Seeking Truth released yesterday!

Greetings everyone,

I've had a busy week. My medieval paranormal erotic romance, Seeking Truth, was released yesterday (May 29) by Ellora's Cave.

Even though this is my second book, I'm still as excited as I was with the first. It still feels like a major accomplishment. When I started Seeking Truth, I hadn't yet sold Protect and Defend and I didn't know if I'd find a home for either one.

When I sold Protect and Defend, it gave me inspiration to finish Seeking Truth and send it to my editor to see if she'd like it. She was honest and told me she didn't accept a lot of historicals because she found the research lacking in many, whereupon I regaled her with tales of my research with this book. She laughed and told me to send it for a read. I waited on pins and needles until she was able to get to it and when she offered the contract I was thrilled.

I love my my first book, but I loved this one even more. As I wrote, my writing voice changed to fit the historical and I felt very at home in "historical mode." Of course, it didn't hurt that I loved my heroine, Vérité, and I lusted for my hero, Eaduin. Dang, he's hot - and not just on that cover designed by the fantabulous Syneca!

I loved that Eaduin was a man who was willing to die for his people or his family if he felt it would protect them. Even with all the responsibilities he has as Baron, I loved his sense of humor. His love for his family deeply appealed to me. In fact, I just loved him.

As I wrote him, he became very real to me. I hope he becomes real to you as you read the book and please stop by my web page and send me a comment to share what you think. About the book. About Eaduin and Vérité. Or just about life in general.

Memorial Day -- More Than Just the Start of Summer

When I was a child, Memorial Day was a long weekend of picnics and frolic in the parks that signaled the start of summer.

Now, as an adult, the holiday has a more somber quality. I remember those who served our country, those who are in dangerous situations currently, and those who have or are suffering.
In other words, I think of our military.

Here’s a selection of factoids I hope you’ll find interesting:
1. Memorial Day may have originated as Decoration Day, which initially took place May 30, 1868 -- just a few years after the Civil War -- at Arlington National Cemetery.
2. General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic wanted such a day to remember the almost 620,000 soldiers who lost their lives in the Civil War.
3. New York was the first state to officially recognize Memorial Day -- in 1873.
4. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y., as Memorial Day’s official birthplace.
5. In 1971 Congress made Memorial Day a national holiday. Congress also placed it on the last Monday in May.
6. Placing flags on soldiers’ graves is a cherished tradition of Memorial Day.
7. Presidents and other people of importance place a wreath of flowers on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
8. At 3 p.m. on Memorial Day, many Americans observe a National Moment of Remembrance. They stand in silent reflection or listen to Taps, the bugle tribute.
9. I remember learning these words to the “Taps” song. Perhaps these aren’t THE official words, but they always come to mind when I hear Taps.
Day is done, gone the sun, from the hills, from the lake, from the skies. All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.
10. Another longstanding tradition of Memorial Day is visiting the cemetery to place flowers on graves.
11. Sometimes veterans sell red poppies and people wear those artificial flowers in remembrance of our military patriots.
12. Researching Memorial Day, I discovered that the notion of red poppies comes from a poem written by Moina Michael:
We cherish too, the poppy red That grows on fields where valor led, It seems to signal to the skies That blood of heroes never dies
13. Moina Michael also came up with the idea of selling poppies to help soldiers in need. In 1922 the Veterans of Foreign Wars began selling poppies and that’s when it began coming to the attention of a majority of Americans.

This is the U. S. Post Office Stamp bearing Moina's image.

A footnote: Yes, patriotism is a key component of Memorial Day. At the same time, it announces that summer is just around the corner. Summer means swimming lessons, bike rides and camping trips, and for me, college courses.
Looking toward this fun but busy season, I’ve decided to limit my blog postings to the 2nd and 3rd weeks of the month. I hope you’ll continue to look for me then. I will, of course, be eager to visit you.

Sources
http://www.civilwarhome.com/casualties.htm
http://www.history.com/content/memorial/the-history-of-memorial-day
http://www.usmemorialday.org/taps.html
http://www.usmemorialday.org/backgrnd.html

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True Heroes

On this Memorial Day, we here at the diner would like to honor the true heroes in this world -- those who have given their lives for what they believe in.

