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Friday, April 28, 2006
DESIRE WIRE - Bronwyn Jameson and the Ritas
DESIRE AUTHORS FINAL IN 2006 RITAs
5 of the 9 finalists in the Best Short Contemporary category of the 2006 RITA Awards are Desires:
* BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND MORNING by Cindy Gerard
* HOT TO THE TOUCH by Jennifer Greene
* THE RICH STRANGER by Bronwyn Jameson
* THE RUGGED LONER by Bronwyn Jameson
* THE RUTHLESS GROOM by Bronwyn Jameson
A Little About the Ritas and other Contests:
Silhouette Desire titles have fared very well in the short contemporary
category of the RITA Awards. In the past ten years, no less than seven of
the winners have been from the Desire line. Here is the honor roll:
2005: Miss Pruitt's Private Life by Barbara McCauley
2003: Taming The Outlaw by Cindy Gerard
2000: The Stardust Cowboy by Anne McAllister
1999: The Notorious Groom by Caroline Cross
1998: Nobody's Princess by Jennifer Greene
1997: Cowboy Pride by Anne McAllister
1996: Single Dad by Jennifer Greene
How many of these outstanding books are in your keepers' collection?
"RWA's RITA is the most sought-after award in romance publishing today. The 1,000 romance novels entered in this year's contest have been narrowed down to 94 finalists in 13 categories. These finalists advance to the 'final round' of competition where they will be judged by very discriminating judges – their fellow published authors. The judges now have the difficult task of critiquing and ranking these finalists to determine the final 13 winners. The winners of the 13 RITA Awards will be revealed on July 29, 2006 at RWA's 26th Annual National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia."
Congratulations to all the finalists and best of luck when the winners
are announced!
Bronwyn's RITA finalist books also feature in the list of finalists for two
other awards. The Rugged Loner is a finalist in the Colorado Romance
Writers' Award of Excellence and The Rich Stranger and The Ruthless Groom
are both finalists in Romance Writers' Ink's More Than Magic contest.
Bronwyn is currently working on a spin-off from this Princes of the Outback
series. Tentatively known as "Susannah's story," it is scheduled for a 2007
release.
CONTEST KUDOS FOR DESIRE AUTHORS
Many chapters of Romance Writers of America conduct contests--many judged by
readers and/or booksellers--to determine the best books of the previous
year. The finalists in several have been announced in the past month and
many Silhouette Desire titles feature in the Short Contemporary category.
Colorado Romance Writers' Award of Excellence:
The Rugged Loner by Bronwyn Jameson
When the Earth Moves by Roxanne St. Claire
When The Lights Go Down by Heidi Betts
Southern Magic chapter's Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence:
A Scandalous Melody by Linda Conrad
When the Earth Moves by Roxanne St. Claire
First Coast Romance Writers' Beacon Award:
ROUND-THE-CLOCK TEMPTATION by Michelle Celmer
WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN by Heidi Betts
Virginia Romance Writers' Holt Medallion:
Heart of the Raven by Susan Crosby
Secrets of Paternity by Susan Crosby
When the Earth Moves by Roxanne St. Claire
National Reader's Choice Award:
Like Lightning by Charlene Sands
Tanner Ties by Peggy Moreland
When the Lights Go Down by Heidi Betts
Congratulations to the authors of all those wonderful books and best of luck in the final judging.
posted by Silhouette Desire Authors at 11:39 AM
Thursday, April 27, 2006
DESIRE WIRE - Susan Crosby
Susan Crosby announces she is a double finalist for the HOLT Medallion, an award of excellence from the Virginia Romance Writers, for her 2005 books HEART OF THE RAVEN and SECRETS OF PATERNITY.
Susan Crosby is thrilled to report her April Desire, THE FORBIDDEN TWIN,placed #1 on the Waldenbooks/Borders Bestseller List for 2 weeks.
