Critiques: Love 'em, Hate 'em

Good morning, everyone. I'm up exceptionally early for me (not a morning person!) because I'm going to my "other" RWA chapter near Fort Worth, Texas. Just like our new member Pam Stone, I'm a member of Dallas Area Romance Authors (DARA) and North Texas Romance Authors (NTRWA) which meets much farther away from my house.

NTRWA has an annual event called the Roundtable Meeting, in which participants submit ten pages of their manuscript to be critiqued one-on-one by a published author. It's a great program because it allows everyone to have some very valuable face time to explain their opinions and expertise. This year I had a sweet contemporary romance and a western historical to read.

The process of critiquing and being critiqued made me wonder how many of you who are aspiring authors have put your work out there for other writers (published or not) to review? It can be traumatic! At the same time, if you have helpful critique partners, it can also be the difference between selling and not selling.

Let me give you an example. Way back when I first started writing, which I don't even want to think about because then I feel older than my grandchildren make me feel, a group of us who met at a local conference formed a critique group. We all wrote different types of fiction. I was concentrating on historical romance, my friend Becky wrote short contemporary romance, and others wrote literary fiction, mainstream and suspense. Needless to say, we weren't always that helpful to all members of the group! While I enjoyed getting together, I'm not sure their remarks made my historical romance any stronger.

Then, I did what lots of industry-wise people tell us not to do; I paid an agent for a critique. I only paid $35 and only on the recommendation of someone who read my work in a contest, but still . . . I probably wouldn't recommend that anyone else do the same now that I know more about publishing. Despite this warning, I must confess that was the best $35 I ever spent. The agent told me that I was writing plot-driven rather than character-driven fiction, and went on to explain the difference. I was imposing my will on my characters, making them do what I wanted them to do, rather than setting up characters who could move the story along with motivated goals and conflict. Wow! This was a revelation to me. I fixed the problem and sold the book about a month later on proposal.

Last week, my current critique partners pointed out that perhaps I needed more conflict in the proposal I was working on for my last Brody's Crossing book. I had such a strong story for the heroine that I'd kind of forgotten to focus on the conflict between the hero and heroine. Oops!

So, my question for anyone, published or unpublished, is what was the best advice you ever received in a critique?

Have a great day. I'm going to critique, get a free lunch, spend time with my home-away-from-home chapter, and perhaps stop by some stores on the way back to Richardson, TX to see if my books are on the shelf.

Welcome New Harlequin American Authors

I'd like to use my post today to welcome three new people to the Harlequin American family. The first is Pam Stone, who recently sold her first book to the American line. Congrats Pam!



Pam is a member of Dallas Area Romance Writers and describes her book as follows:



Last Resort: Marriage is the first book I've sold. It's a fun, marriage of convenience story set in Marathon Key, Florida. It did very well on the contest circuit. The hero is a down on his luck scuba guide whose boat is dead in the water. The heroine is the manager of one of her grandfather's resorts. These two are opposite in every way, which made for a fun story to write.



Also please welcome Liz Lounsbury and Barbara Daly, a writing duo who have, who will now write books for Harlequin American as Daly Thompson. Liz wrote for Duets and Temptation as Liz Jarrett. She and Barbara Daly critiqued together and decided to join forces. The trilogy they just sold is set in Vermont.

Congrats Liz & Barbara!

You'll be hearing more about these authors soon! And thanks to everyone for posting their comments about the blog. We've got some great ideas and we appreciate your input.Happy Friday, everyone.

Reader suggestions and... a little behind... (and I don’t mean fanny)

I’m reading the reader suggestions with interest and am so glad people are speaking up about what they want. Anyone who hasn’t, feel free to do so. We’re listening!!

Now, on to the behind part...
‘Tis the season to television reruns. Bleh! My husband and I finally watched season one of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. (We’re probably the only Americans who haven’t seen it.) Now I know what jumpstarted interest in all things paranormal.

