Free Workshop by Tambra plus More

I'm using today's blog time to let you know what's coming up starting April 1:

At Coffee Time Romance, April 1-15 I'll be teaching a workshop on The Basics of Romance Writing. If you played with the idea of writing romance or have recently started your writing journey come and join me.

There will lots of charts and handouts. You can also ask writing craft questions.

Go to the message board area of Coffee Time. www.coffeetimeromance.com
You have to be a member of Coffee Time but the sign up is quick and easy.

Also a group of authors I'm with, the Daughters of Circe will have the days of April 1-20 at Coffee Time Romace to discuss our books, answer questions, have readers ask us questions. Kind of like two-and-a-half weeks of book discussion and fun with readers.
Daughters of Circe members:
Tambra Kendall/Keelia Greer
Michelle Hasker
Kim Rees/Kim Knox
Bianca D'Arc
Aline de Chivigny
Jennie Andrus/Piper Evyns
Elena Croft
Merris Hawk
Talya Bosco
Dawn Mongomery

You can take a free workshop from and then pop over to read excerpts and see what other things we'll have for readers. I know I'll be giving away something for a contest.

All the fun begins Wednesday. Hope to see you there!

Hugs,
Tambra

Yes, Virginia, Your Mother had Sex. (And last week's euphemism winners)

NOTE: Last week's groaningly bad EUPHEMISM award goes to: HANNAH! Hanna, please drop me an email at starmuse23@gmail.com to collect your winnings!



Danger, Will Robinsion!


This is one of those posts that flirts with too much information. Since I'm no big fan of flames, I'm going to tread with caution as I try my darndest to steer back to the real topic--the glaring paucity of erotic romance titles recognized by RWA with the announcement of this year's Golden Heart and RITA finalists.

In spite of the fact I was one of those teen moms whose plights politicians love to bandy about to politice personal choice issues such as sex education and family planning, my teen parenthood was written in the cards long before I had any reason to care what sex was.

I was raised under the influence of of the Southern Bible Belt--the snake handling, tongue speaking variety. While I will defend to the death any and all freedoms of religion, I don't come from a family I consider anyone would consider zealatous. But my parents were themselves the product of families and regions where physical displays of affection were carefully measured and straight talk about sex amounted to mortal sin.

While I have nobody to blame but myself for producing a (lovely) child with my teenage heart throb, I do often stop to wonder if I'd have made the same choices if I'd had a stronger understanding of what sex truly meant between two mature people who love each other. I'm not just talking about the mechanics. I'm also talking about the emotional reasons for entering into the act in the first place.

Where I came from, people just didn't talk about those things, much less write about them. Cripes, I had friends who weren't even allowed to go to movies or slow dance with their boyfriend at the prom. You see, that kind of thing was relegated to the status of sin, and it wasn't our place to question the reasons why.

I didn't have brothers or any accurate clues regarding the male anatomy save for the throbbing love shafts and purple helmeted soliders mentioned in the flowery romance novels my best friend and I lifted from beneath her mom's bed. Talk about lousy sexual role models! Many of those titles portrayed their heroine's acceptance of rape as more acceptable than to characterize a woman as sexually knowledgable enough to say what she means: "please, just fuck me already!"

As a result of my culturally induced naievte, making peace with myself as a sexual being didn't come easily or quickly. In fact, it didn't begin to happen until my first child was entering puberty herself. Sure, I experimented, but I did it more to close the sale on happily ever after than to share pleasure with the man I love.

Wrong reason. And not something I'm proud of admitting.

Time moves on. Minds change. So do sexual mores. Sex isn't a right of passage meant to only to pave the way to forever. But I didn't know that then. Nor did I know I was supposed to find pleasure in the physical act of loving. Scary, but true.

To say that my journey toward writing erotic romance freed me as a both a sexual being and an artist is the understatement of the millenium. Had I known then what I know now, I'd have entered into sex for the right reasons. While I can never regret my beautiful daughter, I'd have taken more care with my body and my responsibility to protect myself from responsibilities I was in no way prepared for. I'd have made love for the first time for the right reasons--the same ones I hope my daughters leans on when they enter into love relationships--with eyes wide open.

Now, back to the point of this post. People have sex. People will always have sex. These days, *gasp*, people even like having sex. :) So do the characters I write about--or at least they will like it by the time I'm through with 'em.

Perhaps I shouldn't feel surprised by the paucity of erotic romance titles amont RWA's recent RITA and Golden Heart finalists. I guess this year, I'd hoped for something better from the organization that professes to help advance romance author's careers.

Maybe RWA doesn't get it yet, but eroticism is here to stay. The stories that represent the best of this important market niche can hold their own against any of the traditional romances I've read.

By definition, many erotic romance stories fit the currently accepted industy definition of romance, right down to the HEA. (HEA for now is another post. :D) But once again, authors who write for the publishers that set the standard for erotic and sensual romance have been barred from participation via RWA's refusal to say what they really meant when they slipped the ill-defined term mass produced into RITA elgibility rules.

Discrimination is never pretty. Neither is censorship veiled beneath the language of eligibility requirements. Organizational behavior such as RWA has exhibited toward authors who push sexual boundaries in romance has served only to highlight the worst of what RWA offers to established and aspiring romance authors.

So who really wins? Are those authors who finalled (and major kudos to all of the finalists!) truly able to consider themselves the best of the best, or is RWA forcing them to settle for being the best of what's left?