Reviewers have said: "Compelling characters... It's...good as a stand alone, and definitely a worthwhile, quick evening's read" (Blythe Barnhill, All About Romance), and "highly emotional, this one will tug at your heart" (Debby, Cataromance), and "a delightful and heartwarming addition to the Elliott family saga" (Romantic Times).
posted by Silhouette Desire Authors at 5:35 AM
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
DESIRE WIRE - Charlene Sands
Charlene Sands is proud to announce that her 2005 Desire, LIKE LIGHTNING is a finalist in the NATIONAL READERS CHOICE AWARDS!
HEIRESS BEWARE, her June Book #6 in the Elliotts Desire saga will be on sale beginning in May on EHarlequin and for pre-order on Amazon. The first reviews are in:
Romantic Times Magazine - 4 Stars! ****
Writer's Unlimited-
"This story was joy to read and I really didn’t want it to end. Watch for the next story in this series of the Elliotts. Pickup a copy of Heiress Beware settle back and enjoy this new addition of the Elliott family series."
Helen Slife- Reviewer
Be sure to watch for her sizzling summer reads, Heiress Beware in June, Bunking Down with the Boss in August and Abducted at the Altar in September!
Charlene is setting aside the month of June to teach an online workshop, FORGIVE ME, DAVID LETTERMAN- TOP TEN WRITING MISTAKES! This month-long comprehensive workshop will detail common mistakes writers make and show how to avoid them using both editors and multi-published authors' insights as well as her own. For more information go to: http://www.occrwa.com/ and see "Classes".
posted by Silhouette Desire Authors at 6:45 AM
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
DESIRE WIRE - Heidi Betts
Heidi Betts's October 2005 Silhouette Desire, WHEN THE LIGHTS GO DOWN, is currently up for three awards--Colorado Romance Writers' "Award of Excellence", First Coast Romance Writers' "Beacon Award” and the “National Readers Choice Award.”
And Heidi's May 2006 Silhouette Desire, MR. AND MISTRESS (Book #5 of "The Elliotts" continuity series) received a 4-star review from Romantic Times BOOKClub Magazine, which also called the story "charming" and "a sweet tale."
Last but not least, Heidi was recently invited to participate in two upcoming anthologies. The first, for Harlequin, will be a "sexy beach read" with authors Stephanie Bond and Leslie Kelly, due out the Summer of 2007 (likely July). The second will be a "sexy paranormal collection" for Harper, edited by Kim Harrison and Marty Greensberg, probably released sometime in 2008.
posted by Silhouette Desire Authors at 8:01 AM
Monday, April 24, 2006
DESIRE WIRE - Maureen Child
Maureen Child has TWO books up for a Rita this year! A CRAZY KIND OF LOVE and TURN MY WORLD UPSIDE DOWN, both single title contemporaries for St. Martin's Press are finalists in the Single Title category!
And for Silhouette...Advanced Reading Copies of Maureen's title ETERNALLY, part of the launch of Silhouette's new Nocturne line, will be given away at BEA this year. Maureen's flying to Washington D.C., courtesy of Silhouette, to sign the books--if you're in town, come and see her!
posted by Silhouette Desire Authors at 9:29 AM
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Sayonara
I just wanted to thank all the Desire readers -- and others -- who have dropped by this week to read and, in some cases, to offer opinions and to visit. It's been a pleasure to be here. I feel deep yearnings to write for Desire again. I hope in the not too distant future I will.
In the meantime I'll have to finish Spence (the working title of my new book -- named after the hero) -- and see if I can track down the mysterious missing Flynn.
Drop by and visit me at my blog or my website anytime. I'm always delighted to have visitors, so do stop in.
posted by Anne McAllister at 5:08 PM
Friday, April 21, 2006
Ninety-Six Dog-Foot Days
I spent longer than you might imagine (and far longer than I intended) trying to decide where to put the hyphens in the above title. I knew it had to have hyphens. But should it have more? Or less? And where? And should I spell out 'ninety-six' or make it a numeral? Decisions. Decisions. At least I think, by now, I've got it.
But lucky you, you didn't have to see me go through it. You just got to see the final product. Writing and days with ninety-six dog-feet in them are like that.
Let me explain.
We have dogs. Three now. Formerly four. There was a time we had four kids at home. They left, as children do when they reach A Certain Age. And gradually -- and purely accidentally -- we seem to have replaced them with dogs. Big dogs. Golden retrievers. And one flatcoat retriever. It is, I tell people, like having an extra set of furniture in your house that rearranges itself at will (it also sits on our furniture, but we won't go into that).
