Music on Author Websites?

At a friend's suggestion, I visited a new author's website last week and was immediately blasted by loud, obnoxious music. And it wasn't her myspace page b/c I wouldn't have minded it there and would have even expected it. This was her regular website, on the home page. Since I was at work *ahem* I immediately clicked off w/out bothering with the volume and I haven't gone back. I mentioned it in a brief tweet that I don't like music on writer's websites (I didn't mention the author's name) and received a lot of comments mirroring the same opinion. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I totally hate music on a website, I just want the option to press play or not. I don't want to be blasted with tunes before the home page has even downloaded. Give me a choice people.


Other than that, I don't have a lot of pet peeves as far as websites go. I do love it when an author has a downloadable Word or Excel list of all their books and ISBN numbers, etc. This is especially helpful when looking up a backlist. For the most part though, I'm just glad when my fave authors have websites. Linda Howard, I know you're not reading this, but if you were, I really wish you had a website (and not the one through Random House which isn't up to date)! Actually, it's probably good she doesn't b/c I'd spend even more time procrastinating as I stalked her...um, I can't think of another word other than stalked so I'm just gonna leave it at that ;)


What about ya'll? Is there anything you love or hate in an author's website?

Cover love

Madison Scott for Writers Gone Wild.....


I've always been cover obsessed. Even before I was published I would browse the bookstore adoring all the covers. I've found many of my favorite authors because of an attractive cover. I think covers can make or break a book. Of course you always have your loyal readers who know your work and will buy anything you write, but I think the first key to attracting a new reader is a good cover which makes it kind of hard on us authors since we don't always have a lot of say in our covers. Most of the time if I reader doesn't know an author, it's the cover that will make them pick up your book and read the blurb. Yes, the blurb will sell the book, but the cover helps attract them to the book. Of course, this is just how I see it because it's how a lot of the time I shop for books. It makes me sad because the old saying 'Don't judge a book by it's cover' is so true. You can't judge it by the cover, but I think we're all guilty of it from time to time.



So, you might be wondering what brought up all this cover talk? I just received the cover for Bliss, book two in the Malone Brothers series. I am SO happy with it. Anne Caine has been my fabulous cover artist for both Satisfy Me and Bliss. I love the theme with the trees and water in the background. These books take place in a small Southern Oregon two of Last Chance and all the Malone brothers are outdoorsy men. You can see that from the cover.

Is it the cover that draws you to a book if you don't know the author? Are there certain themes you like or don't like in a cover?

Holding out for a Hero. Or not.

Heroes.

*insert big girlie sigh*

Ya gotta love them. Or, at least we'd better love them if we're going to make the comittment to follow a story to happily ever after.

Romance just wouldn't be romance without those luscious, larger than life heroes a heroine can't help but fall for. The trend toward romantic heroes is alpha, the alpha-er the better.

But where does alpha end and royal arse-hole-ism begin? When does intense become downright overbearing?

Recently I read a romance where the hero was uber alpha.

He was also a jerk.

Granted, he had a tortured past and a world of emotional baggage when it came to healthy relationships, but you know what? He was still a jerk. And not in a good way. That the heroine let him treat her the way he did, and still slept with him time and time again shoved her firmly into the realm of too stupid to live.

I didn't finish that book. But that story did get me to wondering about deal breakers as far as heroes are concerned. When is alpha too alpha? Does being a man's man infer that a he must also be rude, overbearing, sarcastic, and a woman hater?

Jerks are deal breakers for me.

What are your deal breakers for heroes? Do you have a line where tortured angst ends and arse-hole-ism begins?

Inquiring wild women want to know!

Since I wrote about heroes, I figured you wouldn't mind if I resorted a bit 'o beefcake to kick off your weekend. :) This guy was my inspiration for my muse, Dante, in Muse Struck, my serial novel/free read available at Textnovel.

Couldn't you just drown in his eyes? ::le purr::

Lessons from your significant other

LESSONS FROM YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER by Maree Anderson for Writers Gone Wild

Here's five important tips for a woman:

It is important that a man helps you around the house and has a job.
It is important that a man makes you laugh.
It is important that a man is someone can count on and who doesn’t lie to you.
It is important that a man loves you and spoils you.
It is important that these four men don’t know each other.

Riiiight. LOL!

Seriously, though, there are certain important things that we women look for in our menfolk. Heck I even know some women who have a "list" and it's a deal-breaker if a potential partner doesn't tick all the boxes. This list can include anything from the type of job he has, how much money he earns, whether or not he's previously been married or in a long-term relationship, right down to physical characteristics.

I never had a list. And for me the most important thing about my DH wasn't something I'd even think of putting on a list.

He taught me that when you love someone, it's okay to be apart from them..... It's okay to do things on your own.

Sound weird? Well, I'll endeavor to explain.

I used to hate being alone. I didn't know what to do with myself if my flatmates went out and left me alone in the house. Going to a party on my own? You gotta be kidding me! I didn't know how to be by myself, on my own. It made me very very discomfited.

My first marriage didn't last very long. Among other things, my husband used to take off for weekends and only tell me at the last minute. So when I first met and married my DH, it's not surprising that I thought being in love meant spending every moment together, doing everything together, sharing absolutely everything.

