Conference Reflections

Seize the moment before it is gone, for another day begins at dawn.
-Clay Harrison

We have been home for a week now, and it seems as though the RWA conference was eons ago. Do not think that all of the excitement is gone, for that is not the case at all. It is more the case of being submerged in a magical world for a short while and then dumped back into everyday existence. I feel the way a seven year old would feel on the day she returned to school after a week of vacationing at Walt Disney World.
The first day was a blur, between meeting my writing buds for the first time and then entering the room at the literary signing, the day was emotionally charged and full of excitement and anxiety.

At the literary signing giddy with excitement, I approached my favorite writer, Jacquie D’Alessandro. She was even more bubbly and cheerful than I had imagined from her writing voice and her adorable photo on the inside back cover of her books. Charming and sincere, she graciously accepted my gush of compliments and graced me with the opportunity for a photo. At the end, she even offered me her shirt featuring the cover of her new book, Sleepless at Midnight. It is hanging on the wall of my office right now as inspiration. Like a schoolgirl I practically skipped back to my room that night, wondering to myself how could the conference get any better?

The next three days continued to be magical. The company was wonderful, the food was great, the lectures were fantastic, and my star struck giddy gently wore down to a admirable respect.

There were a few emotional moments. After hearing an agent speak disapprovingly of unpublished authors who blog, I rashly asked my husband to delete my entire blog. (seven months worth of blogs). I learned quickly over the next few days that everyone in the business seemed to have a different opinion on blogs and everything else, so I immediately regretted my rashness.

Then there were the Golden Heart and Rita awards. Oh, how I cried! I was so happy for all the winners and disappointed for the “runner’s-up”. And as I sat on the plane eight hours later, I envisioned myself in a long beaded gown befit a princess thanking my darling AOTP buddies, without whom this award, for me, would not be possible!

Ah-hum, OK, now back to reality. Upon returning home, I sat and digested all that I had learned, all that I had absorbed, and all that I had observed. Was this everything I had imagined? Is this really the niche I wish to carve for myself in my life? Is writing worth the time, energy, heartache, and personal sacrifice? I leave you with five words to answer these questions. San Francisco here I come.

Braveheart Who?

Aloha,

This week at AOTP the buzz with those of us who are going RWA convention is “which workshops are we going to attend?”. There are so many choices, it has definitely been a challenge to narrow it down to one choice for each session. I will be leaning mostly to the craft workshops, not the business end, because if assume that if I do not have a well crafted manuscript, it does not matter how great my synopsis is written or how wonderful my query letters are written, or does it matter? Perhaps I should through a few of technical classes in for good measure.

There is such a diverse group of workshops offered at RWA, there are few attendees who will be left wanting. Although on some introspection, I came up with a few suggestions for nest year’s convention.

Tie Me Up 101: Do you long to write, but still have young children home during the day, or older kids home for summer break? In this class we will learn all the ethical ways to “occupy” your children so you may get a least one hour a day of uninterrupted writing time. Topics include; What children can do with a soda can and a butter knife, How much TV can a child really watch without frying her brain?, and Gagging - safe or sadistic? This is so popular it will be offered in two different time slots.

Hovering Over the Slush Pile: For those interested in the Paranormal, this class will teach you spells and incantations that can be used to enhance your completed masterpiece, and get it to your editor or agent. Highlights include: the Hovering Manuscript Spell - always be at the top of the pile. Literally, your manuscript can not be buried! The Query Letter Adhesive Incantation- your query letter will not leave the editor or agents hands until she has contacted you personally via e-mail or telephone. And the long awaited Synopsis Perceive Charm - one look and your editor can instantly see your entire manuscript from start to finish in her mind.

Braveheart Who?: Do you love historical romance, but want to take a break from Medieval Scotland and Regency England? Traditionally editors have shied away from more unpopular areas of time and location for the Historical Romance Genre. In this workshop we will explore the possibility of opening the genre to new and exciting locals and time period: Ancient Mesopotamia - who was that alpha hero (or heroine) who invented the wheel? Medieval Spain - was the Spanish Inquisition that bad? Antarctica - Love among ice and penguins.

