How a cover comes to life

I've always said that covers are like giving birth. You don't know what you're going to get until it comes out. Harlequin American has been doing some fantastic covers lately (I'm still with both Kathleen and Linda--moving to Toronto and finding that hot guy on her cowboy book. I'm single--I can do that, smile).

Above is my cover for my April release, Nine Months' Notice. I received the cover pdf via email about a week ago. At Harlequin American, here's how the cover process works (at least for me). It may vary for the other authors, but I'm betting it's 90 percent the same.First step is completing an on line art fact sheet. These can be done up to a year in advance.

For example, I completed this art fact sheet in either September or October this year. I haven't done one yet for my November American, but I have for my NASCAR book. The art fact sheet asks for all the pertinent details like hair color, height, etc., basically how the characters look. The sheet also asks for the setting of the story, any important landmarks, and three important scenes. We also answer some questions that allow us to describe the mood of the book and how the characters grow and change. If we have an idea for the cover, we can include that in this section.

Then we're done. That's our part. I don't submit pictures or anything like that, letting the art department take it away. From what I understand from a Harlequin workshop I went to, Harlequin holds a meeting with the editors, marketing, and art people. Then they brainstorm what they want. Someone writes the text. Models come in and are posed so that pictures are taken, and then the artist uses a computer to create the art. This is why some covers look so lifelike--because those people really exist out there and they were actually posed into that position so the artist had something to work from. Just like Disney brought in real lions for The Lion King, Harlequin brings in real people.

From there, they take it away, editing, fixing, and tweaking until satisfied. Then, around three to four months before the book debuts, I can request the cover be sent to me and I open it. There in full view on my computer screen is the cover of the book I sweated over and loved writing. I print it out, hold it, and show it off. Hence, the birth of a baby analogy.I've been blessed to have some wonderful covers. (They are at www.micheledunaway.com Click on backlist.) The full cover text of my April cover is at my personal blog, www.micheledunaway.blogspot.com if you want to read what it says on the back cover.

Thanks for taking part in this "birth" with me. My April book is child number 14 for Harlequin American since my first book debuted in October 2000. I still pinch myself every time that I get to do this.

All the best and happy weekend,
Michele

Exploding Eggs

Yesterday I decided I wanted hard boiled eggs for lunch. My system for hard-cooking the eggs is simple: bring a pan of water containing the eggs to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let it sit twenty minutes. Viola— the eggs are perfect.

No problem. Except, I am in the middle of an intense round for revisions, due next week. With my thoughts on the scene of the morning, I filled the pan, turned on the heat, and promptly forgot about it.

Awhile later, engrossed in my work, I vaguely heard a loud pop. Quickly followed by my husband’s bellow: “Annie!” (He calls me Annie and always has.) Fearing he’d had an accident or broken something, I rushed upstairs. Only to be greeted by nasty fumes and bits of egg everywhere!

As awful as this was, I found it funny. Laughed hysterically as we cleaned the mess from the floor, ceiling, walls, and even the dining room. (I never knew projectiled hardboiled egg chunks could travel that far.)

Unlike me, my husband failed to see the humor. For all I know, he thinks I’m developing Alzheimer’s. I’m not, of course. What really happened was, I got so wrapped up in my work that the real world faded away.

As I thought about this later, I realized that only another writer would understand. A call to a close writer friend confirmed this. She laughed right along with me. Thank God for friends who “get it.”

I did learn my lesson, though. Next time I want hard-boiled eggs, I’m setting the timer.

The weather outside...

The weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful…

Winter has arrived at my house—full blast, and that song has been running through my head for the past couple of days. And it’s not Christmas. It’s just &&&& cold. I live in Central Texas and this Texan is not used to temperatures in the twenties.

From my office, I can see the icicles hanging on the frozen ice laden trees and the grass and shrubs sparkle with a blanket of icy white crystals. The driveway is a film of ice. Every now and then I can hear the sleet tapping on my window. In the distance, I can see the highline poles and the endless stretch of electrical lines. Ice and icicles are accumulating on the lines and I’m praying the extra weight doesn’t cause them to break. The cold aside, it’s really very pretty—a winter ice land.