If he wanted to stay after work for drinks, then I wanted to meet up with him. If he wanted to go for a wander round the shops at lunchtime, then I wanted to accompany him. If he wanted to go to the gym early in the morning before work, then I'd go too -- not that I wanted to, of course. Heck, I even took up jogging so I could go for runs with him, even though I used to get the most terrible ear-aches and feel totally wretched! Because that's what people in love do... isn't it? That's why a woman will go to a sports match with her man, even when she has no interest in the sport. That's why a guy will go to Mama Mia with his wife and his wife's mom, even though he personally can't stand Abba and thinks musicals suck.

Then, when I had my kids and took on the job of stay-at-home mom, I learned that being with someone you love every minute of the day is not necessarily a good thing. It seemed like I never had a moment to myself. And snatching time alone with my DH was like Mission Impossible. A night away from the kids had to be planned with military precision weeks -- if not months! -- in advance.

And boy, did I ever envy my DH his so-called freedom. He could go to the gym at lunchtime, wander round the shops at a whim, stay after work for drinks--even when he had to work late it seemed like treat to me!

I gotta mention here, that my DH would have been more than happy for me to get a sitter for the kids and go out and do whatever I felt like doing. But I used the kids as an excuse to not have to do things on my own. For example, I really wanted to take up dancing again--DH and I first met at a dance class--but he wasn't really interested so for a long time, I never took it any further. How could I possibly want to go to dance classes when he didn't want to come with me? How could I possibly enjoy dancing if he wasn't there to partner me? We're a couple. We're supposed to do everything together!

It's taken a while, but with DH's gentle encouragement, I've struck out on my own. Fronting up for that first Ceroc dance class by myself was big-time nerve-wracking. And going to a dance party on my own was really quite terrifying the first time. But now it's a regular Thursday night occurence for me to head off to Ceroc classes, dance my socks off, and go out for a snack with a bunch of friends afterward. I even have a couple of male friends I can call up to escort me to Ceroc functions, if I don't feel like driving at night on my own.

I now go to the annual RWNZ conferences and stay over for 2 or 3 nights, even though I only live ten minutes away from the venue. I even went overseas for the first time on my own, when I attended the RomAus conference in Brisbane, Australia, earlier this year. I'd never have been up to that a few years ago -- never would have even considered it unless DH and the kids came, too.

Funny thing is that all this alone time has made the together time even sweeter. DH trusts me implicitly. And vice versa. He knows that when I'm off doing my own thing, he's the one I come back to. And vice versa.

So for me, learning to do things on my own was something my DH had to teach me. Which is just as well, because being a full-time writer ain't exactly social, LOL. And I really don't think I'd be able to cope with being a writer at all if I wasn't happy being on my own for long stretches.

How about your significant other? What's the most important thing he or she has ever taught you?

And when you figure it out, make sure you give them a hug and thank them.

:-)

Maree

Craft, Writing & The Bigger Picture

I read this article the other day courtesy of someone at Romance Divas pointing it out. Can't remember who, but I bookmarked the article b/c I thought it was interesting. Basically the article ripped apart Dan Brown's latest release, The Lost Symbol, (I haven't read it) by picking out 20 awkward sentences and some other issues they felt were problems with Dan Brown's writing style. Since Brown is such a huge success he's obviously a bigger target, which might explain the childishness of the article. On one hand, I kind of understand where the author of the article was coming from. It seemed like they were wondering why such a well-known, successful author can break all 'the rules' and other can't. And I think that's where this person missed the point.

Craft is obviously important and as a writer, I hope my craft strengthens with each book I write. That being said, telling a great story is important too. I think sometimes newer writers tend to forget that. Yes, correct grammar, spelling, consistent POV, etc. are all very important when crafting a story, but don't forget the actual story. If you do, it's possible that you'll end up with a beautifully polished novel that lacks any spark. Two of my favorite authors, Nora Roberts & Allison Brennan, break all sorts of 'rules', but if I wasn't a writer, I honestly wouldn't notice. I was a reader long before I was a writer and they're two of my favorite authors because of their voice and because of the amazing stories they weave.

So, if you're a new writer, definitely hone your craft and polish your grammar and write the best story you can. Just don't lose your voice or lose sight of the bigger picture. Readers want to be entertained and lose themselves in a story for a little while. They don't care about 'the rules' nearly as much as writers do.

What kind of girl are you?

Madison Scott for Writers Gone Wild.....

A friend of mine sent out a few hottie pictures the other day. I was studying them (for research purposes of course!) and it's funny, with all those hard, sculpted abs, tight backsides, chiseled jaws, and penetrating eyes, I always notice one thing...the hands. I don't know what it is about a sexy pair of work-roughened hands that gets my motor running. I love strong hands, veins, and yes, callouses. Might have something to do with the fact that my hubby is a working man. He's got those rough, I've-been-working-hard-all-day-but-I-like-nothing-more-than-to-come-home-and-be-gentle-with-you hands. *Sigh* gets me all mushy inside just thinking about it.

Being as they're an extension of the hand, I'm a big forearm girl too. How in the hell forearms can be so sexy, I don't know, but to me, they are.

I was chatting with another writer friend recently and we were talking about the men we write in our books. I noticed that I almost always write dark haired men. I pretty much have to make myself write a blond hero every now and again.