It's time RWA and its board members put their money where their membership dues are to say what they really mean, because a lot of talented authors are pretty damn tired of paying for the right to be disrespected, ignored and insulted.

Contests - Yes or No?

I’m currently working on judging contest entries, and expecting a new batch from another contest I volunteered to judge very soon. Before I was published I wasn't necessarily a contest junkie, but I did enter a considerable amount of them to get unbiased feedback. Before I had a critique partner (or even knew what one was) contests were the only way I got feedback that wasn’t from my family.


When I decided I wanted to write, I kept it to myself. I didn’t join an organization or any online groups for a solid year. Writers are a solitary bunch in general and even though I knew there was a local RWA chapter near me, I was too nervous to attend. In the long run, I’m glad I waited to figure out more about writing before attending. In a way, the feedback I got from contests was my only ‘link’ to other writers. That’s why I like to give back now.


I know some people have had bad experiences with contests, and I too have actually had a few bad judges, but for the most part, I’ve learned something new from every judge. There’s only one judge in particular that really burned me up with her sarcastic comments, but after getting mad, I tossed her entry and focused on the constructive comments from the other judges. Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t let one person bring me down enough to question myself as a writer.


When I was first starting out, feedback from contests taught me what POV was, what ‘show don’t tell’ was, what critique partners were, and how to be my own editor. These contests urged me to look more into craft books, then to finally join a local group and find the support I didn’t know I was looking for.


What are your opinions on contests? Yay or nay? Share your experiences, good or bad!

You want me to suck your what?????

"My tender femininity aches to feel the thrusting of your firm maleness."

I scarcely remember the movie I first heard that line from, but I do remember groaning out loud when I heard it. Until the other day, that quote got my vote for the most heinous usage of sexual euphemisms ever. But I have to admit it, the line has staying power. It was the first example that sprang to mind when I realized the topic of today's post was going to be euphemisms.

Then I discovered dewy petals.

There's a fine line an author has to toe in order to balance original love scenes with downright flowery prose. For me, that line is the shakiest when I'm writing love scenes. Let's face it, I'm southern born and bred, and still a product of a very sexually repressed era. At times, I swear I can hear thunder rumbling a Divine "ahem" when I'm writing down and dirty, wild monkey sex...

(One little drunken pole dance wouldn't disqualify me from my belle status, would it?)

I do like a little mystique with my love scenes. For that reason, I'm not a big fan of "cock and balls" grit and downright clinical descriptions of the human sexual apparatus. I imagine that's why I give myself plenty of reasons to cringe when I'm writing love scenes. Often, the words penis, clit, balls, and that other *c* word simply aren't appropriate for the POV I'm writing from. In staying true to the POV character's voice, I try to filter the language of a scene through his/her personality. And sometimes, I screw up. Big time.

I've noticed an increasing trend toward flowery euphemisms in my reading lately. Probably the worst offender was embedded in a scene told through the heroine's point of view that referred to her own labia as "dewy petals." Uhhhh....I don't know about you, but never once in my life have I referred to my nether regions as dewy petals.

Not even during the drunken pole dance.

Now granted, I've probably committed worse euphemistic sins than "dewy petals" in my day. It's a genuine risk of writing in the genre of erotic romance. So what's a writer to do? Lately, I've been using the checklist below to "fact check" my euphemisms before inflicting them on my editor.

1) Consider the POV character of the love scene in question. How would he/she describe the heat of passion in his/her own internal monologue during the act itself? Granted, passion inspires dirty talk, but just how gritty is *this* character going to get inside his/her own head?

2) How deep is the POV of the scene? If you're in deep male POV, your reader is *hearing* the hero's (or heroine's) internal self talk, I promise no man alive has ever referred to a vagina as a satin love glove during the heat of the moment. Men just don't talk that way. Not even the gay ones. :D (Thanks T.R. for being my guinea pig gay guy as I wrote this piece! I love you, babe!)

3) Setting/Time of the piece. Let's face it. A vestal virgin isn't going to know what a throbbing dick is, much less refer to it during the heat of passion. Make sure when writing historical and period pieces to do your research on the time period and setting you're writing from. Also consider the sexual mores of the day. A Victorian alpha hero, rake or no, is still a product of time and place. Make sure his language reflects this. He will push the edges of propriety, but I doubt he'll throw it completely to the wind and spout off in jargon more appropriate to modern times.


4) Let your character's backgrounds and internal conflicts drive the language they use/think during the heat of passion.

5) Read your euphemisms aloud. Record them if you have to and play them back. Be honest with yourself. An outrageous euphemism is going to glare and jar you (and your readers and editors) out of the story *moment*. If your descriptions of sex parts do that, it's time to send them straight to the recycle bin and try again.

With all this said, I am the queen of purple prose. It's my writerly Achilles heel, and I can't completely promise I'll never spin another rediculously flowery reference to penises, vaginas and their related bits and parts. And if I do, and said useage happens to slip past my editor during, I dunno, a fit of plague induced delirium, I hope my readers will feel free to call me on it--in a very loving ROFL kind of way of course, because, yanno, I still have that writerly ego thing going on. :D

What are the most outrageous euphemisms you've either created or read? How do you feel about them? Do you prefer more clinical language to describe sex, or are you a fan of language that removes you, as a reader, from the grit of the moment? I really want to know! And the best answer might just win a big old prize (aka amazon.com gift certificate).

Honoria Ravena, Last Week's Drawing Winner!