Genre Bender - not so Anonymous

When I first started writing - many years ago. I wrote just plain contemporary romances or just plain historical romances. I didn't mix genres. I wrote one thing and stopped there, but no more. Now I can't write just plain anything. I have to stand up and say to all: Hello, my name is Francesca and I'm a genre bender. All together now, "Hi, Francesca!"

My first novel length work - Protect and Defend - is a paranormal suspense erotic romance. My second novel which will be released on May 29, 2009 bends and blends the genres even more. This one is a medieval paranormal erotic romance. I wonder if eventually I'll manage to blend all the genres I enjoy writing into one very weird but exciting book. Can you imagine a medieval paranormal suspense time-travel erotic romance? Sounds almost scary, huh. Believe it or not, I'm contemplating it. Yeah, really.

How did I get this way? What turned me into a genre bender? I think it was my fascination with anything New Agey. I grew up in the 1970s and 1980s. Shirley MacLaine's book, Out on a Limb was a huge hit - even as she fielded a lot of crap for it. Also, my parents were investigating eastern religions and psychic phenomena. It's possible the interest happened even before I hit my teens though.

I remember watching Dark Shadows when I was really little - I thought Barnabas Collins was the coolest. I loved Dracula. I was a fan of Vincent Price horror movies. All of that stuff intrigued me. It's always surprised me that as much as I love reading vampire stories and watching vampire movies, I have never written anything featuring vamps. But I didn't.

Instead, I focused on shapeshifters with my first novel. I didn't like the involuntary werewolf scenario so I created my own, where my characters were a different species and could choose to be human or wolf. I still like that concept and I'm developing other stories in that urban fantasy universe.

In my medieval paranormal, Seeking Truth, I didn't go with the shapeshifter concept. I asked myself, what would happen to a person with genuine psychic abilities during the Middle Ages - thus Lady Vérité de Sauigni was born. She has special abilities which she has been forced to keep hidden. When she marries, she worries how her new husband will react. Will he accept or denounce her? It was fun writing the story to find out.

I'm working on another genre bending historical too. Seeking Peace combines the medieval paranormal suspense erotic romance. No time-travel here - but it could happen. Later. My hero and heroine both have psychic abilities but neither knows the other has a gift when the story opens and they are forced into a marriage together. This will be fun to write as my characters will be clashing over their views of the world. He's an absolutist and she's a relativist. Even though neither has fur -cause they aren't shapeshifters - the fur is gonna fly!

So do you bend and blend genres when you write? Do you enjoy reading books where the author has melded some disparate genres together to create a cohesive whole? Let me know what you think!

The Labyrinth and Me

http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/kl/images/labyrinth_chartres.lg.jpg

Although I just happened to stumble upon my first labyrinth, quite unintentionally, I would – in time -- grow quite fond of the labyrinth experience. It became a coping mechanism, a place of peace, a way of preparing for the day ahead.

Let me explain: Last summer my church set up a labyrinth walk, which I ignored because I was too busy preparing a four-week curriculum and lesson plans for India. Fortunately, I got a second chance: a labyrinth in Tamil Nadu, India, on the Lady Doak College campus.

As a former teacher of English Language Learners, I was part of a group of 10 American teaching volunteers who spent a month teaching English at a southern India orphanage. The orphans were cheerful, friendly, enthusiastic and bright — a joy to teach. The Indians who assisted in our program were thoughtful and competent, but I ran into a problem.

Even though I was her supervisor, one of my co-volunteers – a professional person turned volunteer teacher – disagreed with many of my teaching techniques. She was big-hearted and generous, but I found her opinionated and bossy. In short, we made each other angry.

Eventually, we had a confrontation.

Too agitated to be around others, I decided I would walk the school’s labyrinth. Before I got very far, my mood began to ease and my turbulent thoughts mellowed. My initial brisk pace slowed. By the time I arrived at the center of the labyrinth, I found myself talking with God and brainstorming solutions.