So, I'm a hand, forearm, dark-hair kind of girl. What's your favorite body part on a man (get your mind out of the gutter. LOL). Also, do you usually write a hero with specific characteristics i.e hair color or eye color?

Paranormal Romance: Love with Bite

Most of you know I write paranormal romance. Celtic mythology plays a huge part in my work and creatures of the night.

Vampires. Shifters. Gods and Goddesses.
Using the supernatural adds so much more action and possibilities to my stories. I love that extra added element of danger.

Reading paranormal romance by other authors gives my muses (yeah, I have two! One male and one female) a chance to relax and enjoy the world another author has created. It helps rejuvenate my own writing at the same time.

With our world in chaos, it's wonderful to lose yourself in a good romance. I read romance because it makes me feel good. I want that happily ever after!

Here are a few paranormal authors that inspire me:
Sherrilyn Kenyon, Angela Knight, Deidre Knight, Kerrelyn Sparks, Kimberly Raye and Nina Bangs.
I also love romantic suspense and these authors are my auto-buys: Amanda Stevens and Colleen Thompson.

If I can create a hero that makes the reader wish she had a guy like him, or makes her look at her spouse and want to jump his bones than I feel good. I want my readers to come away with feeling like my characters are new friends and they'll be coming back to visit soon.

I'm thrilled readers still love paranormal romance. Who doesn't want their romance with a little extra bite?

My latest release features a vampire hero and heroine.
Blurb:
Morgan Remington is forced back in time by The Vampiric Council of Darkness. The Hunter, a vampire exterminator, follows Morgan intent on killing him. Adara Galbraith is from the future, sent to 1880’s Texas to stop The Hunter who hides a deadly secret. Adara and Morgan discover the passion of a lifetime, but will they live long enough to enjoy it?

Cowboy of the Night is a recommended read. I hope you'll let me know what you think of my vampires and their world.

Hugs,
Tambra
Click here to check out or purchase Cowboy of the Night

The Down and Dirty of it...

Some days, it sucked to be a Muse. Today being one of them...

Those lines look simple enough. I like them. They say plenty about the POV character and establish the tone of the book. They also define the hero's voice at the beginning of my "live" work in progress at textnovel, Muse Struck.

But cripes, what I went through to get the beginning of that book right. That's one of the problems with writing a book "live" online, as is the case with the serial novels in progress at Textnovel, a site that's very much like American Idol for writers.

But I'm not a first draft writer. My first drafts are as dirty as they come. And no, I'm not talking about sex scenes when I say that. :)

Seems I have a love/hate relationship with beginnings. I adore that bright, shiny, new penny feel of new projects when the idea stream runs fast and furious. What I hate is getting deep enough in new books to realize that my beginning isn't really the beginning at all, as was the case with Muse Struck.

While the original opening scene carried its weight to build character and set up a subplot, it didn't do enough in the world building dapartment. But I didn't realize that until my muse hero, Dante Erato, showed on the scene. As Dante interacted with my heroine, a down on her luck photographer, I got to wondering, why Dante, and why now?

Which led to another scene, the one that set Dante's journey with the heroine into motion. Seems Dante has to fall in love. Fast. Or else Gaia's gonna be pissed. That's also the scene that became the beginning of Muse Struck,albeit some 20,000 words after the original beginning.

And yeah, I'm happy with the new opening. But I'm not happy with the hours of paralyzing headbanging I went through trying to get it right the first time. I'm coming to realize if I spend hours looking for that perfect opening, the ideal word, the right image, then I'm just going to end up paralyzed.

Sometimes, the only answer to moving forward is BIKHOK--butt in chair, hands on keyboard. It also explains why I hung this post today instead of yesterday. I was doing just that all day Thursday and forgot what day of the week it was. :)


***BTW, if you're so inclined, or, you're just curious about how one goes about writing a novel "live", go to textnovel, register as a "reader", and look up Muse Struck and Surrender the Night.

If you like what you see, I'd love it if you gave me your "thumbs up" vote, or even decided to follow my stories. Right now I have two stories in the top ten, which puts me in line for a contract with Dorchester Publishing.

I'll be blogging next week with the uber talentedText Novel Divas, so be sure to stop on by and check it out the digital serial novel craze that has already swept Japan and is fast headed for the states.

There will be lots of sexy, free romance novels, novel critiques, edits, and bounty being given away over there in coming weeks. You don't want to miss that!

What's pinned to your noticeboard?

What's pinned to your noticeboard?
By Maree Anderson, for Writers Gone Wild

I was gazing round my office, desperate for some inspiration as to what the heck this post was gonna be about, when my gaze lit on my noticeboard.

Pinned to it are the usual school and sports club notices, hairstylist appointment cards, and orthodontist appointment reminders (those last being for my daughter to have her braces -- or "smile enhancers" as we like to call them -- periodically checked and adjusted).

But all that paraphernalia only takes up a small portion of the board. What fills up my noticeboard is all the scraps of paper on which I've scrawled phrases that speak to me. These can be quotes, snatches of song lyrics, lines spoken by characters in TV shows or films, snippets from books that have jumped out and grabbed me by the throat, and even some emails that I've been sent and felt compelled to print out.

