Is Hugh Jackman the Number One Source of Inspiration for Romance Writers?

In a word, yes.  Any additional comments?

Working Vacations

Here I sit
Broken hearted
Tried to write
Only started

This rhyme pretty much says it all, since it's the best thing to come off my fingertips this entire week. I'm on a ski vacation with my family. That is, my family skis and/or snowboards and I get left behind in the condo to write. It's perfectly lovely when that's what happens. This year, it is not going well.

I wonder why? Truly. I mean, it's only after 11 am and the rest of them just made it out the door. Hell, I probably have a good hour before they start clammering back in to eat something before deciding it's too cold, too wet, too much of a hassle to get their gear back on to go back up the mountain. Freakin' teenagers. Don't they know how hard it is to write a sex scene while they're punching each other over who has to empty the dishwasher this time? I lost it this morning, and the last half hour of getting their gear on was spent in complete silence. It was lovely, and shame on me for putting up with the crap all week.

I need a vacation from my vacation.

Romantic?

Since the Quirkies shared books they felt were the most romantic, I started wondering about what we mean by the term romantic. Turning to dictionary.com, the first entry that popped off the page at me listed romantic as meaning fanciful, impractical and unrealistic. And while falling in love is frequently all of those things, the definition itself mentioned nothing about love or relationships or expression of passion and affection. The next down the list referenced romantic as meaning imbued with or dominated by idealism. Again, the "love" word was absent. Not until the third definition down did we get hit with the big "L." There were six entries in total and only two explicitly mentioned love. The final definition listed romantic as meaning imaginary, fictitious or fabulous.

It struck me, after reading this, that it was not so much the passionate, sweet or sensual love stories we keep forever etched into our minds that embody the Valentines holiday. Instead, it is our work as writers itself. Being a writer of fiction is a romantic venture, whether you actually write romance or not. The effort can be called fanciful, impractical(because really, writing does not make anyone wealthy unless they're JK Rowling and a few other exceptions), unrealistic, and dominated by idealism. In it we launch ourselves into an act of creating the imaginary, fictitious or fabulous. And mostly, we do it because we love it. Okay, so there's that "L" word again.

To celebrate Valentines Day in my household, I'm going to sit down and write more of my manuscript. Maybe not the way one usually envisions spending this holiday, but I already got the flowers from my husband, so I'm all set.

Happy Valentines Day!


Michelle

Why a Synopsis is like a Movie Trailer

I am addicted to movie trailers.  Don't actually get out to the movies much, but I enjoy the theatrical clips.  Recently I viewed the trailer for The Wrestler, and it occurred to me that these video clips are essentially the same thing as a synopsis.  Microcosms of the film itself, intended to give the viewer a feel for the genre, the flavor of the film, the ideology of the director, the talent of the actors, the vision of the screenwriter.  A daunting task to be sure, all summed up in 60 seconds. Writing a synopsis is just as challenging.  How is it possible to give a publisher some idea of who you are in just one measly page?  You have to hook him with a brilliant idea, summarize your entire story, introduce him to your characters, and reveal your unique voice in one page of print.  As I watched the video trailer for The Wrestler, I got chills.  I was utterly intrigued by this clip, and not in the "I'm being manipulated by this melodramatic music" sort of way.  The director nailed it, perfectly.  I got a real sense of Randy the Wrestler, the flavor of the film, and was curious enough to want to watch this movie.  But even if I don't see the movie, this short video accomplishes something on its own...it tells a mini story, and I thought it was brilliantly done.  I think writers should approach our synopsis in the same vein. Instead of dreading a one-page summary of our work, we should view it as a mini-creation, able to stand on its own.  What a fabulous challenge for a writer! It forces us to capture the essence of who we are, and what our story represents, and to cut out any superfluous information. Whittling down our story to just one simple page. Our synopsis is the haiku of our manuscript...making every word count.