We have two fireplaces in our house and in all the ten years we’ve been here we’ve probably used them about four times. And that was at the holidays when we had company. With the central heat and our mild winters, we’ve never needed them. With the frigid cold, both fireplaces have been burning for past two days. I really like the fire. It’s cozy and romantic. I love sleeping with the fire going. And it really great to read by. Tonight, with my husband beside me, I’m curling up in front of the fire in the bedroom and reading one of the books I received for the Rita Contest. Can’t get any better than that.

What’s the weather like in your area? It sounds bad all over the US, so I hope you have a warm fire and a good book to read.

Oh, the weather outside…

How does this happen?!

My gosh. It's January 17th. Already!

Seems like just three days ago we were ringing in the new year. And now the first month of it's more than half gone. Where it went, I wish I knew....

They say everyone has the same number of hours in a day, but sometimes those hours become awfully hard to hang onto. It's no wonder, with every one of us involved in working outside the house, working inside the home, raising children, and/or caring for aging parents. Not to mention juggling housework, yardwork, grocery shopping, and laundry. Oh, and don't forget the gazillion other errands on that "To Do" list.

The days get away from us, and even when we do have a free moment here and there, we're too busy to notice!

Wouldn't it be wonderful if there were a Minute Elf to gather up the stray bits of time that have fallen through the cracks? Sort of the way the Tooth Fairy comes and collects our teeth. The Tooth Fairy pays us in cold, hard cash, which isn't such a bad thing, of course. But if "time is money," as the old saying goes, maybe the Minute Elf could reward us with seconds and minutes and—if we're very lucky--hours, to replace whatever moments of our lives had slipped away.

That would be worth more than a few coins under your pillow, don't you think?
All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille

Quirky Characters

Recently, I received an e-mail from a reader commenting on the quirky pig herder my hero crosses paths with in the opening scene of Nelson in Command (Jan 07), the second book in my McKade Brothers series--in stores now.

I love goofy characters--probably because I come from a long line of oddball family members--a seventy-year-old aunt who showed up at a family graduation barbecue in a bikini top and shorts, and too many others to mention here.

The reason I use quirky characters in my books is because they're believable. Every one of us knows or has met an "oddball" at one time or another. We come in contact with these kinds of people every day of our lives, so why shouldn’t our characters?

The antics of quirky characters provide a bit of humorous relief that lends the story a light-hearted feel, even when there are more serious issues at stake. Putting the hero or heroine in situations where they're out of their element and forced to interact with individuals they would normally never encounter helps demonstrate their true character. Achieving the balance between deep emotional concerns and cheerfulness isn't always easy, but something I strive for in my writing.

If you love zany, weird, funny, ridiculous…tell us about a quirky character from a book you've read recently.

Happy Reading!
Marin
Check out Marin's Quirky "Rooster Contest" http://www.marinthomas.com

Where authors gather

Once upon a time – when I sold my first book, some 25 years ago – it wasn’t easy to connect with other authors. Since I live in Orange County, California, I had the good fortune to belong to a terrific critique group and occasionally encountered other writers at library events or through my then-job as a news reporter.

Mostly, though, I worked in isolation.

Then, in 1984, I discovered Romance Writers of America, which had been founded just a few years earlier. It was so small and informal that, when a vacancy arose on the national board of directors, my local chapter was able to get me appointed to the board for a one-year term.

Since then, RWA has grown to major international stature and, among its many activities, sponsors an annual conference (often referred to as Nationals) that’s absolutely staggering. Most agents and editors who work in the romance and/or women’s fiction field participate. So do roughly two thousand writers, both published and aspiring. There are heaps of seminars on every aspect of the business and craft of writing, plus book signings and other events. This year, the conference will be held in Dallas on July 11-14. (For more information, check out www.rwanational.org.)