There's no rhyme nor reason to what I've written down and stuck on my noticeboard. I have no idea why these particular words imprinted themselves on my brain and insisted that I stop whatever I was doing, and quickly grab a pen and paper to record them. All I know is that at the time, they meant something to me and so I've kept them. And one of these snippets actually sparked an entire book!

So I thought it'd be interesting to share some of them with you.

And I'd like to invite you to share some of the gems from your own noticeboard. Or fridge. Or notebook. Or whatever!

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Firefly
(This is the theme song for Joss Whedon's TV series of the same name. Serenity is the name of the lead character's spaceship.)

Take my love, take my land, take me where I cannot stand.
I don't care I'm still free, you can't take the sky from me.
Take me out to the black, tell them I ain't coming back.
Burn the land and boils the sea, you can't take the sky from me....
There's no place I can be,
Since I found Serenity, you can't take the sky from me.

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Animate darkness, an incorporeal stain.

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Clarence Darrow:

I've never killed a man, but I've read many obituaries with great pleasure.

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Abraham Lincoln:

He compresses the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know.

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Absolutely platinum with grief.

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We became friends, we became lovers, then we simply became.

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From a Birthday card given to me on my 40th birthday:

If you can dream it, you can do it!

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Jean Baudrillard (The Economist, March 17th, 2007)

...a lone man jogging, oblivious to his surrounding, hearing only the music of his own sound-system and aware only of the statements he himself was making: health, fashion, endurance. He was running straight ahead, but with no end in view.

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Moses Hadas:

Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it.

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Everything is as it is. Everything is as it must be...this moment.

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(I think this might be from a J.D. Robb book?)

The sulky stink of death...

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Alice In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

"Begin at the beginning," the King said, gravely, "And go till you come to the end, then stop."

(I reckon this is also the best advice on how to write a book that you could ever give to an aspiring writer!)

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One pain can not outweigh another; no pain can balance out another. In the end, all pain stands alone.

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Richard M. Devos:

The only thing that stands between a woman and what she wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible.

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Infidelity Rules (The Economist, 31st March, 2007)

Americans do it guiltily,
Russians casually,
Africans lethally,
And the French, habitually.

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Terrible wounds can be inflicted and the entire course of a life changed - by doing nothing.

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Life is all about ass;
You're either covering it,
laughing it off,
kicking it,
kissing it,
trying to get a piece of it,
or behaving like one.

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Heroic Qualities (from an email sent to the RWNZ loop by Gracie Stanners)

A hero must be:
Brave enough to face the danger,
Creative enough to solve the conflicts that arise,
Driven enough to keep going against all odds,
Patient enough to keep his cool,
Friendly enough to attract the heroine,
Vulnerable enough to allow his human side to be seen,
Flexible enough to change direction when necessary,
Caring enough to think of the little important things,
Smart enough to make good decisions,
And desperate enough to do ANYTHING to get the girl.

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Doris Lessing:

Remember that authors are important. It does no harm to repeat as often as you can: "without me the literary industry would not exist. The publishers, the agents, the sub-agents, the accountants, the libel lawyers, the departments of literature, the professors, the theses, the books of criticism, the reviewers, the book pages -- all this vast and proliferating edifice is because of the small, patronised, put-down and under-paid person."

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From the website: Romantic Lyrics (Author unknown)

From every human being there rises a light that reachers straight to heaven. And when two souls that are destined to be together find each other, their streams of light flow together and a single, brighter light goes forth from their united being.

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And finally, I'll leave you with a poem that my husband emailed to me. (And just so the title makes more sense, Russell Flint is an artist.)

A Russell Flint by John Betjeman

I could not speak for amazement at your beauty
As you came down the Garrick stair,
Grey-green eyes like the turbulent Atlantic
And floppy schoolgirl hair.

I could see you in a Sussex teashop,
Dressed in peasant weave and brogues,
Turning over, as firelight shone on brassware,
Last year's tea-stained Vogues.

I could see you as a large-eyed student,
Frowning as you tried to learn,
Or, head flung back, the confident girl prefect,
Thrillingly kind and stern.

I could not speak for amazement at your beauty;
Yet when you spoke to me,
You were calm and gentle as a rock pool
Waiting, warm, for the sea.

Wave on wave, I plunged in them to meet you -
In wave on wave I drown;
Calm rock pool, on the shore of my security
Hold me when the tide goes down.

:-)
Maree

Small Things Matter

Yesterday I came home from my day job tired, cranky, and ready to jump on the computer and get some writing done. I threw my purse on the kitchen table and immediately made a beeline for the bedroom to change into my comfy 'writing' clothes. I'll admit, sometimes I have a one track mind and all I wanted to do was put some distance between myself and my crappy day. That is, until I saw my husband's face. He was just laying on the bed, listening to me rant and despite his tendency to sometimes be well, a guy, he's a really good listener. So, instead of rushing off to my writer cave I laid down next to him and we just chatted for the next twenty minutes about our day, our stresses, and life in general and it was incredibly rejuvenating. Life is always so go-go-go and even though I'm usually pretty good about keeping connected, I'll occasionally run around with blinders on and forget that I have a wonderful partner who always has my back and is there to listen to me.