We also live in a climate where it rains, sleets, snows and does other things that involve moisture. And dirt. Moisture and dirt = mud. Mud and dogs are, er, well, a beatable combination. Also an inevitable one.
And every time the dogs go out in the mud (which is often) when they come back in, they bring four muddy paws with them apiece. And I wipe them off. Times three. That's currently twelve dog-feet per outdoor excursion. They go out often. If they go out eight times a day (which is not unheard of) I wipe ninety-six dog-feet everyday. And no one but me ever notices (well, the dogs do, but they don't care, and fortunately as a rule they cooperate).
Writing is like that -- minus the cooperation. Yesterday I had a ninety-six (and then some) dog-foot writing day. I wrote a part of a scene, then wiped it out. I wrote it again -- and wiped it out. I ate lunch. Rewrote. And wiped it out. Are you seeing a pattern here? I thought you would.
It went on all day. Went on, in fact, until two in the morning. The real dogs were fast asleep. But finally I got it. I think. It flows smoothly now. The rough bits are gone. There is flow, polish. The mud has been removed. Everything is bright and clean and clear. And in the finished book, that's all you'll ever see. Not the mud.
Fortunately not every scene is like that. Not every day is like that. Today looks decidedly better.
The characters are cooperating. The ground is dry. The sun is shining.
posted by Anne McAllister at 7:35 AM
Thursday, April 20, 2006
The Secret to Success
Eureka, I think I've found it. The key to sales, success, people beating a path to your door... that sort of thing.
Hugh Jackman in a towel.
No, really. I mean it. It works. (Of course it works!) One minute I'm writing a fairly anonymous blog and the next I write about heroes and provide a couple of illustrations (one taken from my friend Kate Walker's overhead-projector-ready photo of Hugh in the towel from the film Swordfish) for inspiration, and then next thing you know, I'm getting comments. I'm getting email. Dots are popping up on my Clustrmap.
So, my thinking is this...we convince marketing to convince Hugh that his photo -- the towel one will do nicely -- should be included in all of our books. Not on the cover (though how bad would that be?) but inside, so they'd have to read the story to get to it. And, of course, once they read the story, they'd be so enthralled they'd run out and tell all their friends (not just about Hugh in the towel, but about what a great story it was). Sales would go through the roof.
In fact, the enormous popularity of Hugh in the towel was merely a by-product of a post about heroes, about how if you gave each of us Hugh in a towel (or the inspiration of your choice in a towel) we might each have the same starting point, but we would each write a very different book.
That's what I love about writing -- and reading -- romance novels. We often hear or read that "they're all the same." But the truth is, they are all different. They trace the path of a relationship, but it's a different relationship every time because the people are different people. It's that variety -- and how it is portrayed -- that makes me read so many romances. I love to find out what makes people tick, how they resolve their conflicts, how they get, in so many different ways, to the chance at a 'happily ever after.' I love it as much as a reader as a writer. And I think that same desire is what brings readers back to our books time after time.
But, honestly, I don't think having Hugh there in the towel would hurt, either.
posted by Anne McAllister at 6:52 AM
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
When the book goes one way . . .
I expect to be brief today. I have a hero waiting for me -- and he's impatient and tapping his foot. He's got ideas and plans and he's recently had a Very Big Plan thwarted, so he's a little more impatient and stressed than he would normally be.
In short, he's driving me crazy.
Heroes tend to do that. At least mine do. I think I'm the writer -- and they think it's THEIR BOOK. Well, yes, but it's the heroine's book, too. And they agree. Eventually. But usually it takes them a while to come around to that. And in the meantime, they drive me crazy.
I don't do a plot outline. Sometimes I know better than others where a book is going. But very often I think I know -- and in fact, The Hero is busy taking it somewhere else. Where? Well, basically that's something that God -- and The Hero -- only know.
Over the years I have tried a bit of Plot Management, which might be described as efforts to collar whoever the current Hero is and say, "Nope, buddy. You're doing THIS!" Doesn't work. Ever. Heroes always have better ideas. And they're determined -- that's one of the things that makes them heroes.