My local Orange County chapter is one of the largest in the country. Every month we have outstanding guest speakers, who’ve included Jackie Collins, Dean Koontz, Vicki Lewis Thompson, Mary Balogh, Tami Hoag, Kristin Hannah, Diana Gabaldon, Debbie Macomber and Susan Elizabeth Phillips. This past Saturday, we had the good fortune to hear noted TV producer and novelist Stephen J. Cannell, who gave us insights into his writing methods and successful career. You can get more information about the group at www.occrwa.com.

The encouragement and information that authors exchange is invaluable. Rather than competing, we support each other. It’s truly amazing how helpful people are, and how much better communication we’ve established with editors and agents, who appreciate the level of professionalism that RWA fosters. With the advent of online resources, including websites, email loops and blogs like this one, RWA members can reach out even further.

If you’re a writer like me, aren’t we lucky to have these resources? And if you’re a reader, you benefit from the ferment of creativity and enthusiasm that writers generate when they can mingle with their colleagues.

So if you wondered what we were referring to in this blog when we mention RWA or Nationals, now you’re an insider, too!

Oops! I forgot my Saturday blog

Since Christmas I've been so slammed with deadlines I've spaced a ton of things, including my Saturday blog. So here are the ruminations of a chick who has done nothing for the past couple of weeks but sit in front of a computer terminal. This is a typical day - I get up before the sun comes up, slam my hair into a Bam-Bam ponytail, put on some sweats, grab the dog and head to our huge park for a rousing three mile hike - then I'm back to the keyboard.

And we've had the worst winter ever. At the risk of sounding like I work for the weather channel I'll tell you we've had wind storms, snowstorms, and ice storms - round and round, one after the other. And believe me, the folks in the Pacific Northwest are not good winter drivers.
Scary! So, I suppose, all in all, this is a good time to have 2 revisions and an anthology due. That doesn't, however, keep me from fantasizing about going to Nordstroms, or Target, or even the grocery store. Can you believe someone actually wants to peruse the produce aisle!!??

Thanks goodness my hubby's a good sport - he does the cooking and errands - and get this, the man actually vacuums. He's a keeper!

So back to work. Talk to you next Saturday.

Ann DeFee

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow . . .

Brrrrr!!!! Here in Tulsa, we're getting hammered with day three of an ice storm. Silly me, I called Hubby home early on Friday to load up on snow food in the attempt to keep three housebound teens happy.

Being a writer, I tend to have a rich fantasy life, so here I am picturing Hubby and I snagging some romantic anti-kid time, stealing kisses on lonely cookie aisles. We'd get home, laugh our way inside while carting our goodies through tumbling snow. We'd then maybe make cocoa, share quality time talking and snuggling in front of a roaring fire. Once the kids got home, we'd bake cookies and gather 'round the fire again to make s'mores and play board games. Ahhh . . . Don't you just love snow?? HA!!

Okay, so here's what really happened . . .

Hubby and I hit the store only to find thousands (literally!!!) of other folks had already had the same idea. It was insane!! People grabbing and snatching and fighting to the death over the last bags of Double Stuff Oreos!! Every check-out line wound down the aisles, so I planted Hubby at the end of one, while I dodged shopping carts and slow folks on their cell phones, chatting about how this was going to be an amazing storm.

There was no romance to be found--especially not when it came time to lug $400 bucks worth of junk food and Gatorade (the ONLY thing my kids drink) into the house. Driving sleet hammered me like mini, stabbing ice swords while I'm hefting eighteen plastic sacks at a time to try and finish fast. Meanwhile, Hubby's dorking around with rock salt, gently sprinkling with a little metal scooper while I growl my way past.

Once inside, my mother calls. She and Dad are at their house in the Bahamas. She was calling to tell me their new washer and dryer set was being delivered by boat in about in hour. Isn't that exciting??? GRRR!!! LOL!!! She then had to tell me how pretty the weather's been--they're wearing shorts--and that she got a hug from their hunky neighbor--he's insanely hot!! Even Daughter agrees!!! Okay, so here she's getting hugs from hunky neighbors, and I can't even get my Hubby to help with groceries, let alone give me sugar!! Double GRRR!!!