In romance novels, I love the small gestures and little things that the hero or heroine do for each other along the way that builds their relationship. Grand gestures are great if the h/h has been a jerk and needs to make up for something, but it's the small stuff that matters and it's the small stuff that keeps the couple (and the reader) connected. I just finished reading Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs (which I freaking loved!) and even though Anna and Charles are now married, they're still getting to know each other. In the first book, their wolf side recognized that they were mates before their human side did, so even though they love each other, things are still new and they're both feeling around in the dark as far as relationship stuff goes. Before they got together she was brutalized by her former pack so he does things like sleep with clothing on instead of naked, because it makes her more comfortable. Is it a big deal? No. But combined with all the other little things he does, it's a building block of what makes their relationship 'real' (and it's why I'm a new fan of Patricia Briggs).


Who are your favorite couples in romance land and why? What are the small things your favorite couples in romance have done for each other?

Coming to the end....

Madison Scott for Writers Gone Wild.

I've always been fond of reading series. I love the chance to see characters from a previous book or to continue their story throughout multiple books. It's like I get a second chance to re-visit old friends. I get to check in and see how their life is going. That may sound funny, but one of the signs of a really good book to me is one where I feel like the heroine is or could be my friend. Even if we're different, if by the end of the book, I've bonded like that with her, then I'm sold.

When I started writing I knew I also wanted to write a series. The first book I ever sold, Getting Lucky with Luciano was the first in a series. Well, now I'm working on the last book. As you can probably tell from my series of "why the heck can't I finish this book" posts lately that I'm really struggling with it. I think part of the reason is because I know I will never "see" these girls again. I wanted this series to really center on the relationship between the three girlfriends. Of course they're all romance, and each book tells one girls story but they all play important rolls in each book. These girls are sisters. They would do anything for each other. They laugh, they cry, they'd give each other an earful of need be but it would always be out of love.

I think I'm having a hard time leaving that behind. I know I have to. I know it's time. Their stories are all being told and they will all have their HEA, but I feel like I'm losing three girlfriends. I'm going to miss my girls nights out that they share every Friday. I will miss Bri's smart aleck attitude and Tabby's heart on her sleeve. I'll miss Kaylee's seriousness and responsible nature. She's the one who reigns in the girls when need be and the most like me. It's sad to know that their stories will all be told and we'll have no more Friday's at Luciano's so I'm procrastinating and I really, really need to stop. LOL.

The really bad part is right after this I will be working on my final book in the Malone Brother's series so I'm probably going to start the process all over again....

Do you have a hard time letting go of a series you're writing? As a reader, is it hard when one of your favorite series comes to an end?

Writing in Multiple Genres

Writing in multiple genres is good and bad.

Good:
I don't get bored.

Bad:
I have lots of projects demanding my attention.

Good:
Well, write faster.

Bad:
All the projects need to be done, now. Okay, it seems that way.

Here it is-I write from sweet to erotic romance. Mostly paranormal.
I've been published in futuristic, contemporary and historical time periods.
I do love having the ability to let the story flow and not worry about when a story takes place.

What some of you might not know is that I started out writing articles and children's stories.

I have a children's story I really need to get finished before the end of the year. This story has the explosive potential to make a great movie and toy items to go with it.

My YA paranormal romance is finished but needs polishing. Unique and totally kicks butt.

To help with my multiple genre dilemma, I'm going to make a chart and plot out the time frame with pertinent information.

My muses, yeah I have two, are prodding me to get my writing schedule in gear and ready for the upcoming new year.

I'll report back how I'm progressing.

Now, news on the teaching front:
I've been in discussion with San Jacinto College in Pasadena, Texas and they liked my proposal for teaching a Novel and Short Story Course in the Spring.

October 2009
October 12-18, 2009 I'll be teaching two workshops for The Muse Online Conference.
Stay tuned because I may be teaching another workshop in October as well on Characterization and plotting.

If your RWA chapter is looking for workshops for 2010 I'm available.

Hugs to all,
Tambra
Cowboy of the Night-Available from Red Rose Publishing
The Erotic Touch in Goin' Down Two-Aspen Mountain Press
A Cursed Heart writing as Keelia Greer-Red Rose Publishing

Rough and Ready. And Beefcake, too.

Yeah, I know, I *said* on twitter I was going to blog about what *not* to write today.

So, I lied. :)

But I'll be sure to do that tomorrow on my other blog, Texting Between the Sheets, so be sure to stop on by.

But today, thanks to my fellow textnovel diva, Saranna DeWylde, I have ink on the brain.

No, not the kind we write with. I'm talking about tats, baby! Even better, tattooed romantic heroes.

Ummm....yeah.

Yum.

But pretty strange, given the fact I once refused to so much as date a man who had a tattoo.



Obviously, something changed. :)

I learned pretty fast that I'm not the kind of writer who can pull off pretty boy heroes. Maybe that's because I emphatically do not want to read about men who could possibly beat me hands down in a beauty contest.

I like my leading men, hard edged, rough, and angsty. Brooding even. Add a Harley, black stallion, black hummer....and a body full of tats?

*le sigh*

For me, there's some sort of mystique surrounding a perfect male specimen who has chosen to scruff up his flesh with a design of his own choosing. A guy who will do that can take some pain, man. He's also not afraid to make a statement, take a stand.