When I was writing Shane's story in The Cowboy Steals A Lady, I thought we would come to blows. If ever there was a man who wanted to do things "his way," it was Shane. "Remember the chicken," I told him. "Remember how that turned out." But Shane was as hard-headed as they come. Loved him. But I wanted to kick him off the mountainside a time or two, believe me!
Same goes now. Happens with almost every book. I think I know what the story is about -- and then I sit down to write and The Hero says, "You know, I've got a better idea."
Or sometimes he doesn't even say it; he just takes over my fingers and makes them type stuff that I can't imagine ever thinking. Remotely controlled fingers. Weird.
So then I dig in my heels and say, "Hang on. Just wait. I'm not saying you can't do that, but I have to know why you're doing it!" And then I make him tell me. "No more remotely controlled fingers until you let me in on the story," I tell him. And I jam my hands in my pockets and refuse to let them type.
He fumes. He scowls. He cajoles. Sometimes he tries charm. I'm stubborn too. And eventually he talks. Sometimes it comes out in a rush. Sometimes it is like pulling teeth that have roots in his toes. The words come out one ...at...a...time...a...very...long...time...apart. But if he really wants to take the book where I can't imagine it going, he has to convince me.
And usually he does.
My current hero did that last night. He told me he had A Great Idea. A Way To Fix Things.
Frankly, I think his idea still sounds a little half-baked, but I'm sort of counting on him getting himself into deeper hotter water here (think plot complication, but don't tell him!). So last night I said, "Let me sleep on it, and I'll tell you in the morning if I'll go along with it."
He's pacing around out there now. Waiting. And, like I said, he doesn't wait well -- unless he knows it's crunch time. Then he has all the patience in the world.
I just heard him say through the door, "Take your time. Take all the time you want. I'm not going anywhere."
Uh-oh.
Guess we'd better get to work.
ps: Did you see Flynn showed up? He reads blogs now? And makes comments? That's weirder than remotely controlled fingers.
posted by Anne McAllister at 8:52 AM
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
Monday, April 17, 2006
What's a Presents Author doing here?
I'm sure there are people asking that. Who's she and why is that Presents book up on the Desire site? If it's not there yet, it will be soon. Shelley the webmistress promised she'd stick up a cover of my April Presents, The Antonides Marriage Deal. Elias Antonides isn't a cowboy (no, duh, as my sons used to say) like most of my Desire heroes were, but he's still a McAllister hero, and I love him.
Anyway, for those of you who don't know me -- because, yes, I really did write for Desire, and I still love to read Desires, and I hope someday my life clears up enough and gives me enough space that I can again write for Desire -- I'm Anne McAllister. I started writing for Desire in the mid-90s with a book called Cowboys Don't Cry and followed it up with quite a few more in a mini-series of my own called The Code of the West.
I still have some Code of the West loose ends out there that I would love to get back to -- and I still get letters from readers saying, "Whatever happened to Flynn and Sara? Did I miss them?" And I always say, "No, you didn't. Sara's in med school. She has a little boy called Liam. And Flynn . . . well, frankly, I don't know where Flynn is. Like Sara, I haven't heard from him in years."
But I want to. And then I want to write their story. And Logan and Addie. And Becky. And Tuck. But will they be Desires? I don't know.
What makes a Desire? What makes a Presents? Are these marketing or editorial decisions? Does anyone besides authors care? You tell me. I'd be really interested in your comments, so please make them here or visit my own blog and we can discuss it there if it goes beyond the week.
I'm so happy to be here. I miss writing Desires. This will be like a family reunion week for me. And maybe someday I will actually 'move back' to the Desire 'hometown.'
I'll be checking in once a day at least. So if you have questions, comments, concerns, suggestions, please share them.
posted by Anne McAllister at 8:49 AM
The fat lady is singing!