Honoria Ravena, please drop me a line at starmuse23@gmail.com You're the winnner of last week's comments drawing. Congratulations!

Author Patti O'Shea--Her New Release and The Writing Life!

We're very fortunate today to present an in depth interview with romance author, Patti O’Shea, courtesy of Leah from Leah’s Literary Lair.



Leah: I’m so glad you could be here today.

Patti: Thanks for inviting me!

Leah: Please tell us a bit about yourself. Your family, background, etc.

Patti: I live in Minneapolis, MN, attended the University of Minnesota's School of Journalism where I earned a degree in advertising copywriting, and went to work for Northwest Airlines–in accounting. I moved around the company until I ended up where I'm at now–757 Engineering. I've always enjoyed traveling and working for an airline gave me an opportunity to visit more places. I've also always had an interest in airplanes and I've learned a lot about them during my time in Technical Operations. Plus, I've been able to get some up close looks that I wouldn't have anywhere else.

For our readers unfamiliar with your work, please tell us what kind of books you write.

My stories are paranormal romance with a lot of action and adventure in the mix and I have a couple of action/adventure futuristic books, too.

Your most recent release, IN TWILIGHT'S SHADOW, was the second book in your Light Warrior series. Please tell us about this series and the books in it. Will there be more books in this series and if so, what is the next book in the series? Do you have a title and release date yet?

The Light Warriors books are about a society of magic users who protect humans from demons and other dark-force creatures. Each territory has a troubleshooter assigned to it and they handle the problems that arise within their area as well as other assignments that their council might give them.

IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR is the first book. The heroine is Ryne Frasier and the hero is Deke Summers. The little blurb I use for the book is: When a troubleshooter for a society of magic users rescues a private investigator from a dark spell, she finds more than an ally as she faces down her former mentor.

IN TWILIGHT'S SHADOW is about Ryne's sister Maia Frasier and Creed Blackwood. Maia gave up her magical powers years earlier because she'd fallen to the dark forces, but she's still struggling to cope with the loss. Creed is dealing with his own issues when it comes to dark magic and they're both going to have to defeat their demons–literally as well as figuratively.

The next story is EDGE OF DAWN and it will be released July 2009. During In Twilight's Shadow we find out that Creed has a little sister that he's never met. This is her story. The blurb for this book is: Glass artist Shona Blackwood is ignorant of her Gineal heritage and unaware that people who can do magic actually exist, but when she's targeted for death, troubleshooter Logan Andrews is assigned to protect her. A straightforward job quickly goes askew and what Logan doesn't know might cost both him and Shona their lives.

I'm writing the fourth book in the series now. The working title is IN THE DARKEST NIGHT, but there's been a few other books with similar titles, so it might not be called that when it's actually released. This story is about Logan's brother, Kel. Logan worries about him throughout EDGE OF DAWN and now we'll find out what happened to change him. His heroine has had a rough time with life, too, and they're both wounded individuals who are trying to heal.

How long have your been writing and what was your first published book?

I became serious about writing about eighteen months before I sold my first book in January 2002. I'd been writing before that, of course–since 8th grade–and I had finished three other books, but it was mostly dabbling when I felt like it rather than dedicated, regular writing. Now I write every day.

My first sale was RAVYN'S FLIGHT, released in November 2002 and reprinted in 2006. It's a futuristic romance set in 2040 with a hero in army special operations and a heroine who's part of a colonization assessment team. They're light years from home when all their teammates end up murdered and Ravyn and Damon are on the run from an unknown killer. They have to stay alive long enough for help to arrive from Earth, but it isn't going to be easy.

How many books do you have out now? Do you have a favorite character or book that you have written?

As we start 2009, I have six books and one novella out. My seventh book will be released in July 2009 and the eighth is scheduled for March 2010.

The question about favorite character is tough and I don't think I can pick. I spend so much time with them that each one becomes a really close friend, and while I'm always glad to have finished their story–I want to know what happens!–I miss them when they leave. I tell people it's as if someone you've lived with has decided to pull up stakes and move across the country. Yes, you can visit, but it's just not the same.

Although I can't pick a favorite character, I do have a favorite book–IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR. This used to be impossible to choose, too, but something about this story just wedged its way into my heart. I guess it helps that it's one I really wanted to tell and the fact that I wrote two other books before being able to start this one kept the anticipation high. I also loved Deke's sarcastic, smart aleck comments. And there's Ryne. She's so tough–she feels she has to be–but emotionally her demons are winning the war. Deke anchors her, helps her find the footing she needs to defeat them and move forward.

How did you get started in your writing career? Are you a full time writer or do you hold another job as well?

I have a full-time job at Northwest Airlines in 757 Engineering. I really would love to write full time, but it's not feasible right now. It does get exhausting, though!

My start to getting published was pretty interesting. I mentioned earlier that I'd dabbled and I had submitted two of the three books I'd finished and gotten good rejection letters, but it wasn't until around 2000 that I really committed myself to writing. After finishing the rough draft of RAVYN'S FLIGHT and revising the first three chapters, I sent it out to contests put on by various local chapters of Romance Writers of America and continued revising the rest of the book.

One of the first contests I entered in the summer of 2001 was called the Southern Heat. Among the prizes for winning was being able to send the full manuscript to the final judge who was an editor at Dorchester Publishing.