The series is fresh and intelligently written with just the right mix of scariness and humor. And the chemistry between Buffy and Angel... Well, it is to die for. Pun intended. ☺

A good television series teaches us writers a lot. (So does a good movie.) Done right, the writing is tight and free of lame plot holes. Conflict arises from both situation and character. Characters develop, make mistakes, and grow. We care about them and want to keep tuning in to see what happens to them.

If we’re invested enough, we even weather a bad episode or two. But if the series takes a downturn and the characters behave stupidly for no reason, if the plot suddenly develops big holes, we stop tuning in.

These same things apply to writing a good book. ‘Nuff said.

What TV series do you think are well-written?

Until next time,
Ann Roth
www.annroth.net

Summer Fun?

I'm starting my morning with a deficit--of sleep--and I don't expect it to get better over the next five days. More about that later, but the cause last night was weather related. Because of the frequent thunderstorms we've been having here in landlocked KS, I purchased a storm alert radio, just in case a tornado decides to surprise us with a midnight visit. Early this morning (3 a.m.), the alert started sounding as a large thunderstorm moved over several counties, mine being one of them. Some six hours later, the sky is now a brilliant blue, something we haven't seen much of lately, and I'm hoping our trip to the zoo today will be free of clouds and raindrops. I'd much rather deal with a little sunburn than have to dodge hail...or twisters.

It's been a rough summer weather-wise across the nation. I've heard this is proving to be one of the hottest Junes for several years in some areas of the South. The destruction and devastation in Iowa from the flooding continues to bring me to tears when I see the latest reports, and my prayers go out to those who are having to deal with it as it spreads into other states. While reading the morning news the other day, I found this in our local newspaper:

Preliminary statistics from the National Weather Service show that 172 tornadoes have been reported in Kansas this year -- the most in the nation.
Iowa is next at 134, and Missouri is third at 127.
As of Friday, 1,577 tornadoes had been reported in the U.S. this year. Last year saw 1,093.

Whatever the weather is doing where you live, keep your eye on the sky. As Sgt. Phil Esterhaus used to say on the old TV show, "Hill Street Blues", "Let's be careful out there."

So why will I be more sleep deprived over the next five days? My two oldest daughters and their hubbies left this morning for a canoe trip near Tahlequah, Oklahoma. In the meantime, we (my youngest and I) are hosting a series of sleep-overs for my four grandkids. In other words, we have the pleasure of their company 24/7 until Sunday when moms and dads return. We should be accustomed to this. The kidlets (ages 6, 5, 4 and 10 months) are here during the day five days a week. I expect it to be an interesting week, and hope the 4-year-old grandson doesn't decide to play Indiana Jones again. Last week, while taking on that role, he climbed on top of my car in the driveway and jumped for a tree limb hanging over it. The smaller-than-pencil-size limb wasn't strong enough to hold him, and he landed on the driveway, resulting in a very large bump on his elbow. It could have been worse and is one of several reasons why we keep an extra lock on the door inside to curb his adventurous tendencies. His mom was printing out and signing medical treatment consent forms when she dropped off her three kidlets this morning. I expect it to be an exciting and interesting visit, with short nights and long days, and I hope they all like the penguins better than the lions at the zoo today. :)

My Hero, My Dad

First, I have to say thanks to Jacqueline Diamond for taking her blog day to talk about the Harlequin American blog. We'd love to have input about what you--our readers--would like to see here!

And now...

Romances are all about the heroes and heroines of our books. With Father's Day just behind us, I thought I'd share a memory of my very first hero.

At all of six years old, I'd taken on the first-time responsibility of caring for a pet. Three pets, actually--three little goldfish that swam in a small plastic fishbowl. I watched over these little guys, fed them and, when necessary, filled their bowl with fresh water. To do this, I had to carry the bowl to the laundry room where we had a big iron sink almost as tall as I was. With a long-handled net, I'd transfer the goldfish to a smaller bowl until their bigger home was ready.

One day--you've probably guessed it!--one of the fish got away. He flipped and flopped out of the net and fell into the sink, then promptly slid down the drain. I promptly screamed "Daddy!" as loudly as my lungs would allow.