It isn't over until the fat lady sings, and I heard her singing yesterday! My time on the 'blog' is over and I did such a crummy job of blogging this past week. To begin with, I was late. Then I missed Saturday and Sunday. I have excuses and I'm sure you want to hear them. :>)
Saturday my husband required my help on the ranch. We spent the morning recording all the new births, the afternoon planting the rest of our vegetable garden, and the evening cooking for the neighborhood Easter celebration we participated in. Sunday was Easter and we had company drop by unexpectedly and they stayed all afternoon! Then it was time to go to the Easter dinner we shared with our neighbors. We ate until we were ready to pop, hid eggs for the little ones to find and generally just enjoyed ourselves. By the time we made it home it was past nine o'clock, and we had to get my husband ready to leave for a business trip. He left at 4:15 this morning, so that leaves me to do all the ranch work for the next couple of days. Oh boy.
I hope that all of you had a wonderful holiday weekend and spent it with family and friends. I've got to scoot, because I have a 9:00 meeting for our Community Emergency Response Team at the fire department! Have a wonderful day!!
Peggy
posted by Peggy Moreland at 6:05 AM
Friday, April 14, 2006
Easter
Today is Good Friday and I know a lot of you are looking forward to spending the holiday weekend with your family. Not so at my household. Our oldest daughter lives in Dallas and she's gearing up oral surgery next week, so is staying at home. Our second daughter works in the emergency room at Scott & White Hospital and she is pulling two 12-hour shifts this weekend, so when she's off, she'll be sleeping...understandable. Our son, the youngest, lives in Denver and his visits home are limited. Since he's already been home twice this year, he'll be spending Easter in Denver. Thus, my husband and I will be spending the weekend alone.
Due to my husband's job, we have always lived far away from our families, so we are accustomed to spending many of our holidays with only our immediate family---our children. I'm from a very close-knit family and it was an adjustment for me to be separated from them. To make up for the loss, I created 'family' wherever we've lived. Neighbors soon became as close as family, as did many of the friends we've made in the different cities we've lived in. Living on the ranch hasn't changed things much. Our across-the-road neighbors and our next door neighbors are coming over Sunday to share a family-style meal with us. Not quite the same as having our children with us, but close enough. Our next door neighbors have two small children, so I'm sure we'll have the opportunity to hide some Easter eggs and watch them hunt for them.
We had three more kids born yesterday and all are doing well. Hooray! Another day without adding another "bottle-baby" to my list to feed. I expect more to be born over the next week, so keep your fingers crossed that their mamas all accept them and don't leave them to me to feed.
Last night my husband and I visited Parrie Haynes Youth Ranch in Killeen, Texas. There is a really neat story behind this ranch. Upon her death in 1957, the owner hand wrote her will on a sheet of paper, leaving her very large and beautiful ranch to the "orphans of Texas." What a wonderful gesture!! Now children, who would never have the opportunity to experience nature and ranch life at it's best, can do so, due to Mrs. Haynes kindness and generosity. The ranch itself is beautiful. We had dinner at the dining hall, which sits up on a high hill. The view of the pastures below is unbelievable. There was a full moon last night and that made the sight even more dramatic.
This morning I received my very first fan letter (email) for my new 'Piece of Texas' series and it really touched my heart. The series is based on six Vietnam soldiers who shipped out to Vietnam together. The writer of the letter shared with me her own experiences of the Vietnam war, telling me about her husband, her brother and her brother-in-law who served tours of duty there. She also pointed out many similarities to her own life that she found within the story, and I had to laugh, because that happens so often, though it is totally accidental. One woman I met at a booksigning pointed out a particular line of dialogue in a book and asked me how I knew her husband had said that to her. I didn't know her or her husband, and the line of dialogue came straight out of my head, so it just goes to prove that there are truly no new ideas...just new ways to tell/show them.
Peggy
posted by Peggy Moreland at 10:44 AM
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Show and Tell and Aha! examples
I thought y'all might enjoy seeing some of my ranch, so I tried adding images, but it didn't work. I have a few on my webpage. Check them out by clicking this link www.peggymoreland.com then click on scrapbook on the left side of the page. You'll find pics of my longhorns, my wildflower meadow, plus a few others.