While I was on the phone, Hubby did put away a lot, so that was sweet, but immediately after, he dashed off to Son #1's new X-Box 360. I didn't see him again till bedtime!!

Backing up a little time-wise, I snatched the kids early from school, and what does Son #1 say the second he gets in the car? Not, "Boy, Mom, I can't wait to bake cookies with you!" But, "Geez, this weekend's going to blow. Can I have a friend sleep over?" Thank goodness the power hasn't gone out, or things would've really gotten ugly! But wait, before I get too excited, we're supposed to get two more inches of ice around noon, and Daughter's cheer coach just announced they have practice at two!!

If your weekend has gone roughly the same as mine, I have a fun new book out this month called, HER MILITARY MAN. Promise--Constance and Garret's journey to Happily Ever After is waaaay more fun than ours here in the nutty Altom household!! LOL!!!

P.S. Hubby finally beat his video game guy, meaning I finally got a few kisses!!!

The Book's Soundtrack (or the musical part of the writing process)

Okay, I needed an excuse to put Kenny Chesney in a blog. He's my favorite country artist and he just won a People's Choice Award for fan-voted favorite male singer, so I guess he's also a lot of people's favorites. (For more, go to www.kennychesney.com) Congrats to Kenny on this achievement.

I dedicated a book to Kenny (and have the autographed thank-you photo to prove it) and have just about every one of his albums. Most of them have been the soundtrack behind my books.

When I'm writing, many times I have music playing. I set the CD or windows media player to repeat, so oftentimes the CD is played at least three times without my even noticing that I've listened to it over and over. I've written books to greatest hits albums of my favorite 80s bands (yes, I'm a child of the 80s--high school 83 and college 87). I've put in new artists I find and let the CD play. Brain research shows that listening to music can help get a person in her "right brain" which is the creative side. (The left is the logical part--when I edit the room is silent, which is the way I read a book.) Many author besides me have music playing.

Right now I'm also hard at work on Picture Perfect (working title), my November 2007 American. I wrote that to Trent Tomlinson's Country is My Rock, Montogomery Gentry's Greatest Hits, and REO Speedwagon's Greatest Hits.

So do you write to music? Or are you one who has to have silence?

Michele

Benefits of Marrying a Writer

My husband is also a fulltime, stay-at-home writer. A lot of people ask, "So, how's that working for you?" My answer is, there are a lot more advantages than drawbacks. Here's my top ten list of advantages:

10) "I'm going down for coffee. Want me to get you a refill?"

9) No one in this house ever says, "Why don't you go out and get a real job?"

8) I never have to pick up the dry cleaning--because there isn't any. Our work wardrobes consist of sweats, jeans, T-shirts and occasionally, pajamas.

7) There's always someone around to brainstorm with or critique my work.

6) It's cost-efficient. We only have one color printer between us, for example. We can share reference books, an Internet connection and a P.O. box. We ride together to our writers' meetings. (Separate offices are a must, however.)

5) If I run out of paper, he probably has some. If he runs out of envelopes, I probably have some. If we both run out of stamps, we can walk to the post office together.

4) We always have someone to share a room with at writers' conferences. (This can also be a drawback; I sometimes miss the "slumber party" atmosphere of the old days.)

3) I have someone to share the good news with, someone who will celebrate with me unconditionally.

2) I have someone's shoulder to cry on when I get a rejection--someone who really understands!

1) Which brings me to the number-one benefit of having a writer spouse--mutual encouragement. Writing can be a lonely business, but when I have doubts, when I'm down or when I'm taking a big risk with my writing, my husband is always there to cheer me on, and I like to think I do the same for him.

Bonus Benefit: When I want to hang out all night with a group of hunky firefighters, he doesn't blink because it's "just research"!

Surprise Blogger--Kathleen Scheibling

Happy New Year to all American Romance authors and readers! Is it too late to say that? I hope not because I feel like celebrating, and I’ll tell you why.

