Totally cute. Totally Mindless. Totally Monday. Click this link and smile for a minute or two–
Blog Field Trip: Post Secret
July 19th, 2010
As I work on new posts for later today, I’m scanning the world beyond my computer for unusual and different things to get my brain firing. I often check out Post Secret and thought I’d share one of my guilty pleasures–a blog that’s more an art project than a blog, posting anonymous pics with captions sent into the sight as postcards. This has become a favorite destination while I’ve stumbled my way through revising this year.
Is it a blog about people sharing their secrets in an open forum? Or is this a shock site intended merely to cause a reaction (and sometimes, as with a visitor’s email response to the last pic, not a positive one) ? You be the judge.
Here’s one I like for the July 17th post–
And another– Read the rest of this entry »
Romantic Suspense Themese: Category Romance Style
July 16th, 2010
I’m working on new category romantic suspense proposals for Harlequin. Well, today I’m mostly organizing my thoughts. I’ve been reading fun titles from favorite authors and jotting down ideas and trends I’ve noticed into the spiral notebook I carried everywhere I travelled the last two weeks.
But it’s time to get them off the notebook page, and it occurred to me that if I blogged about what I was going to write about, maybe I wouldn’t spook my just-emerging muse still tired from my last deadline back into hiding. And maybe this would be fun for readers to see (sort of “behind the curtain”) as well as fellow writers. In fact, I spoke on a “What’s Love Got to Do With It” panel at Thrillerfest, and these are many of the “how romance blends into suspense/thriller plots” things I wished I’d had time to say but didn’t.
So, here’s a quick peak at some of the notebook pages:
And here’s what I have so far that makes enough sense to work with, based a few weeks of research refreshing my mind on what works in genre RS.
Character Contradictions
While this is an important component to any character, in category romantic suspense especially (where you have less space and time to develop internal and external conflict) nailing character contradictions is even more key. Things that might work in my two new ideas…
Keep in mind that I’ll likely reverse many of these traits (between the heroine and hero) as I write, because, well, I like to shake things up, and that in each case the parring is between a strength and a weakness, but which trait is the real weakness??? That will become the most fun dynamic to write ;o)
Heroine
Resourceful but Naive
Resilient but Vulnerable
Assertive but Dependant
Illusive but Familiar Read the rest of this entry »
Recovering From The Thrill ;o)
July 16th, 2010
Ten days of family vaca…with my teenager on his way to college for three weeks of future spy training on the way home ;o) And in the middle, there was Thrillerfest fun… It’s a wonder it hasn’t been MORE than two weeks since I’ve posted ;o)
But I’m back, so daily shoes and waterfalls and teenager musings and dream theory and contests and reading challenges from now on. And to kick things off, here are picks of one of the highlights of this year’s Thrillerfest (my very first, and I’m hooked, so look for me there next year, too)–Ken Follet’s interview as he was officially named this year’s Thriller Master.
First, they tried to fit his many books on a single table, and, well, you can see how that worked out. Now, I’m not saying he’s a difficult man, but do you HAVE to have so many original hardcover, uber-bestselling, book-to-tv releases spanning your 20+ year career that they have to bring in another banquet table and fancy table skirt to accommodate your backlist???
Second, the man’s a riot to listen to. Read the rest of this entry »
Waterfall Project: Sylvan Falls Mill
July 1st, 2010
Water is healing. Water is welcome and regeneration and peace. The sound of it is a natural anti-depressant for me. A sleep drug-free aid. It’s home,wherever I find it. And some places…well, some places are magical pockets of nurturing I know I’ll return to for the rest of my life. Sylvan Falls Mill (Boyd, p. 126) is one of those places. It’s a 50 foot water slide that falls off Taylor Creek near Clayton GA.
This is an historic grist mill built in 1840 and operating continuously as a mill ever since. And it’s home of one of the best mountain B&Bs I’ve ever visited. Mike and Linda, the owners, have become friends I know we’ll keep for the rest of our lives. Think amazing breakfasts and the sound of water running down the falls 24/7 and the most picturesque valey view you’ve ever scene, all framed by the backdrop of a national park–Blackrock Mountain.