Do you read 'Simple' magazine? I do and I particularly love the "aha" section, which offers new uses for items commonly found in a home. Last month they suggested using the large, heavy-duty paper clips to corral the cords on window blinds and shades. I have balloon shades in one of my guest rooms (we refer to it as the "cowgirl" room, as it is decorated with the cowgirl in mind) and I hated the long cords that dangled when the balloon shades were drawn up. Now I just gather the cords into a bundle, clip it with the big paper clip, then tuck the bundle into the balloon to hide it and voila! No dangling or tangled cords!!
I've come up with a few 'aha' uses of my own. For example, at my niece's wedding here at the ranch, she wanted to serve barbecue at the reception. Now everybody knows you can't serve barbecue without offering your guests toothpicks! As a clever and decorative way to provide toothpicks, I placed antique shot glasses on each table and filled them with toothpicks. The shot glasses were blue, green, yellow and pink, the same colors as the flowers in her wedding, and added to the decor on each table. Aha!
What kind of 'aha' ideas have you come up with? Share! We all want to learn new tricks for old things.
posted by Peggy Moreland at 7:35 AM
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
More kids!
We had four more kids born yesterday. There are so many now they look like popcorn popping on the pasture! When baby goats are born, they are almost instantly in motion, and one of their favorite activities is hopping, which is why they look like popcorn popping.
For Christmas this past year, my husband gave me two Longhorns. Redneck Belle (and, no, I did not name her!) is pregnant and due to calf in July. The second is Beau, a bull calf who recently lost is manhood to the vet's knife. Bulls are not fun to have around, as they tend to tear up fences and whatever/whoever else gets in their way, which is why we had Beau castrated. My husband refers to the two Longhorns as our pasture ornaments, as they serve no purpose other than they are nice to look at. :)
I have a wildflower meadow that I planted for my niece's wedding and it is currently in full bloom. Bluebonnets, poppies and daisies are the prominent flowers right now, but painbrush and others will soon join the display. I have a perfect view of the meadow from my office and I love looking out my French doors and seeing all that color in bloom!
One of my pet peeves is litter. Because we live in the country, we get more than our fair share of litter on our roadside. Beer cans, cigarette packages, fast food sacks, old tires . . .whatever people don't want, they toss out on our road. I finally decided that I'd had enough, and I organized a "Trash Off", which was in conjunction with the Keep Texas Beautiful organization. In one morning, my neighbors and I picked up 416 pounds of garbage off our road! I walk two miles every morning and two days after the "Trash Off" I counted 28 NEW beer cans on our roadside. Instead of being mad, I decided to take advantage of the situation. I now carry a trash bag with me on my walks and I'm saving all the aluminum cans to recyle. With the money I get for the cans, I'm going to buy wildflower seeds and plant them along our roadside. So there, litterers! I'm turning your trash into flowers!!!
Peggy
posted by Peggy Moreland at 9:01 AM
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Ten o'clock scholar
As usual, I'm late. Spring is such a busy time of year . . . especially when you live on a ranch. We raise Boar goats---among other things---and our nannies are popping out kids faster than we can count them. We had 13 yesterday! That brings our total of new kids to 43 and we aren't even half way through kidding season.
Goats are strange creatures. Singles births are rare, and our nannies usually have twins or triplets. Since goats only have two teats, nursing triplets isn't easy for them. Many times the nanny will pick two babies to feed and leave the third as an orphan, which I then have to bottle feed. When we first started raising goats, a friend told us that if we have to bottle feed a kid we should give it away to our worst enemy. I didn't understand that bit of advice at the time, but I do now! The kids I bottle feed think I'M their mommy and they follow me around and drive me crazy.
Besides birthing kids, we are busy clearing pastures, burning brush, planting our vegetable garden and generally getting things spiffed up while the weather is pleasant. Writing figures into my daily schedule, too, and I usually find myself darting in and out of my office to do 'small' tasks outside in between bursts of inspiration.
To add to my normal schedule of duties, my daughter is getting married. We have a year to plan the wedding, but I'm already busy writing lists and jotting down ideas for the ceremony and reception. I love weddings! My niece got married at our ranch two years ago and I had a blast planning her wedding. My daughter's wedding won't be at the ranch, as she's getting married in the Catholic church, and she wants her reception to be close by the church, so I won't be traumatized by weather worries, as I was for my niece's outdoor wedding.