I had just finished revising the entire manuscript so that it was ready to submit, when I received a letter saying I'd won the Southern Heat and that I should contact the editor of my category to arrange to send my manuscript. This was December 2001. I contacted her, mailed it off on New Year's Eve, and ten days later, went on vacation. I did have internet access while I was away, but I couldn't read my email. (Things have come a long way!) I came home and I had so many messages that it took hours to download all the email. One of the notes was from the editor who had RAVYN'S FLIGHT asking me to call her.

My first thought was that something had happened to the manuscript. Maybe a page had gotten lost or the post office had dropped it in a mud puddle and it wasn't legible. The possibilities were endless and the offices were closed by the time I saw that note. I called the next day, and sold my first book in January 2002.

I understand that you have done a lot of traveling. Do you use these travels as research for your books?

I think everything we see and do shapes us to a degree and that includes the places we've been. I know my visits to different cities and countries have influenced settings in my stories. For instance, when I wrote THE POWER OF TWO and my hero and heroine needed to go to the Raft Cities, I based the poverty my characters saw on my visit to Samarai Island in Papua New Guinea. I've also used a nighttime trip I made to the Hollywood Walk of Fame in THROUGH A CRIMSON VEIL and Los Angeles in general for IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR.

Is research something you enjoy? Approximately how much do you do for each book and what is your favorite form of research? Travel, internet, printed materials?

Yes and no. I'm insatiably curious about a lot of different things and I always seem to be learning something new. For example, right now I'm listening to a podcast on earthquakes and seismology from the University of California-Berkeley. I have no plans to write a story with earthquakes, but I thought it might be interesting (and it is). Of course, I also had an interest in nanotechnology years before I was published and I didn't think I'd ever need the information for anything, but I ended up using quantum brain nanotechnology as a major plot point in THE POWER OF TWO (2004), so who knows? Maybe one day I will be writing a story that involves seismology.

The less fun part of research comes in when I need specific detail for a book and it's the kind of information that isn't easy or quick to find. I think small facts are important, but some of what I'm looking for can be obscure stuff that gets buried in a much larger sections of data. Or if I don't know the exact terminology to search for, I can end up with far too many hits to wade through, none of which contain the information I actually need.

I like to use the internet because of how quick it is to do a search, but I try to find corroboration since the information can be suspect online. I do have a lot of books filling my shelves, but then I have to figure out exactly which book it is and find it amid all the other volumes, which isn't always quick or easy.

What do you have in the works now? Can you give us a sneak peek? Sure hope so.


Next up is EDGE OF DAWN in July 2009, I'm working on the fourth book in the Light Warriors series for a March 2010 release, and I was asked to submit a story for THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF VAMPIRE ROMANCE 2. I'm not sure what the release date is for that.

The Work In Progress (WIP) isn't ready to be shared yet, but I'm happy to give a sneak peek at EDGE OF DAWN. I don't even have an excerpt up on my website yet. This is part of a scene that takes place a few days after Logan and Shona meet. It's the second time they've talked to each other.:

Logan spotted Shona up ahead and his thoughts derailed.

Friday night her hair had been straight, tamed; today it tumbled in waves to just above the small of her back. Her sky-blue T-shirt was tight and short, baring her midriff and accentuating her full breasts. Her jeans were pale yellow and fit her every bit as closely as the pair she'd worn last Friday. For someone tall and lanky, Shona was nicely curved and Logan felt an unwelcome surge of warmth return. He swallowed hard.
She hadn't seen him yet, not with all the people between them, and he took the opportunity to stop and stare. He was too far away to really see her face, but he remembered--the high cheekbones; the elfin chin; the rich, chocolate-brown eyes now hidden behind dark lenses; and her full lips. Just the memory of her sexy mouth was enough to intensify the heat inside him.
Someone jostled Logan as they walked by and it brought him back to his senses. He closed the remaining distance.
As he neared the coffee shop, Shona caught sight of him and pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head. Her lips curved and that small, tentative smile was enough to knock him off balance. With a deep breath, Logan reminded himself that he was a Gineal troubleshooter; he was trained to control his emotions, not let emotion control him, but damn, she hit him hard.
"Hi," she said.
"Hey, Shona." He kept his tone easy because she looked anxious. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting."
"I was early."
Her hands tightened around the white, plastic bag she held hard enough to make it rustle. "Is that my jacket?"
"What? Oh! Yes, here." Shona thrust the bag at him and Logan had to make a lunge for it to keep it from hitting the ground. "Sorry," she said, her face flushed.
"Don't worry about it. Want to grab a cup of coffee?" Logan gestured toward the building behind her.
"I was going to invite you to show my appreciation for your help." Her eyes widened. "Not that a cup of coffee comes close to repaying my debt, but I don't know if anything could."
"You don't owe me anything." She tried to interrupt him, but he held up a hand. "I know you're grateful I came along when I did, but that doesn't incur a debt on your part. I look at it as doing what's right, kind of like racking up good karma points with the universe." He smiled at her. "And I have three sisters; I'd like to think someone would help them if they found themselves in a similar situation."
Which was unlikely. If someone was stupid enough to grab one of them, any of his sisters would blast him with a spell before anyone needed to come to their aid.
"Paying it forward," Shona murmured.
"Something like that." Logan took her elbow, steered her toward the entrance to the coffee house, and held the door for her. The place was crowded and there was only a single open table. "Why don't you grab that," he pointed to the one available spot, "and I'll get the coffee? What do you want?"
"No. You take the table and I'll get the coffee. My treat, remember?"
He wanted to argue, but there was something in her demeanor that suggested she wasn't going to allow him to buy. Logan silently capitulated. "A large coffee. No cream, no sugar, none of that other frou-frou stuff. Just black, okay?"