He insists on being himself and buckin authority.

And when a man like that falls?

That's the kind of hero interests me.

Match a guy like that with the right gal and I can pretty much guarantee the trip to forever after is going to be a bumpy one.

What about you? Is there a physical attribute you look for in your heroes? What is it? What does it tell you about the story to ensue?

I really want to know.

That, and this topic was a really great excuse for BEEFCAKE, tattoo style. :)

Recommended Reads

Recommended Reads By Maree Anderson for Writers Gone Wild

Revisions are done and accepted. Now it's a waiting game... and since I'm undecided on which project to start on next--or complete for that matter!--it's a good time to catch up on reading.

Mind you, it's always a good time to catch up on reading ;-)

I've had a couple of good craft books recommended to me lately, which nudged me to pull out some of the keeper craft books I already have on my shelves. Figured it wouldn't hurt to share some of them with you, either.

And I hope that you'll share your faves with me.... Hint hint! 'Coz, yanno, I love any excuse to go and buy more books.


1. Passionate Ink, A Guide To Writing Erotic Romance
by Angela Knight.

Since I'm published in erotic romance, I thought that first up, I'd mention a craft book by my favorite author. The emphasis on writing erotic romance aside, it’s an extremely informative and easy-to-read manual on the writing process from planning and plotting, to dialogue and prose, and right through to contracts, marketing and writing the dreaded synopsis.

It’s relevent (I think!) to any writer who write love scenes. For example in a section entitled Building the Romance within Love Scenes, Ms Knight says:

“Do not treat your love scenes as porn breaks in the middle of the story. This is a problem I see even among mainstream published romance writers. They know their editors expect a love scene somewhere around chapter seven, so they just stick one in. The characters have a mechanical kind of sex that doesn’t really reflect the development of their romance or who they are as people.”

Absolutely. Nothing worse than aho-hum sex scene that doesn't advance the reader's knowledge of the characters in any way, shape, or form. Better left out than in ;-)

And who can resist section titles and chapters like these?

• Action, In and Out of Bed.
• Beyond BIFF and POW – Writing the Perfect Fight Scene.
• (And this, under Dialogue and Prose that Sings) Silver-Tongued Devils.
• And my personal favorite for sheer honesty, Stupid Writer Tricks: Or, How I Spent Twenty Years Shooting Myself in the Foot.

Ms Knight also includes a series of answers provided in response to a reader survey that she sent out. So what do readers want, like, dislike or laugh out loud about, when it comes to erotic romance? For the answers, I'd definitely recommend that you check out this book. You might be surprised!

You can find out more about Passionate Ink by clicking here.


2. The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure For Writers
by Christopher Vogler

Vogler has evaluated more than 10,000 screenplays for major motion picture studios. He’s acted as a story consultant and contributed to such box-office hits as The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. He’s a story exec at 20th Century Fox and he conducts international writing workshops. Okay, so now you get the point that he knows his stuff.

And now you're probably asking, what could a romance writer get out of this book?

She -- or he! -- gets The Hero’s Journey, a concept first articulated by Joseph Campbell. Here it is in a nutshell:

“All stories consist of a few common structural elements found universally in myths, fairy tales, dreams and movies. They are known collectively as The Hero’s Journey."

"Understanding these elements and their use in modern writing is the object of our quest. Used wisely, these ancient tools of the storyteller’s craft still have tremendous power to heal our people and make the world a better place.”

This book takes us on a journey through the stages the Hero (or Heroine–-the terms are completely interchangeable in this particular instance) must overcome in one way or another from the moment his creator first dreams him up and plonks him into the story, until the moment he’s done what he has to do and the story ends. It’s a fascinating journey of twelve stages--also interchangeable to a degree.

And as the piece de resistance, the final section entitled, Demonstration Of The Idea, explains the concept via incredibly detailed analyses of the hero’s journey in some actual blockbuster movies, namely: Titanic, The Lion King, Pulp Fiction, The Full Monty and Star Wars.

Fascinating stuff!


3. On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft
by Stephen King

On Writing is less a ‘here’s how I do it’ and more a commentary on Mr King's journey to becoming (and remaining!) a bestselling author… which of course is what’s so fascinating about it!

Mr King's anecdotes are often hilarious but underlying the funny stuff is a gut-wrenching sense of the struggle and the less-than-stellar moments of his life.

He portrays everything with such stark honesty, that I was moved to tears.

It's a damn good read and I believe that whether or not you're a writer, you'll come away changed in some way by reading it.

You can find out more about On Writing by clicking here.


4. How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author
by Janet Evanovich, with Ina Yalof.

How I Write is a like a comprehensive bible for writers which takes the reader through every aspect of writing, such as: creating great characters, mechanics of writing, structure, revising and editing, getting published and beyond even that, the writer’s life.

It has a breezy Q&A style format, where Ms Evanovich answers questions that she's been asked over the years.

For me, reading this book was almost like being at a writers’ conference and being able to quizz a really inspiring keynote speaker to my heart’s content.

It's a huge bonus that Ms Evanovich uses excerpts from her Stephanie Plum novels in her examples, too. Be warned, you'll laugh out loud when you read these excerpts. And if you haven't yet picked up a Stephanie Plum story, you'll sure as heck want to go find one immediately!