With so much to do, I better get busy!
Peggy
posted by Peggy Moreland at 8:20 AM
Friday, April 07, 2006
The end of an era...
My favorite bookstore is closing. It's a sad day for me. Like all lovers of books, I can wander forever in a bookstore--and office supply stores, but that's a whole other obsession :-).
The owner of this bookstore, Charlotte Brewer, befriended me long before I became a writer. She held booksignings regularly, and I was nervous about meeting authors in person. I was starstruck, and afraid I wouldn't have anything to say.
Then I met the most gracious, vivacious women: Penelope Williamson, Jill Barnett, Christine Rimmer, Georgia Bockoven, Jane Bonander, Eva Rutland, Debbie Gordon (Brooke Hastings), Amanda Scott, Phylis Warady, Lynda Ward. I could go on and on.
Imagine that--all these talented women living in the same community as I did! And when I did start writing they gathered me into their fantastical world without hesitation and answered questions and cheered me on, and celebrated when I got "The Call."
But it started in the bookstore, one where Charlotte turned over the key to the place so that my critique partners and I could meet once a week, undisturbed by family life. Part of my success--and certainly my network--is because of that wonderful owner of a cozy, independent bookstore. They're a dying breed. And that's a real shame.
posted by Susan Crosby at 4:55 AM
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Keeping on track...
Like most people, I love quotations--ones that inspire or make me smile or touch my heart. I write them down on colored index cards or scraps of paper and put them in a place where I notice them now and then. Occasionally I pull out the pile to read and enjoy all over again.
But on my computer monitor I have a to-do list of mini-quotes gathered through the years as they relate to writing:
- Ticking clock
- Invite discomfort
- Raise the stakes
- Surprise yourself
I particularly like "surprise yourself." I figure if my characters do something that surprises ME, then there's a good chance they'll surprise the reader. And I like to do that. I like reviews that mention the twists and turns in my books.
Also on my monitor is a quote from Tennessee Williams: "If the writing is honest, it cannot be separated from the man." Someone asked me recently what they would learn about me by reading my books. I replied that none of my characters is exactly like me, but all of them are pieces of me, even the men. How can they be otherwise, since they come from my imagination? Their moral core is mine. What's important to me shows up in my characters. But I let them make different decisions than I personally might make, take risks I might not take, or even shy away from doing something I would leap right into.
I've experienced so much more of life because I'm a writer. Research is important. Talking to experts is really fun. People are proud to tell me about their professions or their passions so that I can portray their jobs and hobbies believably. I don't want a reader to say, "Aw, come on," at least not more than once :-).
Writing empowers me, even when something I do doesn't work. I am reminded of this by the largest note taped to my monitor. A friend typed it up, cut the paper into the shape of a heart and gave it to me years ago in a fancy box. She attributed it to Oprah Winfrey: "I don't believe in failure. It is not failure if you enjoyed the process."
So, I've got success and failure quotes in my line of sight all the time while I'm working. There's a nice symmetry to that.
posted by Susan Crosby at 5:34 AM
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
A lightbulb over my head.
Before I started writing my last proposal, I opened the plot-ideas folder I keep but rarely remember to open (except to drop articles and teeny-tiny, cryptic notes into).
I went through the whole stack wondering what the heck I was thinking when I put each item in the folder. How had I possibly found THAT idea interesting? Why in the world did I put THAT one in? There's a whole page from a newspaper, with 7 articles on the sheet--which one did I think would make a good story? Sheesh. I dumped all but 3 pieces--the most current ones.
Then I asked the question of myself that so many people ask: Where do you get your ideas?
Most of them come from out of the blue--sniglets of thoughts, like, I decided I wanted to write a story about a woman named after Mickey Mantle. I honestly have no idea why. But it led to questions like, what kind of person would she be? A tom boy? Or maybe the antithesis--ultrafeminine? What kind of man would interest her? Be interested in her? Did she love baseball? This became MARRIAGE ON HIS MIND.