He came on the run, imagining who knows what deadly accident had happened to me. The fish was long gone, I was in hysterics, but none of that bothered my dad. He quickly figured out the situation and went to work.

On the floor beside the tub was a square metal plate with drainage holes. He lifted the plate and told me to turn on the faucet. I couldn't imagine why he wanted me to do that, but I did it, anyway. Seconds later, water came rushing from the pipe--and the goldfish splish-splashed right into Dad's hands!

I was so amazed at this magical feat, at first I didn't notice that the fish was no longer breathing. I also didn't follow very closely what Dad did next. To this day, all I know is, it involved hot water, cold water, and salt, not necessarily in that order.

A few moments later, the goldfish's fins began to move, then his tail began to twitch and, finally, he shook his entire body like a puppy dog. He swam around and around the goldfish bowl as if he'd never left it.

That's the day I first knew my dad was a hero.


How about you? Have any stories about your hero dad? I'd love to hear them!


All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com

Reader Suggestions

Special thanks to Jacqueline Diamond who kicked off the discussion for this week--what would our readers like to see us authors do with our blog.

It sounds like readers might enjoy seeing a few days a month used for special topics like "Author Interviews", "Craft Discussions" or "Guest Bloggers". Would anyone like to see "links" on this blog that would take them to a list of "favorite recipes" by our authors? Or a list of "cleaning tips"? Or "kiddie crafts" to keep the kids busy on rainy days?

What sorts of discussion topics interest you most? Do you enjoy hearing about authors' travels? Do you like it when authors discuss their individual books/heroine/heroes and what made writing them special or unique?

I hope you'll continue the discussion as we want to make this blog enjoyable for our readers.

Lastly I just want to say (in case we have nurses out there who read this blog) that I have a real appreciation for this special group of women. Two weeks ago my teenage son had major jaw surgery (both upper and lower--everything went amazingly well) and I was so impressed by the nurses who took care of him. Not only were they compassionate but they worked in teams--each nurse double checking the other's work so that nothing slipped by them or escaped their notice. Their compassion and patience in answering all my questions (which I'm sure I asked the same question several times over) was amazing. And each time they left the room they'd always ask not only if my son needed anything but if Mom needed anything, too.

I've always believed nurses like teachers are a special group of people who deserve our gratitude and respect, but I admit that my son's nurses have earned a soft spot in my heart for the care they gave him. And by the way, the four nurses all read romance novels and I jumped at the opportunity to give them copies of my books. I also discovered they had a "bookcase" of romance novels in the cafeteria nurses shared with one another and I was thrilled to donate a couple of bags of "American" books to them.

Hope the summer has gotten off to a great start for all of you--and please keep the discussion going on our blog this week--What can we do to make this blog the very best!

Marin

A Coal Miner's Wife Aug 2008

The Cowboy and the Angel Nov 2008

http://www.marinthomas.com/

Readers: Please Help!

In the year and a half since we Harlequin American authors launched this Internet journal as a way of reaching out to you, we’ve been delighted to share our musings and experiences. However, like people (and the characters we love to read and write about), blogs tend to have life cycles.

With so many blogs exploding across the Internet, we’re wondering whether it’s time for a change. So this week, we’re asking you, our readers, for vital input. Is there anything specific that you’d like to see us write about or try in this space?

Would you like to see more guest bloggers? Occasionally, we can arrange for an editor or agent. We could also invite other authors. What would interest you?

Also, would you prefer that the blog focus more on writing-related topics? These could include craft, such as how to write a synopsis; business, such as what to look for in an agent; or the writer’s life, including how we stave off interruptions. Topic suggestions welcome!

How about interviews once or twice a month (or more often) with Harlequin American authors? You could send in questions for us to answer. I’m sure most of us would be happy to devote entire blogs to reader questions.

We don’t want to compete with the on-line novellas published at eharlequin.com. But perhaps you have a unique proposal for something of this nature that we could write as a group.