When I stepped out of the labyrinth I felt better and ready to resume my work.
The labyrinth, as I said, became coping device for me. I got to know that labyrinth pretty well and, after a time, I got to understand my strong-willed co-worker. Although we probably never will be close, we came to an understanding -- an understanding that started on the pathways of a labyrinth.

Header from samulli
That experience inspired me to learn more about labyrinths. Here are 13 things you might not know:
1. Although some definitions might disagree, labyrinths aren’t mazes. Mazes have intersections and require you to make choices about which way you go. No such decisions are needed in a labyrinth.
2. Labyrinths have one pathway into and out from the center.
3. Unlike mazes, labyrinths don’t attempt to trick you. There are no dead ends or blind alleys.
4. Labyrinths require you to make only one choice and that is whether or not to enter.
5. Labyrinths are found in many cultures. The Hopi nation used the labyrinth as a symbol for “mother earth.” It wove that labyrinth into its baskets and actually carved some just outside their pueblos. Archeologists believe these labyrinths date back to around 1,100.

Petroglyph Hopi Arizona 1000dc
6. Apparently labyrinths were common throughout England and France in the late 16th century. Shakespeare may be referencing labyrinths in his play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
7. Sweden and other Scandinavian countries have created stone labyrinths along the coasts. People believe sailors built them to gentle fierce winds by trapping them within the stones.
8. In the Christian tradition, labyrinths mirror the spiritual journey.
9. One of the earliest Christian labyrinths is in the church of St. Reparatus in El Asnam, Algeria. It was formed out of black and white tiles in 324 A.D.

Labyrinth in S. Maria-di-Trastavera, Rome found in Mazes and Labyrinths by: W. H. Matthews
10. You can make labyrinths out of many mediums. There are stone, turf, fabric and tile labyrinths.
11. Some churches such as Grace Cathedral in San Francisco have traveling labyrinths made from wool or canvas.
12. There are even paper and painted labyrinths you can trace with your fingers.
13. Labyrinth walking has gained popularity recently. In 1998 the New York Times dubbed that interest the "Labyrinth Movement.”

Want to learn more about this intriguing subject? You’re invited to visit these sites:
http://labyrinthlocator.com/home
www.lavenderfieldsde.com/labyrinth.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/labyrinths.html
http://www.labyrinthos.net/
www.mts.net/~oakacorn/

Other sources
“Walking a Sacred Path,” by Lauren Artress
“Mazes and Labyrinths,” by W. H. Matthews
“Mazes Around the World,” by Mary D. Lankford
“Labyrinths and Mazes,” by Jurgen Hohmuth

Paperback Writer!

I am going to take a step out of the regular blogging routine today where we don't do BSP (blatant self promo). This week, my second novel with Samhain Publishing, SURVIVAL OF THE FAIREST, came out in trade paperback format. It's actually been selling from Amazon, B&N and several other online vendors for a couple weeks, but this week marked the official release date.

I got my author copies two weeks ago, and they're stacked in a place of honor high on the top shelf of the book cabinet my hubster made for me--out of reach of children and cats alike. (Actually they're out of my reach unless I stand on a stool.) They're right beside my few remaining copies of A SPELL FOR SUSANNAH, which is cool, and right now I have no copies of my Red Sage anthologies because I've given them all away.

Although I absolutely adore ebooks and am buying most of my own reading in electronic format now, nothing beats the feel of your own book in your hands, glossy and crisp, weighty and new, not a single typo to be found (because I refuse to LOOK for them).

I'll even be signing SURVIVAL OF THE FAIREST on June 27, at a wonderful indie bookstore, Sherlock's Books, located in Lebanon, TN. It's a local store--when you stay home with small children, cross-country booksigning tours aren't really in the picture (or the budget)--but the staff is amazing and the store itself is pretty much perfect. I'm not signing alone, but with a group of local romance authors from the middle Tennessee area. I can't even imagine the pain of doing a booksigning solo, although I know a lot of authors have lived to tell such a tale. Maybe one day I'll be popular enough to merit that test of faith.