Tell us a bit about your writing style. What kind of writer are you? A plot and outline person or are you more of a pantser style of writer? Have your characters ever developed a life of their own and taken off in a direction that you didn’t expect? If so, what did that do to your story?

I'm more toward the seat-of-the-pants side of the spectrum, but I've shifted over time. I used to be nearly a pure fly-into-the-mist writer, but now I usually have a synopsis before I start writing, and to my surprise, I've liked having that loose framework. I can't see me moving too much farther toward plotting, though, since just the thought of index cards makes me break out in a cold sweat.

My characters arrive as fully-formed people, so they tell me their story and I write it down. If I try to force them to do it my way, progress grinds to a halt and I can't write any further until I figure out what had one or both balking. It happened in ETERNAL NIGHTS when I had Wyatt kissing Kendall. I couldn't figure out why I was stuck after that point, but it turns out it was too early; he wouldn't risk scaring her. I still had the kiss after I fixed that spot, but because Wyatt was only semi-conscious when it happened, it fit better and it also caused more complications through the story.

What's really hard is when the characters keep secrets and then spring things on me just before it's time to reveal it in the book. The most flagrant example of this was in my first book, RAVYN'S FLIGHT. I went through almost half the book before Damon mentioned the big event from his past. I'd suspected there was something that had him so determined to protect Ravyn, but it could have been his personality. Once he finally revealed the truth, more things about him made sense.

Oh, and it happened with IN THE MIDNIGHT HOUR and Ryne's past. I knew there was a reason why she was so dead-set against getting involved with a human, but I didn't know what–exactly–that was until right before it was revealed. I tried to talk her out of it because I really didn't want to go there or write it, but she insisted. And it was a pretty big part of what drove her, so I guess she was right.

If the characters give me enough notice before they head off, it's not really that big a deal because I can just adjust as I go along. When they spring a surprise on me right before I'm ready to write the scene where they reveal their secret to their hero/heroine, then it's a little bigger deal and usually involves going back and adding some foreshadowing earlier in the story. With Ryne, I didn't have to do that because I knew there was something and was already foreshadowing, but with Damon, it did involve sprinkling clues in throughout the first half of the book as I revised.

Are you a big reader? Do you have a favorite book or author? Do you read the same genre that you write or do you find this a distraction to your writing?

I used to read a book a day before I sold my first book. I literally have boxes and boxes in my basement filled with thousands of books and bookshelves all over the place. Now so much of what used to be reading time is writing time and I don't read nearly as much as I used to.

Oh, wow, I have a lot of favorite books and authors. It's impossible to narrow it down to one. I do tend to like darker books with lots of action and suspense. My favorite "romance" movies are The Terminator and Speed if that gives any indication of what kind of story I enjoy reading most. And I do read in the genres I write. Since I rarely pick up a book while I'm writing, I don't find it distracting.

I've also begun to read more non-fiction. My latest was Survival Of the Sickest by Dr. Sharon Moalem. The book was about why certain genetic diseases are still in our gene pool. I found it utterly fascinating and couldn't put it down.

Has anything been different than you expected since beginning your writing career? The fans, the book signings, promo? What do you enjoy the most?

The biggest surprise was how much time and energy is taken up with things that have nothing to do with the story I'm writing. I'd heard other published authors talk about it, but I couldn't believe it could be that bad. I was wrong. It is utterly amazing how many things eat up writing time. While I'm trying to write one story, I might be doing promotion on an earlier book, reading through copy edits on the manuscript I turned in months earlier, and discussing a future project all at the same time. Then I'll go to my day job and someone will ask me about the book and I have to ask which one they mean.

Favorite thing, hands down, is hearing from readers who enjoyed my stories. I keep each and every email and I plan to scrapbook them all. Before I sold, I never emailed a writer when I loved one of her stories, but now that I know how much it means, I do contact authors whose work I loved.

Give us an example of a normal day in your life. Do you try to keep to a specific writing schedule with a certain word count or number of pages a day?

Now y'all get to find out how boring my normal days are! The alarm goes off at 4am and I hit the snooze as many times as I can before I absolutely have to get up to get ready for my day job. Eight plus hours at work where I tease engineers and do projects, and then home. Chores, errands, email, and if I'm lucky, I can sit down to write by 6pm. If I'm not lucky it'll be 7 or later. I usually write until my brain shuts down and then go to bed to start it all over again the next day.

I do try to do a set number of pages a day and spend the weekends trying to make up for the number of pages that I'm short. I also use my vacation time from my day job to make my deadlines.

What do you do for fun? Do you have any hobbies or collections you would like to share with our readers?

I scrapbook, although I haven't had much time to do it lately. It's a way to be creative without using the same part of my brain that writes. I also started gardening after I moved into my house. Kind of, at least. I like looking at the flowers, but I mulch so I don't have to weed too often. The coolest thing was that one year while I was standing outside watering my lilies, a hummingbird hovered within a foot and a half of me and I thought, wow! I'd like to start doing container gardening for fresh vegetables. Maybe in 2009.

If anyone is interested in seeing some of my 2008 flowers, I've got a slideshow up here: http://pattioshea.blogspot.com/2008/08/flowers-flowers-flowers.html

If you could give one piece of advice to a beginning author, what would it be?

I've received two really great pieces of advice, so I'll share both. The first was: Writers write.