Do you like the monthly book giveaways? Does this encourage you to read the blog? Are there any variations (within reason) that you’d like to see?

Please post your responses and we’ll start the dialogue. We’ll do our best to continue the discussion this week so those who don’t read us every day will have a chance to chime in.

I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!!

Do you ever feel like you can't keep up? Like you're stuck on that proverbial hamster wheel with no hope of getting off?? Well, two weeks into summer, when I'm supposed to finally be catching my breath, I'm more behind in my goals than ever! Ugh!! (This pic is of a bulletin board I made for another teacher last fall. The leaves took FOREVER!! )

My new classroom is amazing, but crammed with at least thirty years worth of dust and stuff and junk. In between daily professional development classes and cleaning, I haven't even made a dent in getting the room ready for our August 11th start date. And that's just room prep. I still have to come up with 180+ days of insightful art lesson plans that follow the state standards. Was it really only as month ago that I thought my new job was a dream come true? LOL!!

My laptop broke, and I thought I'd save a few bucks by taking it to a *small guy* for repair. BIG mistake!! Every time I type about fifteen letters, then hit the space bar, the cursor jumps up a few lines. Anyone have a clue what the problem might be? I've tried reinstalling Microsoft Works, but it still doesn't work. I've checked under the keys for Cheetos, but that didn't work, either. Guess now, on top of what I already shelled out, I'll call the expensive repair shop I usually go to!! Grrr!!!

With the twins on the verge of driving, Hubby and I are spending the day car shopping. The plan is that the kids get our old cars, and we get new. Well . . . new to us, anyway! LOL!! I heard a car dealer ad while cleaning my classroom that bragged about low mileage Civics for $5995. Sounds a tad too good to be true, but we'll take a looksee.

In the mean time, I have a book deadline barreling down on me, and nothing to write it on. Yes, I could use the main computer back like I did in the olden days, but like every other creature in this house, I'm spoiled rotten, and have gotten to the point that I can only write new material on my laptop. I know, whine, whine.

On the brighter side, yesterday, I snuck a couple of hours off to play with the kids and we went to see Ironman. I expected to nap through it, but REALLY enjoyed it--although there certainly could've been more romance!! LOL!!!

Have a happy Saturday!!!

Dressing my Characters

Okay, first things first. Who is a “one sock, then the shoe” person versus “both socks first, then both shoes” type of a person when getting dressed? I’ve found that for me it depends. I’m not consistent at all, but usually it’s both socks first. However, it’s little details like this (which I’ve never yet used in a book) that make dressing my characters so interesting.

I’ve discovered something as I’ve been writing this current book for Harlequin American. For some reason, the fact that I am my hero and heroine’s personal stylist has never been more important to me. On paper, I am a wardrobe wizard (even though I probably fail in real life). My current hero Chase McDaniel is a business CEO. Thus, I get to put him in suits. The first time the heroine meets him, he changes her flat tire. He shrugs out of his coat, rolls up his sleeves and gets to work.

I love to put my heroes in suits. Suits simply say class in a way that a flannel shirts and holey jeans can’t. Sure, I’ll dress Chase down too, when the circumstances warrant, and make him Ralph Lauren casual (he’s a Minnesota lakeshore kind of guy). But I like the glamour of a business suit and the aura it creates.

For me, part of the escapist experience of enjoying romance is being whisked into a world outside my own (I only need a suit for job interviews, and I haven’t had one of those in years).

I just watched Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep. The thing that really struck me was how important his hat was to his character. Whatever happened to hats? Now it’s all ball caps. Remember when women wore dresses all the time in classic movies? And how Audrey Hepburn and Lauren Bacall could carry them off so well? Since I’ve been inspired, my heroine Miranda won’t be in business suits with slacks, but rather skirts and dresses. All very chic, even though she shops on a budget. She has an image to project, even though she’s not rich.

Now that it’s summer (my last official day was yesterday) I live in shorts and t-shirts. Grubville here I come. I don’t dress up at all, minus church.

