Category: Give-Aways

IDEAS ARE ON EVERY STREET CORNER… (LIKE HOOKERS WAITING TO BE PICKED UP)

Thanks Cindy for inviting me here today! What fun! I’m thinking no one here knows how we met. Several years ago, I recall waiting anxiously to pitch story ideas at a conference. In the line up was a gorgeous woman with a great smile and beautiful eyes who looked as nervous as I felt. We discovered we were both pitching to an editor for Harlequin Temptation. We both loved the line and thought our stories would work there. (After all that was the hottest line we could find at the time.)

Guess what? Neither of us ever sold to Temptation. But over the years we kept in touch sporadically through email and in hallways at conference hotels. I sold elsewhere…then I heard she’d sold…and guess what? We both write erotic romance (Cindy under a pen name) and love it. I’ve decided the market finally caught up to us when longer, more erotic stories bloomed. And here we are today!

How cool is that?

Ever wonder where writers get their ideas? So do I. I get mine anywhere and everywhere. One time, I saw a young woman driving with tears streaming down her cheeks. Hm.

Had her parents just told her they hated the new man in her life? That he was a con artist? A nose-picker? A wanted fugitive?

Just the other day, I walked by a couple on a street corner in the middle of a no-holds-barred argument. I mean, it was cold, brutal, tell it like it is relationship-killing stuff. She was furious! Chin tilted, eyes defiant and wide to hold in angry tears. He was on the attack. (Verbally, of course…but my dh kept an eye on the guy just in case she needed help if things turned physical— my hero!)

The conversation revolved around her desire for him to spend huge bucks. Yes, it was that clear what they were arguing about.

Did I make a judgement on them with one flick down her well-dressed, perfectly coiffed and made up face and body? Yes, I did.

He liked trophies and she liked being one. What she didn’t like was being called on it. The body language from this pair was superb, though.

I wonder if they’re still together? I wonder if street arguments are part of the drama of their lives? I wonder if on some level they actually like them?

All fodder for the writer’s mind. The other night I celebrated with a dinner out at a real restaurant with linen placemats instead of paper. We watched a van pull over and park. No one got out. By the time dinner was over I’d decided the driver was tucking body parts into the rug he had rolled up in the back.

I’m sick and I know it.

Good thing I’m a writer or my family would be worried. Or afraid. Very afraid.

So, as readers, do you ever make up stories for things you see or conversations you overhear? Do you ever re-write the ends of novels to suit yourself?

I’m excited to offer BREATHLESS to one lucky person who comments…come on folks, spill your guts…you know you want to. (Just not on street corners please, it’s distracting to the other pedestrians.)

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Please leave a comment for Bonnie to enter to win BREATHLESS. If you’re reading Bonnie’s post on Facebook or another social network, please note that you need to leave your comment at http://www.museinterrupted.com in order to be eligible for the draw.

To read Bonnie’s bio and the back cover blurb for BREATHLESS, refer to yesterday’s post. To learn more about Bonnie and her books, visit her website.

To learn if Cindy bribed Bonnie for the nice compliments…well, let’s just get it over with and state that yes, Cindy did.

Tomorrow erotic romance author Bonnie Edwards drops by as my last guest blogger of the year. Thank you, Bonnie! Bonnie’s blogging about from where writers get their ideas and is giving away a copy of her December 2009 Kensington Aphrodisia novella anthology, BREATHLESS. Yes, she is. Would I lie?

About BREATHLESS:

“Let go. Let go for me…” It was a house of sizzling seduction, and satisfaction guaranteed. Now the notorious bordello Perdition House bares all its secrets—and ignites your wildest fantasies…

Blue McCann longs to feel desired…needed…wanted. Now, thanks to a mysterious corset, she’s a lush-bodied beauty back in 1913. And she’s going to reward the caring, oh-so-capable hands of Dr. Colt Stephens with all the pleasure he can take…

Tawny James has legs—and secrets—that won’t quit. And since she likes her men big and bad, private investigator Stack Hamilton is uncovering all her luscious desires…

And when Mariel Gibson needs artistic inspiration, she calls hard-bodied carpenter Danny Glenn to work his masterpiece—over and over again. Because you can never, ever reveal too much…

About Bonnie:

Bonnie Edwards has worked at a variety of jobs but loves storytelling best. Raised in Toronto, Canada, she now lives on an island within view of the Coastal Mountains and the City of Vancouver. In 2006, she helped launch the Kensington Aphrodisia erotic romance line. December 2009 brings BREATHLESS, a single author anthology from Aphrodisia. Look for her Harlequin Blaze, Possessing Morgan, in March 2010.