We started off 2007 with some great news. Our Great American Romance Contest closed on the last day of the year and we’ve received hundreds of entries! I’m absolutely delighted with the response – and hoping I find some gold in the pile. Now I’ve got a lot of reading to do. Winners will be notified in February, and then we’ll announce the winners on eHarlequin.com in early March.

I’m excited about our line-up of books in 2007. We have two new authors appearing this calendar year, as well a few authors who are new to this series. And we’re still looking for new authors – who knows what the coming year will bring?

How many of you are coming to Dallas for Nationals? I think this year we’ll host a meet and greet for our authors. Last year in Atlanta I realized that many of you writing for the line haven’t met before, or have only met online. So we’re going to have ourselves a party. That’s something to look forward to this summer.

Linda – thanks for posting your cover for ONCE A COWBOY. Aren’t our covers looking fantastic? I love the work our art team is doing. This cover is a bit different for us, but we couldn’t resist once we saw this shot of a hunky cowboy. This model is actually a firefighter in real life! Can you imagine how many girls he has chasing after him? We all want to meet him and are begging Tony (our art editor) to let us come to a shoot. We have promised to behave ourselves. Although that doesn’t mean I can’t start a little trashcan fire on the set and yell, “is there a firefighter in the house?!” just to see him in action.

OK, I better to get to that pile of contest entries. It looks as if 2007 will be a busy one – what else is new?

Cheers to all of you out there for all the work you do. Thanks for making 2006 a successful year for American Romance. Here’s to an even better one.

Kathleen

A NEW YEAR. A NEW BOOK.

A NEW YEAR. A NEW BOOK

It’s a new year and I have a new American coming out in February, Once A Cowboy. I’m excited because I love this book. I’m hoping everyone else will, too. And it has a fabulous cover—a sexy cowboy. You can’t get any better than that. I’ll try to post the cover so you can see it. Hope it works.

Is it just me or have the American covers been great lately? I’m liking them all. What do you think? Have you noticed a difference in the covers? Now here’s the big question. Does a cover influence you when you buy a book?

When I’m in a bookstore, a good cover will attract my attention. However, for me it’s that back blurb that’s the selling point. Of course, an author’s name does that, too. What’s the selling point for you?

Happy new year to everyone. Here’s hoping for mega sales for American in 2007.

Be sure to check in tomorrow. There’s a rumor going around that a Harlequin editor might stop by.

Don't you love the 21st century?

Our holidays started on a dark note - literally. On Dec. 14 we had a terrible windstorm in the Pacific Northwest that plunged almost two million people into darkness. Think about it - no twinkly lights, no carols, no Starbucks! (No Starbucks!!!), and no juice to run a laptop. Our regression to the 19th century lasted five very long days. And I think it would have been much longer if the guys in the neighborhood hadn't fired up their chain saws and cut down the offending tree.

Wow - it sounds like I live in wild west, doesn't it?

Fortunately, there were a few commercial places that had power. Unfortunately, they were innundated with folks who wanted to get warm or to plug in their laptops. I personally went to the laundromat - how about that? It's amazing how much we rely on our computers, our e-mail, our high speed cable, our automatic coffee pots - yada, yada, yada.

But the lesson of small and large blessings came home to roost in a big way. A good friend's house was cut in half by a gigantic tree. The amazing thing was that two minutes later she would have been feeding her baby right where that tree fell.

Life is a series of miracles!

So, it's the new year and we're back to the 21st century. Did I mention I LOVE ELECTRICITY! Let's just see how it lasts since we've been pummeled with strong Pacific storms. I can't wait for spring.

Hope you have a great new year.

Ann DeFee

There are signs everywhere

I believe in signs. On the way home from the post office yesterday, I saw a rainbow. Now I realize that rainbows are simply prisms formed when light is refracted by water. But I choose to see the rainbow as a sign that all is well, and that good things are coming my way.

Why this particular rainbow brought tears to my eyes is anyone’s guess. At the moment my life is good. My family is healthy and I anticipate a productive and fabulous year. But tear up I did. I thought about the things I am grateful for besides my family. Good friends. A growing a loyal readership. A muse that chugs along like a fine workhorse and hasn’t failed me yet. The support and encouragement of my editors and agent.