Hence my need for my hero to take my everyday heroine somewhere special so I can dress her up beyond basic and live vicariously. The next scene I write is Chase taking Miranda out for lunch. It’s raining, and her umbrella died on the way to work. I can picture Chase getting soaked trying to keep her dry.

Next up will be a business event. To dress Miranda, I’ll get out the clothing catalogs, turn to all those dog-eared marked pages and pick the dress I really want and wish I had somewhere to wear. Then I dress her and create her outfit visually for the reader. I’ll find her the right shoes, earrings, and such. It’s my little escape.

Don’t get me wrong. My pocketbook is happy about my lack of haute couture and its accompanying dry cleaning bill. But in my books, when the scene fits, I love to jazz it up and splurge.

Michele Dunaway
Out of Line, Harlequin NASCAR 6/08
Tailspin, Harlequin NASCAR 9/08
Twins for the Teacher, Harlequin American 3/09

I Saw My Book on the Shelves!

Okay, so I shouldn't get that excited. This is the 57th time. But it never gets old, seeing a book with my name on it at a bookstore or grocery store.

I still remember the first time it happened. Of course I knew down to the second the exact moment my first book (ROSES HAVE THORNS) would be released, and it was several days into the future. So I was not looking for ROSES when I entered Rainy Day Books. I was just looking for something to read, perusing the romances, and suddenly there it was on the shelf!

I think I must have screamed, because the bookstore lady ran over and asked me what was wrong, whereupon I probably threw some kind of hysterical fit about seeing the book I wrote on the shelves for the first time.

I remember the clerk smiling indulgently. She’d probably witnessed similar displays in the past, as Rainy Day Books was a favorite hang-out for everyone in our RWA chapter, and many of us were selling our first books way back then.

There are lots of firsts associated with selling your first book. Getting THE CALL, of course, ranks right up there. Seeing your first cover, meeting your editor in person for the first time, receiving your first check, reading your first review. But nothing makes it more real than seeing the book in a bookstore, and knowing that thousands of people around the country also see it and are maybe buying it and reading it. 'Cause ultimately, for me anyway, writing is a way to connect. I enjoy the act of writing (most days, anyway!) but connecting with readers is what it's all about.

Must Love Dogs

This is a picture of me with one of my dogs, Snoopy. (He's a beagle mix and he already had that name when we adopted him.) As you might guess from the photos, I love dogs -- not just my dog, but all dogs.

If I see a book with a picture of a dog on the cover, I have to pick it up. More often than not, I'll buy the book. (If I think the dog dies in the book, I won't buy it. Fortunately, that's not usually a problem with romance.)

Oddly enough, I haven't written many books of my own with dogs in them. And I think only one ever had a dog on the cover. Hmmmm -- wonder why that is?

My current release, A Soldier Comes Home, from Harlequin Superromance, features a soldier holding a young child. Soldier + Cute Kid -- too iconic images I hope will draw readers to the book.

Of course, we authors have very little control over what goes on the covers of our books. The publisher asks for input, but they don't always use it. When I get a great cover, I feel very fortunate.

This has me wondering -- what images make you stop and pick up a book? I've heard that babies and pregnant women really draw readers. I know some women can't pass up a cover with a hunky cowboy or cop.

So -- what does it for you? Babies? Brides? Cowboys? Hunks? Soldiers? Dogs? Horses? I really want to know.

CELEBRATING 20TH BOOK RELEASE

Yesterday I had a book signing for my 20th book release, Always A Mother, Harlequin Super Everlasting. The signing went very well and my friends and I decided to really celebrate afterward. We went to see Sex And The City, without husbands. We asked but they refused to go. Go figure.

Since I write a lot, I don’t get to the movies as often as I would like. I’m still in shock. I never watched the show when it was on TV, but I did catch it on reruns late at night when I’d unwind from a day of writing. Oh my God kept running through my head, followed by can they do that on TV? Can they say that on TV? Yes they can and yes they did. And they did much more in the movie.