To learn more about Bonnie and her books, please visit her website.

ROMANCING THE LIBRARIAN

Cindy, thanks so much for inviting me to visit Muse Interrupted.

Recently I attended a great workshop presented by Susan Wiggs, one of my favorite authors. She illustrated her presentation with examples from her current release, Lakeshore Christmas (which I highly recommend). I’d just finished the book and had noticed a similarity between her heroine, Maureen the librarian, and the heroine of my December release, SEX DRIVE, Theresa the sociology professor.

I knew exactly where my character had come from and I’d wondered about Susan’s, so I was very interested when she said that her Maureen was a librarian archetype. Yes! That’s exactly how I see Theresa.

What’s an archetype? There are certain characters who immediately resonate with readers (or viewers) because we recognize and understand them. They’re often “larger than life,” yet we feel that we know them. These characters, in numerous incarnations and variations, appear over and over again in myths, fairy tales, books, and movies, and we never get tired of them. They’re not stereotypes – e.g., each librarian character is unique – but they share some common features. For example, the following are all librarians: Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen, Kathleen Turner in Romancing the Stone, and of course Marian the librarian in The Music Man. Get the picture? (And can’t you just imagine a dashing hero ripping off her glasses, pulling the pins out of her hair, and releasing all the passion that’s hidden inside that buttoned-up exterior?)

Do you know the movie, The Big Easy? It’s one of my favorites. Ellen Barkin plays Anne Osbourne, a repressed rule-bound lawyer who has a hidden sensual side just waiting for the right man to bring it out. The man is Dennis Quaid, playing Remy McSwain, a sexy, charming cop who isn’t much for respecting any rules. She’s a librarian and he’s a charmer archetype.

That’s the same heroine/hero mix I used in SEX DRIVE.

Prof. Theresa Fallon was a child genius who aced her schoolwork and flunked Boys 101. When, on the flight from Sydney to Vancouver, BC, she’s seated beside Damien Black, one of Australia’s ten sexiest bachelors, she’s about to get a crash course in flirting, fooling around, and maybe even love. As typically happens when you put a librarian and a charmer together, she learns how to lighten up and have fun, and discovers her own sensuality and sexuality, and he learns that while games are fun, life’s even more rewarding when you find something – or someone – to get serious about.

There are many different kinds of archetype schemes: e.g., zodiac signs, Jungian archetypes, enneagrams, Myers-Briggs personality types. The one that really clicks for me is the one developed by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever, and Sue Viders, in The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes & Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes. This is a fascinating book to read, with examples from classic movies, TV shows, and books. (And of course you have to do your homework by rereading the books and renting the DVDs. Such a tough life, doing all that research.)

If you’d like to see an example of archetypes in action, I hope you’ll check out SEX DRIVE. It’s the first in my four-book Wild Ride to Love series (planes, trains, automobiles and a cruise ship) starring the four Fallon sisters.

Now, how about you? Who are some of the heroines and heroes who stand out in your mind, and what makes them so memorable? If you had to describe them in a word or phrase, what would it be? Let’s come up with more titles of books and movies so we’ll have lots of enjoyable homework to do over our winter holidays!

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Please leave a comment or question for Susan to enter to win a copy of SEX DRIVE. If you’re reading Susan’s post from a feed at Facebook, Goodreads, or another social network, please note that in order to enter the draw to win Susan’s book, you need to leave your comment on her blog at Muse Interrupted.

To read Susan’s bio and the back cover blurb for SEX DRIVE, please visit yesterday’s post. To learn more about Susan and her books, check out her website.

Tomorrow Kensington Aphrodisia author Susan Lyons visits the blog. Susan’s blogging about Romancing the Librarian and will give away a copy of SEX DRIVE (December ’09), the first book in her new Wild Ride To Love series.