And okay, chocolate and that I love to bake. (Getting those fat calories from homemade goodies is so much tastier than from the bought kind :-)). Great wine. Good movies, Grey’s Anatomy, Project Runway, Democracy Now!, books and magazines.. I could go on and on, but I’m starting to bore myself.

The thing is, that sign, that rainbow, boosted my spirits (after I wiped away the tears) and reminded me that life is beautiful—a wonderful thing.

There are signs all around us if we bother to see them. I don’t know about you, but I plan to keep my eyes open.

What signs have you seen lately? I’d love to know.

"Unresolved"

I don't know about you, but I've had it with making New Year's resolutions on December 31 only to find myself breaking them by January 2--and then having to deal with the guilt for twelve months afterward.

This year, it's going to be different. This year, I'm making the kind of promises to myself that we all should be happy to break.

~~~

For 2007, I hereby resolve to:

6. Learn to appreciate dust bunnies and lint. Their texture adds character to a room.

5. Keep building those piles of papers and books all over the place. This makes it so easy to find things at a glance.

4. Forget about reading for pleasure and focus only on business material. (Uhh... naturally, that includes e-mail.)

3. Utilize that treadmill--it's the perfect portable clothes rack. (Note: see #2)

2. Gain weight. This could lead to buying a whole new wardrobe! (Note: see #1)

1. Eat as much chocolate as desired, every single day.

~~~

This is even more fun than I anticipated, and I'm happy to report I've already broken a couple of these promises without feeling the slightest twinge of guilt!

So...jump right in and join me.

What resolutions will you be happy to break?