Color me naive, prudish or just out of touch. I felt the nudity and some sex scenes were over the top. But the young college girls loved it, giggled and shouted to prove it. Times have certainly changed. I think it’s the same in the books we read, too. I love home and hearth and that’s why I write it. But the young girls in that movie theatre would probably find my books very boring. Today everything is about more. Nothing is left to the imagination.

So what do you like in the books you read? More or less?

Let me tell you we had a great time at the movies, laughed with the young girls, and went out to eat afterward and toasted book number #20, which is all about home and family—very minimal nudity and profanity.

Here’s to another twenty. OhmyGod! I don’t think I’ll make it.

Linda (who’s very tired today)
Always A Mother – Harlequin Super Everlasting June 2008
Texas Heir – Harlequin American Sep 2008

Summer

Finally! I thought when I stopped substitute teaching and my children became teens and no longer needed--or wanted--my direct supervision, I'd care less about school being out. Not so. I now get to sleep in another 45 minutes!!, since my son's summer school classes start later and there's no bus to catch. Of course, no bus means I have to get somewhat dressed ;) to drive him there before getting myself ready for work. I'll only have to harrass one kid about getting homework done and bedtime, and he's good about both. But I feel free, as though released from some dreaded duty. And I used to like school as a kid. It's puzzling.
Why does it seem I have more time to write? That I can stay up later now?
Is there some magic to the words "school's out" that stirs the kid in me? Are you feeling it too?

Old friends

The other night I met an old friend for Happy Hour. Linda and I met way back in 1983, when we both attended the University of Washington MBA program. Aside from school we had nothing in common—I was married with three young daughters, she was divorced with no kids. I’m a secular Jew and she’s a devout Christian. Yet we became friends. We also started a tradition neither of us has forgotten. At the end of each quarter, after a round of grueling finals and research papers, we met at the Dilettante, a chocolate café several miles from campus. We’d order coffee and pick out four large, handmade chocolates. The grinning guy behind the counter supplied us with plates, a serrated knife and a glass of hot water. Why the knife and water, you ask? We used the knife to slice each chocolate in half, four mouthfuls of heaven for each of us. After each cutting we dipped the knife into the water to clean it. Between groaning with pleasure, chit-chatting and laughing nonstop (aided by the copious amounts of coffee we drank), we had such fun!

We graduated and pursued our careers. In the early 90s Linda married. My kids turned into rebellious teenagers. My husband I had our hands full, plus I worked at a demanding job as a financial analyst. As you can imagine, everything else slid by the wayside. Linda’s life was equally busy wither her new husband and step kids, and her job. Sadly, we lost track of each other. Then through the internet she found me. We decided to meet—for Happy Hour at a restaurant halfway between us.

Seeing Linda after all these years and catching up on each others’ lives was wonderful. Things have changed. My daughters have grown into lovely, productive women with busy lives of their own. I no longer work at a bank—I write full-time. Linda’s step kids are grown. She’s still at her job and has earned her CPA and several other distinguished degrees to complement that MBA.

One thing hasn’t changed, though—our mutual enjoyment of life. We laughed just as we used to, and of course thoroughly enjoyed our Happy Hour snacks. We’ll definitely get together again. We may be twenty-five years older (yikes!!), but inside we’re still the same fun-loving young women we once were.

Wishing you a reunion with an old friend,

Ann Roth
www.annroth.net

Five Things

My husband is a salesman. When he has a particularly good year, he wins a trip. So, last week, he and I got to go to a dream vacation in Palm Beach, Florida. We stayed at a swanky hotel, swam in the ocean, went to fancy company dinners, and generally had a great time making new friends and sipping out of drinks with umbrellas in them.
Amazingly enough, we were both just as excited to come home as we were to leave. Why? There’s just some things I like and miss when I'm not at home. Of course I missed my kids and weiner dog….but I’m talking little things, here.