At the time I heard it, I wasn't putting in the work to be a writer, I was waiting for some magical day when I had more time, when the muse struck, when I had the perfect idea, etc. It didn't sink in right away, but later I realized that if I really wanted to be a writer, I couldn't wait until I found the time–I had to make the time. I really wanted to be a writer, I'd wanted it since I was fourteen, so instead of watching television or whatever, I'd write.

The second piece of advice that really helped me was: The writing process will change and don't try to force yourself to write a book the way you wrote the previous one. Use whatever process that book needs.

Every single book I've written has had a different method of coming to life. I did intensive character sketches when I wrote RAVYN'S FLIGHT, but on other books I've only filled out some of the questions, and in some cases, only the physical descriptions of the hero and heroine. It depends on what I need to do to tell the story. When I wrote THROUGH A CRIMSON VEIL, I had to do it at night. I joked to people that because my hero and heroine were nocturnal, they wouldn't come out to work until later in the evening. I thought it was weird, but hey, whatever it takes. Thanks to the advice, though, I've been able to let myself go with the flow and not get hung up on the fact that isn't the way I wrote my last book.

Patti, thanks so much for stopping by to chat. I know we are all looking forward to your next book! Please come back again soon!

Staying Active to Stay Creative

A couple weeks ago Tambra blogged about keeping your muse active with tips such as making sure your writing area fosters your creativity, learning to say no, and basically giving yourself a break if you need it. As women and writers, this advice is golden.

I thought I’d take this a little further. Getting a few extra minutes exercising a day is a big part of what keeps my writing energy going. With the economy the way it is, everyone is cutting back, including my family so a gym membership is out of the question. The best form of low impact exercise I’ve found is simply walking. It’s free and it’s easy for people of all levels of fitness. Not only does it tone your legs and butt, it can assist in shaping your abdominal muscles if you clench your stomach while you walk. I also use this uninterrupted time to focus on my current WIP or if I'm having a trouble with a plot point, sometimes I have a revelation during these walks.

Another free way to keep active is to bike. I use the bike I’ve had for the past five years so technically it’s not free, because I did buy it at one time. But, if you’re looking for an inexpensive bike try craigslist or your local newspaper. I usually get in one or two biking days a week. Luckily my CP lives close so I get extra time to chat with her while we bike and I forget I’m even exercising.

In February I realized I’d hit a plateau with my workouts. I was getting bored and starting to slack off so I found an inexpensive Kathy Smith DVD on Amazon (I love that woman!) to input aerobics into my weekly workouts and it’s really increased my posture and energy. Combined with walking and biking, it keeps my week fresh and all for about $7.

For a while I tried running with my husband but have come to the realization that he is some sort of machine and no matter what I do, I’ll never truly keep up with him and that I’m better off jogging or walking with my trusty iPod instead of a drill sergeant. Once I realized that I had to carve out my own schedule and do what was right for me, exercising became more fun. There isn’t one schedule or workout that works for everyone and that’s important to remember.

As women, I know we sometimes tend to take care of everyone else first and ourselves last so please find the time to take care of yourselves ladies! Thirty minutes a day is possible for everyone. I’m definitely not some workout nut with a perfect body (not even close). I’ve just found that staying active truly helps harness my creativity and I always feel a hundred times better even after a short walk. It must be those endorphins! What do you do to stay healthy? Any tips that are affordable for everyone?

Show, Don't Tell

Show, Don’t Tell

Showing versus telling sounds simple, but for many it isn’t.

By showing instead of telling, you draw the reader into the story at that moment letting them experience the scene. Your goal is to transport the reader to the world you have created. You don’t want the readers to know that you, the creator exist. A reader is more likely to suspend disbelief when they are in the character’s head.

A scene takes place in real time (at this moment), with a setting and a specific location, it will contain some kind of action, something that happens. What does this have to do with showing instead of telling?
Everything.
See the examples below. The senses are there pulling you into the scene.

An example of showing from A Cursed Heart by Keelia Greer:

This vision was different. No longer watching from a distance, she experienced his pain and anguish. Her muscles tensed, her fingers curled into fists against the consuming weight of the man’s suffering. His anguish bubbled over, scalding her in a hot wash.
“Come to me. With all speed...”
The words were rough, raspy and urgent. They echoed and repeated in Tani’s mind. His deep voice surrounded her in the vision, but what spoke to her soul were his eyes. She gasped and shivered from the intensity of his gaze.
She tried to move but could not. Tears slid down her cheeks at her inability to help him. Her training as Druidess had not prepared her for visions such as this—with all of her senses engaged, the feeling in all areas of her being heightened and magnified.

Another example of showing from Wicked Temptations from Tambra Kendall:

Wicked Temptations
Scotland, present day

The overhead doorbell jangled as Laria MacCleod arranged the last batch of shortbread in the display case.
“Welcome to Wicked Temptations,” she called. Laria lifted her head and the bon-bon in her hand slipped through her fingers to splat on the plate when she spied Mr. Yummy making his way to the counter. She’d seen him around the village, and bugger, he was even better looking up close. Thrice she’d dreamed of him and found the real man was definitely more delicious.
He stood at least six foot one, with sun-kissed blonde hair that brushed his collar, and blue eyes the color of Loch Awe on a sunny day. He reminded her of a Norse god. A shiver of anticipation shimmied to her core at the thought of what she’d like to sample on this man. His aura and presence affected her like no other. She took a deep breath to refocus, to still the attraction she felt for this stranger.
She closed the sliding window and wiped the crumbs from her hands on her apron. She resisted the urge to pluck her damp shirt away from her body. I’m probably a mucky mess. Just my luck.
“May I help you?” she asked as she kept watch on the village’s two gossipy crones, Agatha and Clara, in the corner.
“I’m looking for Laria MacCleod.” He pulled an envelope from his pocket.
Prickles of unease danced a Highland reel up and down her spine. Something wasn’t right. “Aye, I’m Laria.”
“This is for you, lass.” The embossed crest in the upper left hand corner caught her attention. Brighid’s Fire! Hamish Wallace. Would the man never leave her alone? Her creed, if it harm none, do what you will, she always obeyed. Hamish pushed her to her limit.
“I’ve been told this is a final offer from Wallace on your building and property.”
Her hand trembled, rattling the packet. Anger flared, heating her cheeks. “Would you give Hamish a message?”
The Viking Warrior crossed his arms and raised a tawny brow. “Aye, lass.”
“Tell that son-of-a-bitch cur he can go straight to bloody hell! I’m not selling.”
A devilish half-smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. “Hamish isn’t my client, although I currently have the misfortune of working in his solicitor’s office. It would give me great pleasure to deliver your message.”

Now for an example of telling:

She watched the man from the corner of the room and decided he was dangerous. Gathering her purse, she left as quickly as possible.

When reading the example you feel distanced. Ambiguous words also give an unclear picture of what is going on. The key words are she watched and decided. There is no description or verbs that show action in this sentence.

Showing takes more words than telling. Adding sensory details and action to show the emotion the character is feeling.

Rewritten passage of telling into showing:

She pinned her gaze on the man in the dark corner of the shabby bar. A shiver of fear ran through her as the man shifted into the pale light of a lone light bulb dangling from the ceiling. Lifting his arm, the leather jacket parted showing the handle of a large caliber handgun.

Trouble she didn’t want or need.

Gathering her purse, she slid out of the lumpy booth and headed for the door. Icy cold sweat ran down her back. She wouldn’t breathe easy until she crossed the state line. This place reeked of stale cigarettes, body odor and death.

Learning how to show puts the reader into the story, let’s them experience the story as they read.

Once you learn how to utilize this area of writing, you’ll see a difference in your work.

I hope you find this blog post helpful.

Hugs,
Tambra
Out March 26: Cowboy of the Night
Out March 25: A Cursed Heart (Keelia Greer)
Both titles from Red Rose Publishing
www.redrosepublishing.com

Read an E-Book Week!

In case you didn’t already know, read an E-book Week is going on March 8-14, 2009. As the proud owner of a Sony Reader 505, I can’t rave enough to people how wonderful having one is. I take my baby everywhere. To the beach, to the mechanic, to the doctor's office, anywhere they allow reading. My favorite place to take it is to the nail salon. Whenever I get a pedicure, I lean back and get an hour of uninterrupted reading time, which in my life, is a rare thing indeed. Romance covers don't necessarily embarrass me, but when I'm reading books of an erotic nature , I'm glad no one is staring at the cover and asking me questions. ;)

The top five reasons why I love my eReader:
1. E-books are delivered instantaneously, right to my reader without shipping costs or waiting.
2. Portability: I can carry a 100+ book library with me wherever I go.
3. eInk Technology makes reading easy on the eyes.

4. It’s good for the environment.
5. E-books promote reading within all generations.

The eInk Technology that Sony and the Kindle use are amazing and I can't wait to see what the future holds for the industry. I know there's a debate whether the Kindle or Sony is better and I don't think there will ever be a definitive answer. I think it comes down to what qualities you're looking for and that's going to be a personal decision. You don't have to own an eReader to read E-books however. All E-books are available in PDF format so you can also read them right from your computer or in some cases from your phone (I believe the iPhone? but don't quote me). If you haven't tried reading an E-book, what are you waiting for!

Last Week's Comments Prize Winner!

Housemouse88, come on down! You're the winner of last week's comments drawing. Just drop me an email at starmuse23@gmail.com.com and we'll get you set up to receive your prize!

Congrats!!!!

Networking: A Writer's Lifeline

One of the first things I learned when I took my first steps into the writing world was networking.

When funds allow I go to workshops put on by either my local (Romance Writers of America-RWA) RWA chapters or attend RWA's National Conference.

Through the years I've made a point to know people in all writing genres. I started out writing articles and children's stories since I was working full time and had kids at home.

I've passed out business cards and cover flats of my book covers at restaurants, book stores, grocery store and the doctor's office. Today I gave a business card to the guy that waited on me at the credit union. I surprised him when I said 10% of romance readers are men. Even if he passes my card to someone else my name is getting out there.

Networking with writers, editors and agents is vital. Read blogs and comment where these industry professionals share their knowledge. Let's not forget this important piece of information: The editor or agent you piss of today could the one you'll submit to in the future. Believe it when I tell you the publishing industry is small. Word gets around.

If you're network of connections to authors, agents and editors is small extend it. Promote yourself. You never know, a great opportunity could be the next person you meet or speak with. Networking is a writer's lifeline.

Tambra
Out later this month: Cowboy of the Night from Red Rose Publishing

S-E-X, Lies and Red Hot Romance

Romance authors take an awful lot of flack from other authors who refuse to consider genre fiction real literature. Most who make such charges have never read a romance, much less tried to create one. Which is fine, if you ask me. That makes one less writer I have to wrestle to the bottom of the slush pile!