Anyone else game?

Six Favorite Heros

OK, This is definitely much easier than the Heroines. I think because I like many of the heroes for superficial reasons. Romantic heroes, often alpha males, are created to entice your heart and ...uhm...senses, but not necessarily your brain. Sometimes there is the rare Hero who does both. Here is my list of those who do entice every part of me.

1. Tristan of the 12 century tale Tristan and Isolde. Tristan is torn between the agony of betraying his Uncle and most loved friend Mark, and the woman who both saved his life and tried to kill him. Isolde loves him and leaves him, and then when Tristan finally finds his own Isolde, the first Isolde returns to haunt him further. He is a true example of chivalry, honor, and integrity.

2. Mr. Knightly of Jane Austin’s Emma: He is the perfect man; patient, kind, wise, honorable,and considerate.

3. Hawk from Karen Marie Moning’s Beyond the highland Mist: This is the first Moning book I have read. Hawk was perfect, I have not come across a hero so enticing in any book I have read. She endeared him to me with the hand carved nursery he created for his future babes.

4. The Phantom of the Opera - from the 2004 film, not the book or opera: A tormented musical genius, passionately obsessive about the heroine. He is highly intelligent, erotic, and possessive. He is so fragile within his heart. The paradox between his tender nurturing and violent obsession makes him very fascinating.

5. Leif Draugr of Kat Martin’s Heart of Honor: Smart, ambitious, willing to risk everything for family, but torn between the love of his life and the love of his lost world. Who can resist a Viking caught in 19th century London?

6. Mr. Darcy, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Darcy! No need to explain, I am sure!

Six heroines that I love

The gals of my writing group, Affairs of the Pen, have been talking about their favorite heroes and heroines. We picked six of our favorites and I will share my favorites with you.

I love my heroines because I relate to them so well, there is a little bit of me in each one of them.

1. Hermione Granger of Harry Potter: She makes being bookish cool and being a know it all rather endearing, even though it stems from being deeply insecure and feeling completely inadequate. She is spunky, calm, collected, and best of all a loyal and true friend in all circumstances.

2. Emma of Jane’s Austin’s Emma: Emma has a heart of gold, but she can take her charity too far. I relate to Emma. We both continually overextend ourselves to help others and much to our dismay disaster always ensues and we end up hurting ourselves as well as the people we care about.

3. Bridget Jones of Helen Felding’s Bridget Jones’ Diary: Ok, I know this book is a blatant plagiarism of Jane Austin, but I still love the story and her endearing Bridget. She is loyal, caring, and a real heroine. I can also relate to Bridget very well. Slightly overweight, always saying the wrong things, being a complete slob and clumsy ox...Bridget and I are twins! Plus, I too drink a little bit too much wine.

4. Madeline Hunter’s Nesta of Stealing Heaven: Proud and loyal even though she has been outcast by society. A true fighter, she never gives up even though her situation is pretty bleak.

5. Keira of Hanna Howell’s Highland Champion: I think the reason I like her is because she is an energy healer.

6. Kim Possible: Ok, I know she is a cartoon character. BUT I LOVE HER! Not only is she smart, strong, fearless, but she loves her goofy sidekick Ron...definitely not an alpha male hero. I tell my daughters the show is really about me. She really can save the world.

Lost in my own world

It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness. -Charles H. Spurgeon


Hello Again,

After weeks of being absent from the blog, I am back again. Did you miss me? Life was seemingly spinning out of control for a while and now things are starting to settle down a bit. The close of the week has been excellent, although I am nursing a pretty nasty sunburn on my face from today’s outing.

I live in Hawai’i and I am a triathlete, albeit not a very good one, and I raced the North Shore Triathlon today. I do my best “writing” when I am out on a run or during a swim. My mind is free from distractions and can wander as far as it likes. Today, however, I was distracted from my usual creative reverie. I finished dead last in my age group, but I was helping a friend through the swim and I went verra verra slow for her. I even stopped a few times when she was having bike trouble - she clipped a guy coming out of transition and then couldn’t get into her pedals. Once she was stable on the bike she took off like a flash and I did not see her again. She finished 181st and I humbly stumbled in at 250th or so. As they say, no good deed goes unpunished.