Here are five things I like and grow to count on having every day…
1) Ocean Spray cran-raspberry juice. There’s something about this juice that wakes me up every morning.
2) Water dispenser. I drink a bunch of water…a lot of it hot. Carrying around a water bottle never seems to do the job.
3) Flannel pillow cases. Summer or winter, I’m a flannel girl—at least for my head.
4) A good reading light next to my bed.
5) My ugly black Birkenstocks. They’re ten years’ old, worn out and not near pretty enough for the public eye, but boy do they make my feet feel good.

Anyone else want to name a few comforts of home that are always missed?

Shelley

May Winner!

This month's winner is Ellen. Way to go!!!

To get your free, autographed books, please contact Shelley Galloway, Jackie Diamond, Laura Marie Altom and Lisa Childs through their websites.

Tell all your friends to visit us. To win, all you need to do is comment and your name is entered in our drawing.

Books, books everywhere

I’m in book shock.

On Saturday, I visited Book Expo America, the largest book industry trade show in the U.S. This year, it took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center, a mere 40 minutes (in light traffic) from my house.

It’s another world.

Booths and displays fill huge halls, hawking romances, thrillers, literary novels, how-to books, Bibles, children’s books, comics and Manga – you name it – along with book-related products. No members of the public allowed, since the event is aimed at booksellers and the media, although we authors can squeeze in if our publishers vouch for us.

Convention-goers clog the aisles, toting bags crammed with books and promotional items. Bestselling authors trip over each other on their way to autograph books for the attendees. Here’s the fabulous part: the books are free. Publishers actually give away books, with or without autographs.

In one aisle, a handsome man in a tuxedo proffers a tray piled with The Filthy Rich Handbook, and, in a British accent, politely bids me to take one. Around the corner, Ann Rice is signing her autobiography. Celebrity nonfiction authors abound: Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, Alec Baldwin, keynote speaker Thomas Friedman. As for novelists, I ran into old friends Jina Bacarr (Spies, Lies & Naked Thighs) and T. Jefferson Parker (L.A. Outlaws). Heavy-hitters such as James Patterson and Robert Crais were there too.

The spacious Harlequin Enterprises booth promoted its many imprints, from Harlequin and Silhouette to Mira, HQN, Red Dress Ink, Luna, Steeple Hill and Kimani. I also made a point of visiting the Romance Writers of America booth, where staff members and volunteers joined president-elect Diane Pershing (One Tough Lawman) to promote the image of romance novels. At the nearby Mystery Writers of America booth, I joined another friend, Linda O. Johnston (Double Dog Dare, her latest pet-sitter mystery) for coffee.

It’s exciting and thrilling to walk – or, more often, stumble and squeeze – through those aisles. The biggest highlights are always personal: I spent an hour and half schmoozing with my agent, Laura Bradford.

Now, with all those books piled up to read, well…I gotta go. See you on the printed page!

School's Out/Summer's finally here

As I sit here and write this, school is just about out for the summer. At 11:25, the last bell will ring and the class of 2008 will be history. In my district, all the seniors always graduate the first Saturday of June.

My big summer plans are to write another novel for Harlequin American and turn it in by August 1, my deadline. I'm on page 70 something but turn into a full time writer on Wednesday, my first day without doctor appointments and that such.

I do have three workshops to attend, all related to teaching journalism. We might make two short trips to Batesville, IN, and Kansas City, but no big vacation plans.

I'm ready to write. After writing five books last year, this year I'm choosing to only do two and to space them out. I'm excited to be doing another "fall in love with the boss" corporate CEO book. Those are some of my favorites and already I'm having a lot of fun with Miranda and Chase and another quirky grandfather.

So what about you? As I say goodbye to my 21st year of teaching, what's up for you this summer? Any big plans? Any writing goals? Any reading goals?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Fantasy, reality, or some of both?

As a romance writer who's been around the block, I've ended up writing a wide range of books and novellas, from the super-sweet traditional Silhouette Romance to the sexy Silhouette Desires and even one erotic short story (obscurely published under a pseudo-pseudonym--I'll never tell).