About SEX DRIVE:

Prof. Theresa Fallon’s ex-husband gave her good reason to swear off men. But when, on the flight from Sydney to Vancouver, she’s seated beside one of Australia’s ten sexiest bachelors, she has reason to question that decision. It’s a long flight, but thriller writer Damien Black has ways of making the hours fly by! From there, it’s not all that big a step to enjoying a stopover together in romantic Honolulu. For the cynical Theresa and the far-too-experienced Damien, this journey is a special one. To their mutual surprise, they’re on a wild ride to love!

“Ms. Lyons gives readers characters you can relate to, genuine emotional context and undeniable passion wrapped up in a compelling storyline that leaves you eagerly anticipating her next release.” – Romance Junkies

About Susan:

Award-winning author Susan Lyons is a Pacific Northwester with homes in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. She has degrees in law and psychology, and has had a variety of careers, including perennial student, computer consultant, and legal editor. Fiction writer is by far her favorite, giving her an outlet to demonstrate her belief in the power of love, friendship, and a sense of humor.

She writes sexy contemporary romance that’s passionate, heartwarming and fun, and is published by Kensington Aphrodisia, Kensington Brava (writing as Susan Fox), Berkley Heat, Harlequin Spice Briefs, The Wild Rose Press, and Freya’s Bower. Her books have won Booksellers Best Awards, the Aspen Gold, the Golden Quill, the More Than Magic, the Lories, and the Beacon, and she was a nominee for the 2009 RT Reviewers Choice Award.

Visit Susan’s website at www.susanlyons.ca for excerpts, book videos, discussion guides, behind-the-scenes notes, reviews, recipes, articles, contests, give-aways, and other fun stuff.

CONGRATULATIONS ON ACHIEVING YOUR DREAM—NOW WHAT?

Many people chase their dreams, and along the way, through hard work and perseverance, some achieve their goals.  When this happens, it’s an amazing time.  This event should be celebrated and savored as you can never replace that ‘first time’ magic when it happens in your life.

But, once you achieve your dream, what now?  Do you have a plan of action prepared?  A budget?  Will your strategy and marketing be time intensive?  Do you understand how the business end of whatever goal you are pursuing works?  What about industry contacts = networking?

Far from trying to worry or deter anyone from striving to achieve their dream, my questions are to instill a shot of reality into the dream-focused mind.  It’s easy to become caught up on that idea of being a rising star.  Realistically, once you achieve your goal, the magic wand that keeps that dream alive is you, and once again, sustained by your hard work, business savvy and perseverance.  To help you, here are some tips:

1.  Learn from the pros: Why reinvent the wheel:  Select people who have achieved the dream you’re targeting.  Take notes on what they’re doing, read what they say when they are interviewed, or if possible, talk to them.  If someone has a solid game plan in the area of expertise you’re shooting for, tailor their plan of action to your strengths.

2.  Budget: As with anything, there’s a cost to keeping your dream alive.  Gather expense information through whatever sources available and understand the monetary layout you are facing once your dream is a reality.  Custom the expenses to fit your budget.  If you need a credit card, to incorporate, or have other business end ideas, before your dream arrives is the best time to research and understand exactly what you’ll need to have in place when that special moment arrives.

3.  Time management: Once you sell, the demand for your time escalates, and the proportion depends on the needs of your dream and you.  In addition to basic dream survival, there are options to appear on blogs, radio, TV, you can write articles, choose on-line networking and numerous other venues.  It’s important to manage your time wisely, to choose projects best related to your strengths.  Example:  If you enjoy teaching, give workshops, on-line classes or talk at public venues.

4.  Networking: I can’t express how ultra-important solid networking is.  A good business contact can make all of the difference in the world.  Be sincere in cultivating relationships.  And, if you can, help someone else out.

The best defense in any situation, including your dreams, is a solid offense.  So, start now to plan for your success.  Then, the day your dream comes true, rather than being reactive and flounder, open your tailored plan and soar.

Thank you very much for stopping by.  I’m always interested in hearing what others do as they work to achieve their goals.  What is your strategy in achieving your dreams?

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Please leave a comment to enter to win a copy of your choice of either HIS CAPTIVE or HIS WOMAN. To read the back cover blurbs for both books and to learn more about Diana, please visit yesterday’s post. And make sure to check out Diana’s website!