Anyway, it's an exciting time in an author's journey, no matter her career level, when the author copies arrive, the booksigning looms, the reader mail pours in--okay, okay, no reader mail to speak of for an unknown author like myself, but my mom did email me to remind me she expected her free copy when she came to babysit last week. That counts, doesn't it??

If you'd like to try your chance at winning your own free copy of SURVIVAL OF THE FAIREST, I am holding a contest until the end of the month at my website here: http://www.jodywallace.com/contests.htm

Happy reading, all!

Jody W.
http://www.jodywallace.com/

Researching Editors and Agents

As writers, our main goal is to be published. And to do that, you have to get your manuscript in front of an editor. Hopefully, the right editor. But how do you know which editor is the right one for you. You do your research. But how? In this day of Google and the internet, there’s lots of information out there to be had. You just have to know where to look. And look you should, because you don’t want to be wasting your time targeting an editor who’s not interested in what you write. You don't want to pitch an erotic BDSM to an inspirational editor. Trust me, it will give awkward a whole new meaning.

A while back, I spent months focusing on one particular editor because one of her top authors wrote time-travels with humor running throughout the books. I thought, hey, that’s what I write. Maybe Susie Editor will like my stuff too. But when I finally Googled her and found a blog interview a fellow writer had done with her, guess what I found? She doesn’t like time-travels. But how can that be, I thought? One of her bestselling authors writes time-travels (or at least some of them had time-travel in them). I’m guessing a lot of unpublished authors were thinking the same thing I was and that’s all she was seeing come across her desk. Let me tell you, that was a lot of time and effort down the drain on my part.

Now I do my research. I saw a contest coming up that had an editor at St. Martins judging the paranormal category. St. Martins doesn’t take unagented submissions. I Googled the editor and found a blog interview with her in which she specifically states that she “loves humor--if a book makes me laugh, I'm automatically hooked.” Sounded like the editor for me. I entered the contest. I finaled and this editor who loves humor ranked me 1st place and requested the full manuscript. Yeah for me! My research paid off this time.

So where do you start? Google is a powerful tool. Search for the editor’s name (works for agents too). You’ll be amazed at how many hits you’ll get. I often include ‘interview’ or ‘blog’ as one of my search words to narrow down the results. Many times you’ll find an author who’s done a blog interview with them. Read them. The more recent, the better.

Join the editorsagentsandblogsohmy Yahoo loop. There’s always info being posted there on the latest news. You can also search the records to see if there are any blog links regarding a particular editor or agent.

If the editor or agent has their own blog, read it regularly. If they tweet, follow them. If they have a Facebook or MySpace page, friend them.

We often think of editors and agents as these faceless people who hold our fate in their hands. But if you take a little time and do a little research, you’ll discover more about them than just their name.

Dorchester is moving to e-subs

That was the good news this week. Dorchester has long been a publisher who only accepted hard copy submissions, and this week, Leah Hultenschmidt posted the news on Romantic Reads (http://romanticreads.net/2009/05/07/now-accepting-electronic-submissions/) that they will be accepting submissions via email. They do not want people who currently have a hard copy submission to re-sub this way - although Leah says you can email the same address for info on your submissions. She has posted the protocol for submissions (copied verbatim below), so please use this information wisely and follow the guidelines.

"Authors should attach their full manuscript in a Word or .rtf document, along with a 3- to 7-page synopsis. Dorchester is currently acquiring fiction in Romance, Horror, Western and Thriller genres. For full descriptions, see the Submission Guidelines.

The body of the email should contain the material of a normal cover letter:

* contact information, including physical address and phone number (so we don’t call a Californian at 9 a.m. EST);
* word count (70,000-90,000 words);
* the genre of the novel;
* and a brief, tantalizing description of the plot.

Authors who currently have submitted via regular mail should not resend their material. Submissions should be sent to submissions(at)dorchesterpub.com."

So get your stuff ready to submit! Don D'Auria will be attending an LA convention in June - the Bram Stoker Awards Weekend, doing pitch sessions for yours truly, along with Medallion owner/editor Helen Rosburg, Agents Peter Miller and Robert Fleck, and two movie producers, so it will be a great weekend.