Harlequin Americans fall somewhere in the middle. The line calls for whatever level of sensuality is appropriate to the story, so a few of them are more "sweet" and some (like mine) are sexier. But every time I set out to write a love scene, I struggle with exactly how graphic I should be. As a reader I like a little more realism in a love scene. Let's face it, sex is funny sometimes, and sometimes it's disastrous. It's not always the perfect, fly-to-another-plane, mind-blowing, best-thing-that-ever-happened-to-a-person experience we romance writers tend to make it. Of course for Harlequin American I don't want too much realism, but is there such a thing as too much fantasy?

Take euphemisms. I know certain graphic words for body parts are taboo in this "Home & Hearth" line. But how many different ways can I come up with to describe an orgasm? I estimate that I have written somewhere close to 150 love scenes. In an effort to be fresh, to use something besides "her peak of desire" (whatever!) do I become laughable? I'm always trying to think of fresh but tasteful ways of describing the act of lovemaking, without getting too flowery or too obscure. The main thing is to get the emotions across, of course, because that's why women read romance. But for a woman, the physical sensations and emotions are usually wrapped up together, so I don't want to give those physical aspects short shrift.

Ah, what to do, what to do.

I was critiquing a chapter for my husband the other day. He is writing a thriller, so he doesn't have to conform to the stricter guidelines we Harlequin authors are used to. But when he came out and called the, er, male member exactly what it was, I nearly came unglued. "Ewwww! I don't want to read that!" I told him, and he just shook his head.

So what do you think, readers and writers? Do you want to close the bedroom door, or vicariously experience a love scene as pure fantasy, or see some semblance of realism? Or does it depend on your mood? Do you eagerly read love scenes, or just skim them?

Dun Duh Dun DUH...Dun Duh Duh

Okay, you'll have to forgive the musical phonics--it's what my kids and I have been running around the house singing for, oh, the past month. I've mentioned before that one of the reasons I love writing for (and reading) Harlequin Americans is that we often get the chance to revisit characters and communities in follow-up books (such as I'll be doing in my 4 book "Mistletoe" series, shameless plug!or Cindi Myers did with her Crested Butte series and Holly Jacobs will be doing with her upcoming "American Dad" trilogy for HAR).

Anyway, with my predisposition for nostalgia and wanting to check in on beloved fictional characters, is it any surprise that I'm counting down the moments until my husband and I take our son to see Indy 4 this Saturday? I know, I know, Indy's a good bit older (as am I) but Harrison Ford has held up well. (Why can't we all age like him and, female counterpart in late-life gorgeousness, Helen Mirren?) I don't know that this will become my favorite Indiana Jones movie, but for me, part of the joy is reliving my own love for the character with my son. He's seen all three of the originals on DVD, but this will be his first Indiana experience on the big screen. My daughter, starting kindergarten in the fall, is too young in both age and temprament (she grosses out easily) to see the movie with us, but even she has caught Indy Excitement. I've been trying to write downstairs all week while two pairs of out-of-school kid feet tromp overhead. Shouts of "throw me the whip, no throw me the idol!" and "Snakes! I hate snakes" continue even after bedtime, when they become muttered to stuffed animals. Sadly, we only own one fedora, but we're working on that sharing concept.

I love sharing my lifelong interests with a new generation. The same applies with books, btw. Got a favorite story or character from your past? Have you shared it with a young person yet? It will be years before I let my daughter read some of the romance novels I've loved (or written!) but it was pure joy to read Judy Blume's Peter and Fudge books (with slight editing on the subject of Santa) to my kids and remember how much I laughed when I first heard the stories. We're just starting in on Chronicles of Narnia, but I may let narrator Jim Dale take over when it's time for Harry Potter. (The thought of reading thousands of pages aloud is daunting, especially with potential tongue-twisters like Severus Snape and Shrieking Shack.)

So what are some of your all-time favorite fictional people or animals?

Whatever your plans for the weekend, remember: the right hat and theme music can really make the adventure!