Did I mention the fabulous falls (small, but there’s something raw and untouched and personal about them), running past some of the rooms and the breakfast area where you eat every morning (and where I write late at night if I can’t sleep). I’ve hiked the mountain, walked through the valley, and flat out love this place. My husband and son do, too. My son’s visited with us most of his life. Mike and Linda feel like they’ve watched him grow up.
And they have. Read the rest of this entry »
Shoe Project: Flower Girl
June 29th, 2010
I don’t wear florals. Much.
Oh, I buy them. I’ve lived in the south all my life, so I’m surrounded by women (sometimes even men) wearing clothes covered in flowers, and some days I can’t resist the urge to join maddening crowd. I walk amidst the flowers themselves 10 months out of every year. But with very few exceptions, anything ”flower girl” that I buy ends up languishing in my closet, forlorn and marginalized and scoffed at by the more contemporary things that my creative mind gravitates toward when it’s time to stumble into my clothes.
Today’s update to the shoe project, however, is one of these exceptions.
Maybe it’s because they’re Valentino. Hand-made and hand-embroidered… Read the rest of this entry »
Summer Reading Challenge!!!
June 28th, 2010
This summer, I’m indulging in some of the FAB books I’ve been dying to read all winter and spring. Join me, then check back into the blog all July, where we’ll be talking about what we love about each of these jewels. Read the ones that interest you, and let us know what you think!
There will be a special contest just for fans who comment on my summer reading challenge (in addition to my regular blog contest)!!! More details to come. Don’t miss out!
Here’s the list to get you started thinking about which title(s) you might indulge in with me (many of them I pulled from the sale table s at B&N ;o)
“An Ocean Between Us” by Susan Wiggs
“Blue-Eyed Devil” by Lisa Kleypas
“Beach Music” by Pat Conroy
“Steamed” by Katie MacAlister
“Tribute” by Nora Roberts
“Ain’t She Sweet” by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (I reread it EVERY summer)
“Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte (another summer tradition)
We’re free for the summer. Let’s have some reading fun!!!
Video Monday: Time To Make The Doughnuts
June 28th, 2010
I’m on a Muppets theme of late. The Swedish Chef is my all-time fave (followed closely by last week’s Beeker!).
Follow the link and enjoy!
Revising a Year: Six Months ’til Christmas???
June 25th, 2010
Christmas in July is a fan-favorite summer promotion run over on the Fresh Fiction site (look for a contest and other cool goodies over there from me next month). Who doesn’t love the idea of enjoying a burst of winter chill after a long day crisping away in temps that can only be described as sweltering (at least here in the deep south)? But then you have to stop, scratch your head and ponder… Wait–that means Christmas is only six months away.
Only six more months in my self-declared year of revision? The first half of ‘10 pretty much finished off whatever energy reserves I carried over from ‘09. I’m rebounding nicely, though, and have enjoyed an infusion of creativity the last week or so while I sort and sift and pick and choose what my focus will be moving forward. That’s the key to revising your year (and your life) the way I’m attempting–finally zeroing your expectations out, finally meeting every commitment you’ve made, then sitting back and making intentional decisions about where your energies are best spent going forward. Read the rest of this entry »
Things My Teenager Says: Lasagna at Midnight
June 24th, 2010
“I can’t keep buying dinner every night after work.” My teenager’s just discovered the universal paradigm of gross revenue-expenses=net earnings.
Friends of ours (who feel more like family after all these years) have owned a favorite five-star italian restaurant in town for over 25 years. And they’ve given our teen an amazing opportunity to train as a busboy. “And I don’t have time to eat while I’m there.”
“You eat before you go. I just made you tacos.” I know what he wants. But our family’s working on actually ASKING for what you need, instead of passively suggesting it and waiting for someone else to ‘get it.’
“Mommmmmm.” I mentioned the teenage-boy groaning last post. Get used to it here at “Things My Teenager Says.” Think of it as part of the soundtrack for this series. “I’m there for eight hours.”
“And they deprive you of nutrition the whole time! No snack time? No juice and cookies? We could call OSHA and report a workplace violation.” Read the rest of this entry »