We'll be posting other paranormal news and tidbits this week, so if you have a question, please let us know!
Thanks, and happy writing!
Jeannie

What Characters Really Do...

Hi, my name is Kia Wolfe, and I just happen to be a character in Cheryel’s head. Well, actually I’m a character in her first novel, Shadows of Evil—which is an absolutely fascinating read, if I do say so myself. It took a lot of time and effort to get that stubborn writer to tell the story correctly, and I was exhausted for the longest time. But I digress. The reason I’m with you today is to tell you how Cheryel Hutton became a writer of the paranormal.


You’re probably asking how the heck would a character know why a writer writes what she writes. Well who else? See, in spite of what they may tell you, writers have no idea why they write what they do. I’m going to tell you a secret, (I’m whispering here) it’s the characters who decide the stories a writer writes.


The procedure is for a group of characters to get together. We then debate the kind of story that particular writer seems more suited to write. Then we send one or more characters to the writer. She usually fights us when we try to tell her our stories, but somewhere down the line one of us will intrigue her, and she’ll submit to our demands…I mean agree to tell our stories.

Eventually we know what she seems more suited to write, and from that time we’ll send characters whose stories that writer should be competent to tell. Sometimes the stories seem very different, but we don’t go by the genre/subgenre thing. We go by other criteria, intricate, involved criteria.

I decided Cheryel would be a reasonable choice to tell my story. Some of my friends told me I was crazy. “Go with Nora Roberts,” one of them said. Yeah, like I want to stand in line that long. No, I wanted a newer writer, one I could get to sooner, and manipulate more easily (oops, did I say that out loud?) So I decided on Cheryel. She is stubborn, though. She wanted me to drive a car called “Kia.” Can you imagine! Eventually I convinced her that Kia is my name not my choice of vehicle, and we got to work. Once she got into the listening-to-her-character mode, I was able to guide her through the telling of my story.

So that’s how it works. We characters decided that my story was something that Cheryel should be able to write. Since my story involves a romance (with that yummy Garrett!) you would call it a romance. And since ghosts and an evil wizard are involved in my story, you’d call it a paranormal. Dark, sexy, funny, scary; my story has it all (big grin).

So now that we characters know that Cheryel can write my variety of story competently we’re sending more characters to her with similar types of stories.

And that’s how Cheryel became a paranormal romance writer.

Hugs and kisses,
Kia Wolfe, character

Brenda’s Spring Blooms

Header from samulli
I’ve been going on and on about my spring flowers for at least a month. Long enough that you probably want me to stop talking and show you the flowers. So here they are:

1.These are Red Emperor Tulips. Of all the flowers I cut and give away, I get the most compliments about these. You can’t tell from the picture, but they’re the size of a dessert or salad plate.

2. Somehow this lily of the valley found its way to the front of my house. The rest of her kind are in the backyard, under towering trees, and are just now getting ready to bloom.



3. These purple tulips were planted by my son. I’ve no idea what their official name is, but I enjoy them nonetheless.



4. This is a double pink tulip. It’s my favorite tulip this year. I hope to get even more of these this fall.





5. This is a double white tulip. It’s nice with the hostas.



6. This is a common variety of lungwort or pulmonaria called Mrs. Moon. Its pink buds turn blue when they open.



7. Another … you guessed it … tulip.

8. What else but daffodils?






9. A wood anemone, I think. It’s lovely, but only blooms for a short time and doesn’t make any more of itself.




10. On the other hand, this flower multiplies incredibly well. I should do something about this dandelion, but I consider it pretty.

11. More tulips. I plant lots of tulips because I enjoy giving them away.


12. My pachysandra managed these blossoms this year.


13. Here’s the bleeding heart in the backyard. It was one of the plants I brought from my old house. For a couple of years I worried that it wouldn’t survive, but this year it’s thriving.

Do you garden? Do you like flowers? What’s your favorite?

What Writers Need

This week at the OWD some of us are talking about how we got started writing paranormal. I couldn't think of anything enlightening or accurate to say about my genesis as a paranormal author, so I'm going to do something different.