Nina

Best In Show

While watching the Westminster dog show this week, I was reminded of some of my favorite romance novels that feature unusual canines.  One that comes to mind is Dark Symphony, by Christine Feehan. Byron, a Carpathian vampire, gives his blind lover a borzoi to watch over her while he is "indisposed."  This dog is as fierce and loyal as the hero, and the symbolic gesture adds greatly to this dark, romantic story.  Although I am not a big fan of contemporary romance, I adored the book Take A Chance On Me by Susan Donovan. One of the main characters is a Chinese Crested, which is seriously one of the funkiest looking dogs on the planet. The juxtaposition of a big, hunky rugby player, an earthy veterinarian, and a bizarre pooch wearing a sailor suit and entering dance competitions, makes for a hilarious and touching book. Of course, all shape-shifter romance novels take advantage of our preoccupation with the animal kingdom. It's hard to resist a romance that highlights the loyalty, courage and intensity of a wild animal.  Watching the Westminster dog show really captures the personality of each breed...some are elegant and deliberate in their gait, some peppy and filled with joie de vivre. What a great source of creative inspiration! 

Celebrate Valentine's Week!

The big Kahuna of romance holidays is just around the corner...February 14, Valentine's Day. Although I have some nightmarish flashbacks from working in a flower shop on this consumer-driven holiday (think rose thorn injuries!), the concept is very sweet. Celebrating love is what romance writers do every time we create a new story. Valentine's Day also holds a special place in my heart since my husband and I started our courtship on this day in 1987, when I left a hand-made Valentine pinned to his dorm room door. I told my friends I was going to "rock his world" and needless to say, I have been rocking it ever since. To commemorate this holiday, The Quirky Ladies would like to recommend the author/book we consider to be the epitome of romance. Enjoy this wonderful holiday with chocolate, (thornless) roses, and of course...a romantic book!


The Quirky Ladies Valentine's Specials...

Nina- Simply Love by Mary Balogh...Balogh is the master of deeply romantic love stories, and this book about two damaged souls finding love is extraordinary.

Dalton-Virgins by Caryl Rivers (This the book I read that made me fall in love with backstory!) Also, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, and The Admirals's Bride and Over the Edge by Suzanne Brockmann. After the Night and Kill and Tell by Linda Howard. Oh, and about 500 others sitting on my keeper shelf, but I'll let someone else talk now...

Vicki- Paradise by Judith McNaught, an old time, sentimental favorite. And Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, which is a more complex, multi-layered romance story.  I also adored LaVyrle Spencer's Morning Glory and November of the Heart, both of these romances were so poignant they made me laugh and cry.  Suzanne Brockmann's Out of Control with Wildcard Karmody, who finally finds the love of his life while fleeing for his life in the jungles of Indonesia  is also a fun ride filled with romance and adventure.  

Michelle - The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop. Yes, the entire three books. Although it's housed in the fantasy, not romance section, I'm amazed time and time again by these three books and Bishop's ability to weave a believable sense of dark, sensual destiny bringing the hero and heroine together. Daemon, the hero, is born knowing he is meant to be Witch's lover. And by the end of their journey on twisted paths to reach one another I sure believe it.

Kate - Saving Grace by Julie Garwood. To be honest, I'm chosing this for purely sentimental reasons (although it is a great romance regardless). I'd given up on reading romance in college because the women in the books I had been reading just didn't speak to me. Then I was given this book by my roommate and it changed everything. Johanna is strong, smart and sassy and the story is fast, fun, touching and hot. Perfect.

Tara - Bittersweet by LaVyrle Spencer. It was one of my first "big" romance reads after graduating from shorter Harlequin Romances (think white covers with a couple encircling each other in a circle, no less). The hero and heroine, Eric and Maggie, were in their mid-to-late 30s (imagine that!) and were so well written they seemed like real people. They had a an epic love story. They loved each other as teenagers, lost each other, gone through other marriages, and then suddenly found each other again. They had a torrid affair, their families were aghast and I was in love with them and their story. After reading Bittersweet, I continued reading bigger and more sweeping romances. In fact, I now write single title contempories myself and thank Ms. Spencer for inspiring me.