You can find out more about How I Write by clicking here.


5) Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches' Guide to Romance Novels
By Sarah Wendell & Candy Tan

This book is for all smart, intelligent women who’ve felt the fear — i.e. of being caught out in a public place reading a romance novel — and done it anyway. It’s for every woman who reads romance and is forced to defend her reasons for reading what smirking, supercillious nitwits call “chick porn” or “formulaic rubbish”. It’s an unabashed celebration of the best and the worst about romance and all its genres.

Even better, it's damned funny! I read bits of this book aloud to my husband and we both screamed with laughter until tears ran down our faces. “Sheesh!” he spluttered. “They don’t hold back, do they?”

Here's a sample of what to expect from Chapter Petticoat, A Brief History Of The Modern Romance Novel, page 10:

“Some of the misconceptions about romance novels are, unfortunately, all too understandable. Take, for instance, the reputation that they’re all bodice rippers. Just look at the covers they’ve been inflicted with: a woman with quivering mounds one button away from a wardrobe malfunction being held up by a male specimen whose quivering mounds of man titty are even larger and firmer than hers. The woman looks either orgasmic or nauseated — hard to tell sometimes. The man’s face is usually clenched in masculine determination, as if attempting to hold Montezuma’s revenge at bay with limited success. Unfortunate hand or body placements can give the pained expressions new meaning entirely, making us wonder why so many romance novel heroes are being presented as ad hoc proctologists.”

But aside from the obvious humor, Sarah and Candy ask--and provides answers to--some hard questions. Why is it that if the majority of people will never publicly admit they love romance novels, romance continues to be the bestselling fiction genre? Why are mysteries, thrillers, spy novels etc. deemed acceptable reading for intelligent men and women, but readers of romance are sneered at and often denigrated? Why do the Fabio-style “clinch covers” still persist to this day?

Be warned, Beyond Heaving Bosoms is not for the fainthearted. Or for those who will blush at terms such as Magic Hoo Hoo, Wang of Mighty Lovin’, man titty, and the O-face. Not to mention the “f” word, the “c” word, and a few words I’d never even heard of before!

But if you want to be thoroughly entertained as you read up on the “Top Ten Reasons Behind the Creation of a Virgin Widow” or “The Three Most F**ked-Up Things Heroes Have Done and Gotten Away With” or “The Never-Ending Series Featuring Vaguely Homoerotic Spy Rings, Secret Clubs, and Societies Named After Celestial or Diabolical Elements and/or the Copious Progeny of Some Damn Family or Other” then dive right in and get ready to have fun with The Smart Bitches.

Psssst! Did I mention there’s even games?

You can find out more about Beyond Heaving Bosoms by clicking here.


6) Heart & Craft: Bestselling romance writers share their secrets with you
By Valerie Parv

BTW, I'm gonna cheat here, and take this straight from my own website, where I've already mentioned this book. Heart & Craft is billed by its publisher as being: “The ultimate ‘how-to’ book on romance writing written by some of the most successful romance writers in the world and edited the undisputed Queen of Romance Fiction, Valerie Parv.”

Ms Parv has bought together a “dream team” of multi-published and successful romance writers to share insights about their craft. From plotting or writing by the seat of your pants, keeping readers in suspense, packing an emotional punch, to writing dialogue and coping with editing and revisions…. This book has it all.

There’s no “right” way or “wrong” way. There’s just heaps of insights and sharing secrets and “here’s what worked for me!”.

It’s simply brilliant and inspiring and for me, such a huge relief to know that how I write is “okay”. It may not be how others do it, but it’s my process, and it’s still a work in process. Thoroughly recommended!

You can find out more about Heart & Craft by clicking here.

That's it for now. I've got a heap more craft books, but I'll save them for another post.

Looking forward to reading some of your recommendations!

:-)

Maree

What's in your TBR pile?

I almost always check the mailbox as soon as I get home but yesterday my hubby must have been bored b/c the mail was on our kitchen table when I got home. I had two packages waiting, both books. The man rolled his eyes and pointed to ONE of my bookshelves and asked how many books were still waiting to be read and why was I buying more books if I still had books to be read. Now, I rolled my eyes at that one b/c it's a silly question. But, I might concede that he's a little right. I need to put a dent in my tbr pile before I buy another book so my goal this weekend is to of course write, but to spend my free time reading!

My TBR Pile:

• ARC of Sweet Seduction by Maya Banks (which I will be reviewing next Wednesday)
• Hunting Ground - Patricia Briggs
• Set the Dark on Fire - Jill Sorenson
• The Hiding Place - Karen Harper
• Mr. Cavendish I Presume - Julia Quinn
• About 20 SRS, HI, and Nocturne category books that I don't feel like listing
• Lone Survivor - Marcus Lutrell
  
• Chain Reaction - Dee Davis (I'm pretty sure this one is like a year old!)
• A book on the Taliban which I don't have in front of me so I can't remember the name (I like non-fiction too)
• A book on hostage negotiations (for research)
  

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I'm expecting more books by Friday. I just found out that Lisa Marie Rice has another book out with Avon Red so I had to order it...and another one that I can't remember the title of :)


So, what's in your tbr pile?