I just read a fun post over at Mama Writers about things you need as a writer and a mother. Instead of putting my list in their comments section I thought I'd share it here!

http://mamawriters.com/blog/index.php/2009/05/12/the-top-twelve-mamawriters-must-haves-according-to-eliza/

12) My laptop. I don't think I could go back to pen and paper or a typewriter!

11) TiVo. I can tape shows for the kids to watch when I'm desperate to work just a little and I can tape my own shows to watch whenever I get a chance, which might be months later!

10) A comfortable place to sit. I'm struggling with this one right now because it seems like anywhere I sit for more than 45 minutes starts hurting some part of my body -- my back, my knees, my wrists, my neck...something. The result is I move around a lot, which isn't unhealthy but it sure does interrupt the flow.

9) Enough sleep. I don't know how people manage on insufficient sleep every night. We did that when the children were small, and let me just tell you how low my creative drive was! Heck, my drive for EVERYTHING was low...my drive for socializing, hubby time, cooking, cleaning, working, standing up, taking showers, eating...everything was low except my drive for sleep. "Enough" varies by person, I do know that much, but for me it's 7-8 hours a night. I can run on a deficit every now and then but not every day. Been there, tried that, have the dangerous near-miss stories to prove it.

8) Interaction with other writers. I can't keep my chin up in a vacuum. I need to celebrate, commiserate, share ideas, gossip and complain with other folks who "get it". Not just on the computer, either, although internet interactions definitely help.

9) Something good...or bad...to read. Back to the vacuum thing, I need to know what's happening in the market. Not just to assess my own work but for my own enjoyment. The day I stop enjoying reading is the day I stop writing. If I were to quit writing, I'd still love to read. Granted, the BAD things to read serve a very different purpose than the good things, but they are still illuminating :)

8) Good health. I try to make myself eat right, do that sleeping thing, have regular check-ups and even sometimes exercise (more drastically than moving from the couch to the chair because my butt hurts on the couch.) If Mama gets sick, the household comes to a halt, as does my writing.

7) My husband. Because he's awesome and makes me want to write mushy love stories. Also because he is a very flexible, patient man who is happy to cook dinner or clean house or grocery shop or play with his girls while Mama works. Not all the time--but sometimes. I always worry he's going to get huffy about it and he never does. I must not be pushing my luck yet :)

6) Will power. I need it to limit myself to 2 cups of coffee a day, X minutes online a day, wise food choices, revisions, you name it. When you're a Mama Writer (or any writer), your time to yourself is frequently limited. You must maximize it instead of fritter it away. I'm not talking about 5 minutes here and there (more on that later), but when you have a block of time. Sometimes you have to sacrifice things you really LIKE in order to write. Especially when you're not under contract and when nobody's giving you deadlines, this can be hard. So will power is essential. (And if you give in on the extra coffee, your jitters may not lend themselves to useful writing!)

5) Air popped popcorn. On my "work days" -- when one kid's in school and the other's at our wonderful sitter -- I could easily munch the WHOLE DAY without stopping. Air popped popcorn with spray butter and popcorn sprinkles keeps me from feeling bilious and bloated by the end of the day. Plus after I eat one batch of it, I've got enough kernals stuck in my teeth to keep me busy the rest of the day, ha!

4) Some level of competency in the kitchen. This goes back to the "eat healthy" thing but also nurtures me and my family in a way that is hard to replace. If I don't cook a dinner that's not just edible but tasty--and not just tasty but healthy--then that's a day all of us enjoy less than we would have otherwise. I try not to obsess over health and food, especially not since we're setting an example for two girls in a society where body image issues are HUGE, but I don't want to teach them food and taste don't matter, either. Plus, a nice meal that I cooked myself exercises my creative spirit in a way that's sort of similar to writing, but I get my efforts "published" at 6 pm that night :). Also, if I cook I don't have to do the dishes.

3) On that note...frozen dinners or take-out options that don't make me want to stab myself in the meaty thigh! I can't cook EVERY night, man. I have been known to get a bit...distracted, especially on my work days, and fail in the kitchen.

