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Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Cowboys and Tycoons . . . and beachcombers
One of the reasons I started to write for Desire in the first place was I was writing a book about a cowboy. He was, as my Presents editor understood (and in his words), "A dies-with-his-boots-on" sort of cowboy. In other words, not a chance of turning this feller into a tycoon with, as the same ed said hopefully, "a multi-national corporation on the side." Nope.
So, he wasn't going to be a Presents hero, because while Janet Dailey had, in the mid-80s, got away with writing a couple of reasonably authentic cowboy heroes (no multi-national corporations)for the line, the emphasis had turned away from that and to a, shall we say, wealthier, hero. And he wasn't going to be an American Romance hero, because that line, which I also wrote for, had moved toward more of a fantasy concept at that time. So I took him to Desire and crossed my fingers. And bless their hearts, they bought him!
I was thrilled because I didn't know what I was going to do with him if they didn't. He was a real cowboy (I even got a fan letter from a 90 year old cowboy a few years later who told me so!)and Desire let him be who he really was. They let me be the writer I really am. It was a great feeling.
And I must say that my editor at Presents let me be who I really am as a writer, too. He never encouraged me to change my hero. He never said, "Well, you could give him a multi-national corporation on the side." He understood that if I tried I wouldn't be faithful to my character or his story, and he also understood what he perceived as the limits of his line at the time. I will always appreciate the fact that he let me value the story above all -- even if he didn't buy the book.
So what are the "lines" all about, anyway? Well, besides the length in some cases being different, I think it's mostly an attempt to help readers find the kinds of books they enjoy. There is not just one romantic fantasy. And so the lines have become in recent years ways to slot stories, presumably according to the type of romantic encounter the reader has come to expect. It's also about 'voice' which is less easy to define. So maybe we should save that for another time.
For me as a writer, the line dictates certain general parameters. When a character drops into my life, I need to understand what story he brings with him. Where will he fit? Will he fit? And if he doesn't, what then?
Suffice to say I have a 'waiting room' in my brain for guys who don't quite fit or stories I want to write but haven't found the venue for yet. There's Ty, a New Zealand cowboy whose family, incidentally, does own a couple of multi-national corporations. And there's Logan, the ex-con who got auctioned off, against his better judgment, in The Great Montana Cowboy Auction, and there's Declan, who after years of believing "you can't go home again," discovers what happens when you do. They're all twiddling their thumbs now -- or actually bouncing off the walls -- waiting for me to find them a place for their story.
And then there's Flynn . . .who isn't in the waiting room at all. I have no idea what happened to Flynn. Maybe he's beachcombing???
Whatever he's doing, I don't have time to even worry about him today. Today I rake the yard and get the worst of the winter's dead leaves, twigs, etc up, and while I'm out there I'll be appreciating all those bright blooming daffodils. And then I'll work on Spence, the current hero. And then there's the laundry, and the dogs who need walking, and the house which needs being spiffed up (it takes a fair amount of spiffing) for company coming next week. And, of course, I'll blog -- here -- and on my own. Never a dull moment.
I'll be back later. If anyone has comments or questions, leave them below and I'll tackle them when I get back.
posted by Anne McAllister at 7:50 AM
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3 Comments:
Flynn said...
Anne,
Beachcombing? You think I'm beachcombing? Sure, and if you believe that, I've got a bridge in County Mayo I'll be selling you.
11:17 AM
christa said...
It sounds like Flynn is dabbling in real estate.
11:22 AM
Anne McAllister said...
You may be right, Christa. On the other hand, he was a journalist when I last saw him. So maybe he's gone undercover for a big story! Or he's just trying to get a rise out of me.
7:32 AM
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