All my best to you,

Barbara

~~~~~~

Barbara White Daille

Off To A Good Start

Well, last month brought innumerable hours of wrestling meets, a fast and furious race to meet my deadline for August Nights, my October release, and five days behind a cash register at a Hallmark store.
We also managed to celebrate Christmas with friends and family. But anyone who knows me would tell you that I was mainly focused on one thing...the health of my miniature dachshund, Suzy. She needed surgery two weeks ago, and I'm happy to report that she's now back to her regular self. Just yesterday she was vigilantly patrolling the back yard, yapping at anything that moved. My kids and I watched her and smiled--for the first time not wishing she would stop barking.
Isn't it funny how a pet can become the focal point of a family? Suzy sleeps on my son's bed, keeps me company during the day, and is both a constant source of amusement and aggravation for my husband and daughter. Things just weren't the same when she was as sick as, well, a dog.
So, here at my house, we'll begin 07 with a very large vet bill, Christmas decorations to put away, a proposal to write, and yet another round of wrestling meets. Thank goodness I'll have a little brown dog to help me get through it. And because of that, 07 looks to be a very good year. Hope everyone else's year is off to a good start, too.
Shelley

Busy Moms Create Romance

Happy 2007!!

Nothing like ringing in the New Year with a release! Nelson In Command, the second installemnt in my McKade Brothers series hits the shelves this month. And to celebrate I'm running a new contest on my website--Name that Rooster! Check out www.marinthomas.com and click on "Marin's Attic" for more information on this quirky new contest :-)

Ah, another New Year. I'm not one for making resolutions, but I do take time each year to reflect on what I'm most thankful for. And near the top of my list--having a fulfilling career while being a stay-at-home mom...

"Hey, Mom, did you wash my P.E. shorts?"
And they lived happily ever after….
"Check your dresser!"
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine myself a stay-at-home mom who writes romance novels for a living. Am I complaining--heck, no! Shh…don't tell my husband, but I admit I've got a good thing going here.

I'm home to nurture, support, care…or as my teenage son and daughter prefer….nag, monitor and interfere in their daily lives. After those tasks are accomplished and the kids hop on the school bus each morning I spend the next several hours creating stories about what I love most: home, hearth and happiness! Sounds like a dream job, right? Not always.

I suppose I can't convince you that sitting in a chair writing while munching Fritos and drinking Pepsi is a demanding job, but cut me some slack here. I've got only a few hours before the darn bus returns to make my stubborn hero (I'm married to one, so I have plenty of experience with this kind of man) come to his senses and admit he loves my spirited, independent and determined heroine (that's who I want to be when I grow up).

Okay, so that's the fun part of my job--if my subconscious cooperates… "There's mold growing in the toilets!," it nags. "The dirty clothes in the laundry room won’t jump into the wash machine on their own!" And the worst offender…the treadmill--"Hey, baby, remember what you looked like at twenty-two? Give me a half-hour a day and I'll turn you into a sex goddess!"

I attempt to convince the nagging voice in my head that I'm saving those activities for when I suffer writer's block--which happens often enough to add a little extra stress to my life. On those days, hubby comes home, takes one look at the clean house and says, "Tough day at the office, honey?" Grrr!

If a nagging subconscious isn't enough to distract a serious writer, then the occasional unexpected phone call…Teen number one: "Mom, I forgot my English paper would you please bring it to school so I don't get an F?"

Shoot, now I have to actually wash my face, put on makeup and change out of my tattered sweats because I have to go into the school to drop off the paper at the principal's office. Of course, I get a dirty look from the secretary that says, "Haven’t you taught your child better?" I schlep back home wondering what good it does to be a stay-at-home mom if I can't even teach my own kids responsibility? Well, you can darn betcha the kid in my next book will tow the line!

Writing and being a stay-at-home mom is challenging, but I can’t imagine my life any other way. I count my blessings that I'm able to work in my home at a career that inspires me and allows a certain amount of freedom. In a few years my teens will leave the nest and then I'll grumble that the house is too quiet, that I miss the chaos and heaven forbid, that I'm lonely.

And one day if my daughter or daughter-in-law asks me to care for their children so they can pursue a career, well, I'll just say…"Have you considered writing romances?"

Tell me, what are you most thankful for?

Happy Writing and Reading!
Marin Thomas

Of beginnings and authors

“How do you start a book?”

That’s a question I’m frequently asked, or such variations as: “Do you just sit down at the computer and start writing?” Another related inquiry that authors hear a lot is “Where do you get your ideas?”

Once, after I’d given a talk, a woman approached and explained, “I dreamed an idea for a book, but when I wrote it down, it only took a page and a half. Then what do you do – just stretch it?”

While every author works differently, I can state the following about myself:
1) I never just sit at the computer and start a novel, cold.
2) Neither could I plan out a whole book from start to finish. For me, stories grow organically on a framework.
3) I get ideas from all sorts of things or from nothing at all, but that’s the easy part.
4) Developing and shaping those ideas into a novel is incredibly hard work.

Generally, I start with a germ of an idea, maybe a plot twist or a character. For the trilogy that Harlequin American is publishing this year (The Doctor’s Little Secret, February; Daddy Protector, May; Twin Surprise, September), I began with two notions. The first concerned police officers who survive life-threatening events, gain new perspectives and decide to become fathers (whether by birth or adoption).