2) A new laptop. Okay, I'm just saying that because I am paranoid my 3 yr old one is about to die. I have been backing it up quite frequently. If my laptop goes and I have to sit a spell without one because we haven't saved up enough cash for it...YIKES! I don't even want to think about it. Somebody give me a piggy bank so I can start saving now!

1) Some type of childcare. School, family member, noxious tv program, babysitter, duct tape (ok, not really duct tape), I don't care. Whatever you can afford and countenance. You may have cooperative children who don't raze the house down to the foundation whenever you take your attention off them for a moment. You may have older children, no children, I don’t know, but if you don't have any real writing time, time when you ONLY have to think about words on the page, it's going to put a serious crimp in your creativity.

Some people are great at switching gears--they can take 5 minutes waiting in the pick-up line or I don't know where and make it work for them. I cannot jump right into the writing, no matter how hard I try or what strategies I use. I've been trying for 7 years now and haven't gotten any better at it. It's like functioning on less sleep. Some people can do it or learn to do it and some are not built for speed, so to speak. Knowing this is just part of knowing your strengths and weaknesses as a writer and how to work around them.

Either way, that's my number one lovely writer Mama thing--childcare. I can't even tell you how my overall mood and productivity have improved since #1 started school and we found a wonderful sitter for #2 to hang out with 2x a week. Now if only my writing income would improve to cover the expenses...

Jody W.
http://www.jodywallace.com
SURVIVAL OF THE FAIREST--In Paper, Samhain Publishing
LIAM'S GOLD--In Electrons, Samhain Publishing

Why Paranormal Romance?

The topic for this week is going to be "How I got started writing paranormal." I don’t think it’s so much the ‘how’ as to the ‘why.’ When I first started reading romance, it was always historicals. I gobbled up books by Amanda Quick, Johanna Lindsey, and Laura Kinsale. I figured, hey, if I was going to lose myself in a fictional word, I didn’t want it to be like the one I currently live in (apologies to all the contemporary writers out there). I wanted to be swept away to a time long ago, when honor meant everything and a hero would lay down his life to protect those he loved. A time when the world was as rugged as the men who lived in it and things were not so PC. I wanted my knight in shining armor to come riding in on his white horse and rescue me in the nick of time, darn it. But after a while, the books all started sounding the same. I was getting bored. I knew something was missing. So one day, as I stood in my local book store staring aimlessly at the multitude of books before me, the sales lady came up to me and asked if she could help. I told her my dilemma – that I loved historicals but I wanted something different. Something more. Something with magic. She smiled and pointed me to Jill Barnett’s BEWITCHING. Not only did this introduce me to paranormal romance, but it opened up the world of humorous historical paranormal romance to me. A major milestone. I had found the type of book that I loved.

So years later, when I decided to try my hand at writing, did I write what I loved? Nope. I sat down and tried to write one of those epic historical romances. It had a Highland laird, a warrior heroine, an evil father, revenge, coerced sex, illegitimate pregnancy, angst, deception, drama, and even a case of amnesia thrown in. Everything but the kitchen sink. Did it sell? Nope. And now that I know what I know, I’m not surprised. But at the time I was heartbroken. Why didn’t anyone love my great masterpiece? Then I heard those prolific words that gave me that ‘ah ha’ moment every author has. Not ‘write what you know,’ because unless you’re a history scholar or time traveler, no one really ‘knows’ what it was truly like to live in a time not our own. No, the prolific words that got me started writing in the paranormal genre were ‘write what you love to read.’ And so I did. And you know what? That book practically wrote itself. It flew from my fingertips with all the pieces falling magically into place. It was a book with bumbling guardian angels and reincarnated soul mates set in WWII Pompeii. By the time I finished it, I had what I thought was a pretty darn good book. Someone else thought so too, because it landed me an agent. Did it sell? Nope – mainly because of the WWII thing -- but it came very close. Was I heartbroken? Yes. Did I give up on the genre I love? No. I’m still writing humorous historical paranormal romance, but I’ve moved on to a more marketable time period. Will my latest and greatest medieval time travel with a dragon-knight sell? Who knows? But judging by the contest wins and the editor interest I’ve been receiving lately, it just might. And now that I’m a better writer and know what type of book fits my voice, I might dig that first book out from under the bed and blow off the dust bunnies. Maybe with some paranormal elements thrown in (and at least one or two kitchen sinks thrown out), it could turn into something special. All it takes is a little magic. *G*