I Love Backstory

I love backstory.

What I'm talking about here are the things that shape our hero and heroine into who they are; all the beautiful moments they cherish, or those unavoidable blips in life that cause anger, fear, dislike and outright prejudice.

My personal favorites, though, are the backstories when the hero and heroine knew each other growing up. I love it when they are teen lovers, break up, and then meet again as adults and go for the HEA. I want every word of growing maturity as teens, every discovery, every caress, every argument.

Alas, this is why my first book will never see the light of day. I wrote what I wanted to read, not knowing it was taboo to include four chapters of teenage backstory in a twelve chapter book. (Or to use up a year's quota of exclamation points, but that's a blog for a different day.) Yes, it has been done and done well by the likes of Lavyrle Spencer and Judith McNaught, but both were well established before they broke the "rules". And both are two of only a handful of phenomenal writers who reside in a class by themselves.

The thing is, I still love my first book. I go back to it time and again, like a good friend who never fails to give me a boost. I really love the characters, and my favorite parts of the story are still those teen years. I don't need therapy to know why. Their beautiful relationship is everything my own teenage attempts at love failed to be. It's my way of having that romance without wishing I could actually change a thing, because just like with the characters, those experiences made me who I am today.

Maybe someday I will reduce those four chapters and incorporate them into their current story. Maybe not. Just the thought of it makes me feel like I'd be taking a knife to a friend. I know we all have to learn how to do that, and I have done it with no problem with every other book. Just not this one.

Valentine's Day Contest at Penelope's Romance Reviews

Penelope is excited to announce a contest to commemorate the most holy of all romance holidays....Valentine's Day! Please stop by Penelope's Romance Reviews to enter the contest. What do you think is the most romantic book ever written?  Let her know and you might win a paperback novel of your choice from Amazon. Happy Valentine's Day to all!

Enough with the Snow

No disrespect to Wilson Bentley and his lovely snowflake images, but I've had just about enough of the white stuff for the year. Possibly next year, too.

Maybe I'm imagining it, maybe I'm getting old and crotchety, maybe I've been freezing my ass off since I had my son and he (not I) retained all the glorious warmth that used to infuse me all winter long, but it seems like it's been snowing non-stop for months. And not just little dustings, either. We're talking mountains of snow. Rock hard, frozen browning mountains of snow. For you see, the last batch was followed by a lovely rain that crusted the earth and my freshly shoveled driveway into a hard lump of ice - a naturally formed ice skating rink that only yesterday, our first day above freezing in god knows how long, I managed to chip up and eject over the ice mountians and onto my equally frozen lawn.

Now, I'm a happy person. Really. Okay, you'll just have to take my word for it. But winter has lost its appeal. I used to be one of those lunatic New Englanders that relished the very thought of winter. Sledding, skiing, skating, hot chocolate in the front of the fire, cuddling up (preferably naked) under the blankets in a cozy bed. I was loving it. But now an important change has come over me. I am a Home Owner. Those Norman-Rockwellesque imaginings of the joy of winter were based entirely, it turns out, on the fact that my father, stepfather and the dude my condo association paid, were the ones shoveling their asses off all those years.

Now it's me.

The Snowflake Man

Since we New Englanders are currently inundated with the white fluffy stuff, I thought I would post a link to The Snowflake Man. Wilson Bentley, otherwise known as The Snowflake Man, was the first person to photograph a single snow crystal in 1885.  His accomplishments in photomicrography are fascinating considering his humble beginnings in rural Vermont. Since my WIP focuses on the Klaus family in the North Pole, snow is sort of a major character in my series. I am definitely planning to incorporate Bentley into my story somehow...maybe Santa is a big fan? Who knows. Anyway, checking out Bentley's gorgeous photographs of snow crystals just might help you get through another day of bitter cold and mentally prep for the next storm.