time to work on that as well.
Can you handle all of that? Do you have a day job, kids, a spouse, commitments that will keep you from getting all of this done well and on time?
As I sit here in the middle of promo week, crazy as it is, I have to admit that I love it. Sure, I'm exhausted. Sure, I have a thousand things going on, some I know I've let slide and others I need to get on top of. But this is the profession I've chosen. I think back to all the years I struggled and waited for my turn, and I know I wouldn't change any of this if I could. Ann Aguirre, a good friend and writer pal of mine, said yesterday that she gives 150% to her writing because she knows if she doesn't, someone else will. That's so true. She loves what she does as much as I do - even the stuff that wears us out like the promo - so to her, it's all worth it.
Each of us is different. Each of us has different limitations on time and abilities. For those of you who are unpublished - or even for those of you trying to break into a new field - what you need to ask yourself is, what do you really want? What are you willing to do when you get there, and will it really be enough? We live in an era where there are a wide variety of publishing options. Not everyone has to choose the same path. I'm a firm believer in not sacrificing your goals and taking the easy route - if you know what you want, go after it and don't let anyone sway your determination. But be realistic about what it is you're after. Talk to authors who are already there and find out what their reality is. You may be surprised.
Then again, you may realize that's exactly what you want to do. And, like me, you may realize all of it is worth it in the end.
Current Project: Promo for STOLEN HEAT Status: Thick in the middle of it.
We've talked a lot about writer's block - what causes it, how to get around it, strategies writers use when the words just won't come. I think we've all been in a place where getting words on paper is like making my kids' clean up their rooms - a near impossible feat even on a good day. Up until recently, I thought I knew what writer's block really was. I now know I was wrong.
It's been over six weeks since I last wrote anything more than a grocery list. Luckily, my next book isn't due until December 1st and I'm close to the halfway mark in that book already, so I have lots of time to finish it. I haven't been putting pressure on myself. Two weeks in the hospital from an infection that almost killed me has reminded me not only that I'm mortal, but that I need to slow down and enjoy the process of life more than I've been doing. So for the last few weeks while I work on resting and regaining my strength, I've been spending more time with my family, reconnecting with my mom (who has been an angel and has come in nearly every day to help out with the kids), and appreciating things I took for granted before - like the way my backyard smells on a dewy summer's morning when the sun is just rising, or the way clean Egyptian cotton sheets feel against my skin when I go to bed at night, or the sweet sound of my kids' laughter.
Of course, one can only "relax" so long before real life sneaks back in. Last week my editor sent me line edits for STOLEN SEDUCTION (Jan, 2010). It nearly killed me but I got them done. And let me tell you, it was worse than making my kids' clean their rooms. I didn't have to rewrite much, but I had to "think" writing, and I discovered not only that I have writer's block right now, but that my muse seems to have taken off for Hawaii and doesn't want to come back.
I've heard writers talk about traumatic life events changing their writing. This is my first experience with it. Right now I'm in promo mode for STOLEN HEAT, and I have a bunch of blogs I need to write and send off for my blog tour. I'm secretly hoping doing so will tempt the muse to come back, but I have no idea if it will work or not. At night I try to think about my WIP as I fall asleep, but invariably my mind wanders to other things...like what really happened that week I was in ICU which I can't for the life of me remember.
Have you ever experienced a traumatic event that halted your writing? I'm not talking about normal writer's block, I'm talking about something major that impacted your life.
Friday, July 03, 2009
Current Project: Line edits for STOLEN SEDUCTION Status: Need to start
Happy 4th of July everyone. As today is the observed holiday, this post will be short. I just want to wish all of you a very happy holiday.
As for me, I'm alive and well and working on recovering. I've cancelled my trip to DC for the RWA National Convention so I hope all of you are able to keep me entertained the week of National. And I can't wait to hear all about it when Debbie and Kendra get back.
So what does everyone have planned for the holiday weekend?