Moms and Mother’s Day: A Tribute

Moms. We all have/had one. We all know many and some of us are lucky enough to be just that — a mom. In tribute to moms, let’s share some fun facts about the holiday and the women it honors.
Header from samulli
Facts about Mother’s Day and Moms in the U.S.:
1. Mother’s Day was the brainchild of Anna Jarvis. After her mother died in 1905, Anna began a campaign to establish a national holiday that celebrated mothers.


Photo of Anna Jarvis
2. In 1907, she celebrated the first Mother’s Day at St. Andrew’s Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, by passing out 500 white carnations to the mothers in the congregation.
3. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a joint resolution from Congress that honored women’s role in the family. The joint resolution called the holiday Mother’s Day.
4. There’s no shortage of mothers in the United States. As of 2004, the estimated number was 82.8 million. Wow, I can’t even imagine a figure that big, but I guess I’m one of those mothers.
5. Did you know that 55% of American women between the ages of 15 and 44 years old are moms.
6. The average number of children mothers are having these days is 2.1 (based on the 2006 report).
7. In 2005 the average age for an American mother giving birth for the first time was 25 years old.
8. August is the month most women give birth.
9. Tuesday is the day most babies are born.
10. There were 5.6 million U.S. stay-at-home moms in 2006.
11. Mothers are very important in children’s lives and in most cases still spend the bulk of their time with their young children. Between 54% and 79% of children age 6 or under eat breakfast and dinner with their mother.
12. Eighty percent of first time mothers held jobs while pregnant.
13. This year Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 10, so if you haven’t gotten that special person in your life a thank-you gift, you still have time. Popular Mother’s Day gifts include jewelry, Mother’s Day cards, cosmetics and floral arrangements.
Do you celebrate Mother’s Day? What are your thoughts about Moms or Mother’s Day? Do the facts I’ve listed seem true in your life? Please share what you think.




Sources
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/011633.html
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/mothersday/a/anna_jarvis.htm

Less Nickelback, More Kenny G.

I found a great web site and saw the above comic (click on the comic to visit the Will Write for Chocolate web site). I can totally relate to this post because I've been listening to a LOT of Nickelback lately. I wonder if that's why I've been having trouble writing my love scenes? Trouble is I totally love Nickelback - so I'll just have to figure out how to make the band work with my novels.

I've posted about music before - talking about how I had a playlist for a work in progress. Lately, I've been bouncing from project to project as I try to find inspiration. Revisiting Nickelback has me revisiting the shapeshifter story with the rock musician as the hero. Yeah, Joe keeps calling me. I had set him aside because my editor wasn't really into a geriatric rock band (my heroine's parents are the founders of the rock band my hero joins).

I kind of like the idea of a geriatric rock band. I don't know if it's because I'm forty-something myself or because most of the rock bands I grew up listening to are getting older. Joe Perry still looks good...doesn't he? Am I the only person out here that thinks he's hot? And he's almost 60. I mean really.

Mick Jagger still struts the stage like a rooster on drugs. Granted he looks a bit like a desiccated mummy, but he rocks a stadium. Even Brett Michaels manages to get siliconed twenty-something chicks to fight over him.

Younger rockers are hot too and they definitely provide tons of inspiration for my writing. Rockers like the members of Nickelback. Chad Kroeger has a killer voice and stunning eyes.

Even though I should probably listen to less Nickelback and more Kenny G, I don't think I will. There's just something appealing about those bad boy rockers - even if the music makes your writing veer off the planned path. Sometimes altering the plan makes for an even more interesting story.

So what do you think? Do rock musicians inspire you? Do they have to be young or can older rockers still make you scream? Should I listen to less Nickelback and more Kenny G or stick to my current playlist?