The way I see it, if those who spin love stories write them in such a way as to make the story telling appear effortless, then job well done. Our words have vanished in the successful creation of story.

What really yanks my chain is romance authors who give *other* romance authors flack for their choice of niche. Yes, I'm going into a rant about erotic romance, because I want to make something perfectly clear. I was making a good career in writing nonfiction before I turned to fiction. And you know what? When it came to creating good fiction, I sucked.

In my quest to learn how to weave a better story, I turned to romance. In the process of learning, I fell in love writing on the steamier side the genre, and have no plans to change that.

For me, love is the ultimate alchemy. What could be more miraculous than two persons and their lives forever changed by the chemistry that burns between them? For the stories I want to tell, checking that chemistry at the bedroom door simply leaves my muse cold. Face it. People have sex. Sex truly makes the world go around, and without that physical expression of love, desire, attraction, the world would die.

It. Would. Die.

In the future, instead of apologizing to my family and my more mainstream author friends for the content of my stories, I'm going to defend my honor. I didn't sell out to write hot. I didn't learn how to write great sex (trust me when I say its much harder than it appears) simply to make a sale.

I chose to write hot because more and more I was reading hot.

The way I see it, I'm writing grown up romance for grown up girls. I'm not a blushing virgin anymore and neither are the readers I want to reach. My stories are romantic fantasies, meant to titillate while telling a kick ass, adult story.

If writing steamy stories brings me accusations that I'm prostituting my craft, then then trust me when I say I'm laughing all the way to the bank.

Sex sells, baby.

*reminder* Today is drawing day at Writers Gone Wild. If you haven't already left a comment this week, be sure to do so, because that's where we draw our winners from!*****

Creativity Boosters for Writers

CREATIVITY BOOSTERS FOR WRITERS
By
Tambra Kendall © 2006-2009

This topic comes from one of my online creative writing classes.
So here we go...

Creativity Boosting methods to excite your Muse!


WHAT CAUSES YOUR MUSE TO SNOOZE?

With the stresses of day-to-day life taking its toll on a person physically, mentally and emotionally there’s no doubt the muse is off to hide.

When you’re exhausted in all areas of your life, how can you write? You can’t. If you push you’re either not going to like what you’ve put down, or the frustration will make things worse.

I know once you’ve contracted with a publisher, you must deliver. You have no time for writer’s block. But what happens if it does come and rest like a brick on your brain?

Knowing the source of what is causing the muse to take a hike can be the first step to getting all under control.

Physical: If there’s a physical problem hindering you, go to the doctor. Nagging pains, blurry vision etc., can signal something bigger. Having physical aggravations reduce your capacity to concentrate.
I speak from experience. I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue so I must adjust my schedule and writing activities accordingly. This is a neuro-muscular disorder, in the same class as MS, so I never know what condition my muse will be in from one day to the next. It makes every day a surprise.

Consider your writing area. Is it comfortable? Do you need adjustments to your chair, a footrest to ease back stress or a change of table height so your arms are less stressed? Is the lighting too bright or not bright enough?

Many office supply stores can assist with these areas. If you have a spouse or significant other, they could assist in this area.

If the area you’re writing in doesn’t make you happy it will affect your attitude before you sit down and put words on the page. For example, in my writing room, I write paranormal romance so I have a small stuffed dragon and unicorn on my CPU. On the top of my monitor, I have two stuffed bears and two stuffed rabbits. Also, one large poster of a hunky guy with no shirt on and a caption that reads: All Men Are Not Created Equal.

I’m not talking about spending a lot of money, just surrounding yourself with things that make you happy. I know this is sounds trivial but it does have an impact.

The goal here is to remove as much stress as possible to open yourself up to the creative flow and energy needed to create.

Emotional: I think this area is the most difficult. Family, jobs and friends all vie for a piece of you and your time. When can you find the time or energy to write? By doing for others, but not ourselves, our creativity is blocked by the guilt people rain upon us. Taking the time you need to recharge yourself, will make you happier and in turn productive.

Learning to say no is tricky. Those who really care about you will make an effort to understand that you must limit your activities and adjust focus. You must choose what is important and how you need to manage your time.

As writers, we tap into ourselves to bring forth a wide array of emotions in creating our characters and plot. If your emotional tank is dry, how can you dip into something that isn’t there.

Don’t heap criticism upon an already tender, bruised creative self because you didn’t do this or that. It’s okay to take a day or two to replenish and nurture yourself. I think as women, we are especially bad about not caring for ourselves like we should.

Suggestions/Assignment (Should you choose to accept)

If you haven’t tried one of these, then that is your assignment if you chose to accept.

* When writing in a genre, I read in one that is different than what I’m currently in. This will keep you from accidentally taking something from another author and will give your mind something fresh to ingest.

* Try or do something creative that isn’t writing. Paint, knit, crochet, garden etc.

* Walk a nature trail. Take a notebook to jot down anything that appeals to your senses. You can use the notes later in your work.

* Try a new recipe. I write Scottish/Celtic themed stories. I make a tasty shortbread and shepherd’s pie. This also gave me a wonderful excuse to buy a bottle of Drambuie. Hey, if my hero was going to have some, shouldn’t I know what it tastes like? Drambuie in coffee is good. (No haggis! I must draw the line somewhere. LOL)

I hope some of these ideas will prove helpful in your writing life.

What suggestions do any of you have that I haven't posted?
I'm looking forward to your posts.

Hugs,
Tambra