Second, I envisioned a young woman whose plans to become a teacher had been derailed by a serious auto accident that left her with long-term injuries. With the help of her two closest friends, she’s finally getting back on track at the age of thirty.

As I jotted notes and interwove the ideas, one of the friends became a cousin who’s the ex-wife of a lieutenant. The other best friend turned out to be policewoman. Gradually storylines emerged and converged.

I considered various ways to involve children. An unexpected pregnancy. A hoped-for adoption. And a relinquished infant who, at the age of five, suddenly becomes available again.

Next came the long but engrossing process of exploring the characters and working out the major plot points. At last, I was ready to envision the opening scene of the first book, which still left a lot of events and twists for me to experience as I wrote.

Other authors work differently. Some are “pantsers” – seat-of-the-pants writers. Others diagram intensively.

As for the lady who asked about stretching her dream, I advised her to find a published novel with a similar storyline and study it to see how the story took shape. I never found out whether she followed my advice. I’ve always wondered how she started her book – or if she did. If you’re writing one, I hope you’ll find the method that works best for you.

Happy New Year, and may 2007 get off to a productive start for us all!

Me time

As we wind down 2006, I've been taking a little time for me. My daughters left on Tuesday for a holiday visit with their father, freeing me up to do, well, nothing if I wanted.

Their visit came at an ideal time because I've been sick since before Christmas, fighting off a virus that has left me totally congested and unable to breath clearly despite medicine. As time marches on, I'm finally on the upswing. The antibiotics wiped out the infection before it began, but unfortunately the virus itself simply has to run its course, and that means 10 days.

So I have to admit to having lazed around watching television. I've caught movies, watched specials, and just whiled away--which is something I usually never do. I'm a to-do list type of person, never resting until the last thing is checked off.

I'm off work this week, and whenever I felt better, I sat down at my computer and did some writing. I'd take breaks, and then watch TV. In fact, I was awake, idly lounging around, when the news broke in about both Gerald Ford and Saddam Hussein. I watched CNN. I caught up on lot of things I didn't know, watched an episode of Numbers that I really liked. All these things will filter into my works in progress in little, subconscious ways.

As for writing, I got the entire first draft of Picture Perfect (due March 1) done. I'll edit it over the next few days. I'm also working on another (rejected) manuscript, changing it around to take it in what might be a new direction for me. I hit my goal of what I wanted to get done. I've also used this me time to do some introspection about what I want to do for 2007. So often I don't take the time to really sit and think. I don't let myself while away. I'm on such a life treadmill that I push myself too hard and too fast and forget to refill my creative well. In fact, think about it. I'm sick on a week when I'm off work and can take the time to simply rest up--isn't it nice how my body knows when to slot everything in?

On the eharlequin boards, people are celebrating as they get their Great American Romance contest entries in the mail and I lift my glass of orange juice to them in salute. It's a great accomplishment to finish something and put it out there for someone else to read. I wish them all the best and good luck. I also wish them some me time. Now that it's in, take a little break. Allow yourself some well earned rest. Reflect on all the positives. Celebrate the successes. You are a writer and you deserve it. Refill that creative well.

See in you 2007.

So I'm a little unconventional!

One of my goals is to learn how to cook. I try to pick out at least one new recipe each week to try. Sometimes they're good, sometimes they flop. But I learn something with each experiment, whether it succeeds or not.

Take Christmas dinner. For Thanksgiving I'd done turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. So for Christmas, I decided I wanted to break with tradition altogether. I love Mexican food, so I picked out some festive-sounding recipes including mango flan for dessert.

Small problem: I could not find any mangos at the store. Not fresh, not jarred, not canned, not freeze-dried. No mangos. So I had to make a substitution. Since it was Christmas, I used canned sweet potatoes. (Are you gagging yet?)

Then I had to caramelize sugar. (Did I mention I'm not a great cook?) I had no idea what I was doing, and I ended up with brown rock candy. When I mixed everything together, it was a really ugly mess. So I pushed everything through a strainer, shoved it in the oven, and hoped for the best.

It took forever to get done. I was scared to cut into it. It was orange. Bright orange custard.

But, oh, was it good! No one could get enough of it. It was the hit of the dinner. (By contrast, we had trouble choking down the enchiladas.) My husband and I fought over the last square.

I bet you're waiting for me to relate this back to writing. I'm getting there!

I approach writing much as I do cooking. I don't like writing the same old thing, just like I don't want to fix turkey and dressing more than once a year. Been there, done that. So I tend to make ... substitutions. I have characters with odd occupations. I sometimes have bizarre plots and out-of-the-ordinary settings. Yams instead of mangos.

Sometimes--in fact, a lot of times--my odd ideas don't work out. But, like with cooking a recipe that flops, I always learn something useful. And when one of my unconventional ideas works out, when something that sounded crazy going in actually turns into a good story, it's the most exciting thing in the world for me. I feel like I'm charting new territory, giving readers a little something different. A lot of people prefer plain ol' custard. But thankfully there are readers out there who would love to try yam flan!

Until next time, thanks for visiting!

Kara Lennox