My muse is MIA

What do you do when your muse won't come out to play? I'm suffering through that big time right now. I have a deadline in November for a novel I am supposed to be working on. I don't know what it is, but I can't make myself write the book. I sit down and try and it takes everything I have inside me to squeeze out two pages. I don't know what it is. Is if the fact that it is the third and final book in a series I'm writing and subconsciously I don't want it to end? Is it the fact that I have another story in my head that just won't be quiet that I want to write, but can't until I finish this one? Or is it just the fact that I'm worn out because I've written my ass off this year? LOL. I don't know the reason but I do know my muse has gone missing and I need to get her back ASAP.

I've tried writing something else, just a quickie to get my motors running again and it didn't work. I give myself a goal to reach daily and sadly...I'm not reaching it. I'm at a loss here, ladies and gents. LOL.

What do you do when you can't find the motivation you need to get done what you need to get done? I need help!

When Real Life Spills Over Into TV

When Real Life Spills Over Into TV
By Maree Anderson

Ack! Is it Thursday again, already? Where did the week go?

And you know those revisions I was talking about last week, I've only just got them to the stage where I can print out the entire novella and check it all for continuity. That is, make sure that the bits I've changed and mucked around with and rewritten, seamlessly fit in with the rest. It's not easy when your muse takes the bit between her fangs and insists on adding in entire scenes just when you think you're done. Are you listening, muse? Please be nicer to me next time, huh?

So, the problem with today is that I have no idea what to write about, because my brain is chock full with Were-Hyenas who have no redeeming qualities whatsover, Were-Lions with sex on the brain, and Felinoid Demons who have phobias about aforementioned Were-creatures. Not a heckuva lot of space left for "real life" at the moment, LOL.

But hey, a topic has just popped into my head -- maybe because the first episode of the second series of True Blood aired just last night. (Yes, I know we're a bit behind in New Zealand.) Maybe because Anna Paquin, the actress who plays Sookie, grew up in New Zealand, which definitely makes her a New Zealander as far as we're concerned ;-). I dunno, but I'm gonna run with it.

Now unless you've been hiding out somewhere with no internet connection and no TV, newspapers or gossip mags, you probably already know that Anna Paquin is engaged to her co-star, Stephen Moyer, who plays Bill to her Sookie. And I still laugh when I remember that scene from the first series when Sookie gives Vampire Bill a hard time about his name and wonders why he wasn't called something more vampiric like Eugene (or whatever the hell name she thought up). Priceless!

Anyway, so little Anna is now engaged to Stephen. "Sookie" and "Bill" are an item on screen and in real life.

Personally, I had a big, “whoa, that’s kinda weird” moment when Anna and Stephen came on screen together for the first time in Series 2, Episode 1. It took me a few minutes to set aside all the media coverage stuff I’d seen about their engagement and get back into them as Sookie and Bill.

And having read the series and therefore knowing what Charlaine Harris had in store for Sookie and the gorgeous, scrumptious, ultra-sexy Eric, makes the whole thing a bit weird, too. (Not hard to guess that I'm a total Eric convert, is it? Sorry Madison!)

So here's the question for discussion:

• Does knowing they're engaged, now color your perception of the scenes between Sookie and Bill?
  

What I mean by this is:

• Does Anna and Stephen's "real life" commitment mean that the make-out scenes between Sookie and Bill are even hotter than previously? Or does it have completely the opposite effect, kinda make them ho-hum.
  

• Does it give an added spice to the scenes where they disagree or fight? Or does it have completely the opposite effect, cause it's now kinda like watching a couple in a stable relationship bickering, which frankly, isn't so exciting.
  

• Does knowing that "Sookie" is now engaged to "Bill", give her subsequent interactions with Eric a truly delicious, even more forbidden edge? Or does it get your back up, give you the feeling that Anna's kinda cheating on Stephen in real life, even though she's not because she's yanno, just acting!
  

And last but definitely not least, I'll leave you with this:










;-)

Maree

Just Say No

What is it about saying no that people have such a problem with? (I'm definitely including myself in this) It's such a tiny word. Two letters. N.O. It should be easier to say than yes, but alas, it is not. When someone is asking for something, they're obviously hoping your answer will be yes. Whether it's to watch their kids, to judge a writing contest, or even something as simple as having lunch with them.


I think as women, we're programmed that saying no is somehow negative or worse, selfish. So, even if we don't want to do something, we'll often say yes but end up resenting it. My sister is the queen of saying yes, then turning around and saying no, and it always stresses her out because then she ends up having to disappoint whoever she originally said yes to. She's not as bad as she used to be, but she'd save herself a lot of headaches if she just said no in the first place.


When writing became more than a 'part-time' thing for me, I found it easier and easier to say no to people. Occasionally I'll have to fight a twinge of guilt that bubbles up, but it pops very quickly. I treat my writing time and family time like 'appointments' in my calendar. They're things that can't be moved or rescheduled and I don't make excuses when I have to say no anymore. Lucky for me, my family is supportive, so if I say no to something because I'm writing, I don't get any grief.


If you're one of those people who says yes to everything, don't be afraid to say no once in a while. Start small and you'll be surprised by how liberating it is. Saying no to people often equates saying yes to yourself. In the long run, saying no will reduce your stress which means you'll be a happier and more productive person. And who doesn't want that?