Once I woke up with a whole story in my head (HIS MOST SCANDALOUS SECRET). Hadn't happened before and hasn't happened since.
My very first Desire came about after meeting a couple from Scotland while I was on vacation in Mexico. I even named my H/h after them--Iain and Kani, and set the first third of the book at that resort (THE MATING GAME).
Sometimes secondary characters start to push and shove their way into a story and so instead of putting duct tape over their mouths, I tell them I'll give them their own story if they'll just stop trying to take over (ALMOST A HONEYMOON and BABY FEVER). Then I got smart and started creating series with characters overlapping so they wouldn't annoy me by begging for their own happy endings while I was busy writing someone else's.
At the moment, an idea is haunting me, a story begging to be written. I'm not sure where it fits in the grand scheme of publishing, but it flits in and out of my consciousness like a butterfly, hungry to land and show me its colors.
So, ideas come from everywhere and nowhere. And they're not all pretty :-).
posted by Susan Crosby at 5:28 AM
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Staying Fresh
I like the connection between these words:
- housework
- girlfriends
- movies
- grandchildren
- vacations
- writers conferences
These are all ways I fill my creative well. After I send off a manuscript, I'm in need of a couple of weeks of downtime, because first I have to divorce the characters I've fallen in love with, thus freeing me to love new ones. Then I need to recharge.
But before that I usually become intimately reacquainted with my house. It's mindless work, but it accomplishes something visible and tangible while my imagination does a little jig between past, present and future work.
Then I catch up with friends I've put off for the last few weeks of a deadline. (I find if I say, "I'm on deadline!" with just the right amount of frenzy in my tone, people are incredibly understanding.) Girlfriends are critical to my well being, and I nurture and treasure those relationships.
I love to watch movies, especially in the theater, where I'm surrounded by sight and sound. Even a mediocre movie is better that way. And one that takes me away also helps restore my creativity.
Grandchildren offer my imagination a child's perspective, which is always fresh and fascinating, and a whole lot of fun, besides.
Vacations. Ahh, vacations. I've decided that "rustic" isn't my first choice of vacation anymore. Give me sun, sea and sand--and a hotel--and I'm happy. I have brainstormed many books while vacationing in Mexico. Something about that environment sparks my creativity. I generally get up hours before anyone else in my group, and spend quiet time watching the morning joggers along the shore and hopeful surf fishermen, a pad of legal paper on my lap. Words pour out of me.
Writers conferences are springboards to plotting, problem solving, networking, and all-around good mental health.
You don't have to be a writer to feel the well go dry. Taking a break, doing something different--especially out of our comfort zone--sends us back to our daily lives recharged.
What puts YOUR life back into perspective?
posted by Susan Crosby at 6:32 AM
Monday, April 03, 2006
It seems like yesterday...
I made my first sale to Silhouette Desire in 1993. THE FORBIDDEN TWIN, which comes out next week, is my 18th, and I've recently begun to write for Harlequin NEXT, the new women's fiction line. My first book for NEXT will be out in September and is called THE MERRY WIDOW DIARY. Writing a story without the romance being the central plot was a challenge--an exciting one--but I didn't leave my roots behind. There's a bit of a love story and some sexy stuff, too. The widow needs to be merry, after all :-).
I started writing historical romances more than 30 years ago as a way to entertain myself as a stay-at-home mom, but I never tried to publish. Then when my children started school, I went to college, taking almost 8 years to get my B. A. I didn't write during that time, except a file cabinet full of essays and papers. English majors kill a lot of trees!
Not long after I graduated I started writing with the intent of publishing. I did all the things I was told I should: read, write, network, read, write, go to booksignings, read, write, join RWA. It was through my local RWA chapter that I joined a critique group, which was the smartest thing I ever did. We taught each other how to write. It paid off--I sold the second book I wrote, although not every book since. This is a business that keeps us humble :-).
My favorite heroine is kind, loyal and brave--braver than I am, sometimes. And my favorite hero admires her intelligence and respects her capabilities, but he's there the second--and I mean the very second--she needs him.
I get to make up what happens in accordance with my own fantasies. Is this a cool job or what?
posted by Susan Crosby at 6:55 AM
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