Luckily, in the writing world my writing friends are always there to support me. We have a very stellar group of writers in my opinion, and there are some of us, who I suspect will have their MIPs picked up for publishing very soon. I would never want any of my AOTP buds to slow down and wait for me. I want them to press ahead and succeed. So what happens after publication? Will the dynamics of our group change? Will our stellar writers have the time to give suggestions, chat about Harry Potter theories, or to lend a helping hand with personal issues? I wonder how other writing groups have handled this transition with the demands of a newly published or contracted writer.

I cannot speak for all writing groups, as they are all as different as the individuals that make up their membership, but I think I can speak for us. I think AOTP would always have time for the friends that we made as budding writers. Our support and love has helped guide each of us on our journey to success and we would miss each other so much if one of us chose to move on. I guess as long as we continue to grow as writers, we can still be an asset to each other professionally as well as personally. Published or not.

So, this sunburned girl learned a valuable lesson today, support your friends, but always press ahead.

Ice cream relieves the pain

Ahhh, late night blogging again! I have been absent for a few weeks due to, well, lets just say “Oh the Drama!”, but now it is simmering down. Presently I find myself, late at night, in front of my Mac. The house is quiet, and I have all my time to myself. No laundry, no kids, no nagging. The Night Jasmine is even in bloom and the Tradewinds are carrying it down from the mountains to my window. I think I love writing at night. Yes, I am tired and words do not flow as well, but it is peaceful, and I have no interruptions.

Do any of you writers out there suffer from lack of family support? Writing is becoming a dirty word in our household. It is partially my own fault. I agreed to be the stay at home Mom, I agreed not to work during our marriage, and I agreed to home-school our children. Yet, my stories are calling me and I can not ignore them any longer.

I think the major battle began when I decided I wanted to go to the Romance Writers of America Conference in Dallas. This has been the heartache and the headache of my household. It was begrudgingly agreed upon when there was the possibility of getting to meet with agents and editors. But now, being only 25K into my story almost a year later, it is obvious that if I was lucky enough to get a general membership appointment with someone, I would have nothing to show. There in lies the problem. I bite my tongue as the fury abounds and try to convince myself that I can be a stepford wife for as long as humanly possible to have the opportunity to go. For nothing else, I will get three days of vacation, and a chance to meet these great friends who have endeared themselves to me over the past year.

So, off I will go with my workshop list in hand, and hopefully I will comeback refreshed and rejuvenated with new skills to keep my story going. So many of the workshops look wonderful. I am having a hard time deciding between the career workshops versus the writing workshops. The writing workshops would be the most helpful in finishing my story, but the career workshops will help me to sell the story. It is dubious that I will have the opportunity to go again unless I actually sell a book. Which, honestly I do not care about. I want to write, if it sells great, if not ...well, I still will have written a book. Ah- so the goals of the week are: A. Transform into the Perfect Wife and B. Decide which workshops will be most beneficial. OR alternatively C. Go to the freezer and sneak some Breyers Chocolate ice cream now that everyone is in Bed.

mmmmmm, I will let you know how it goes.

Outdoor Amore

Outdoor Amore... in honor of earth day Alyson and Macy came up with the Blog topic of "Best outdoor lovemaking scenes". This topic is a bit difficult for me for two reasons. Number 1: I think I am in the early stages of Alzheimer's - I literally have a memory of a sieve. Number 2: since we live in a 1000 square foot military house with little to no storage, anything that is not absolutely needed is donated, pitched or sold. Very unfortunately...this includes most of my books. So, although I may not be able to give you the exact titles and authors, I can give you the setting, in most cases.

1. Hannah Howell is a master at lovemaking scenes. Her specialty seems to be outdoor and, uhm, creative, lovemaking. She seems to also have a knack for food-lovemaking. I no longer have my Hanna Howell collection to reference, but any of the 13 or so books in her highlander series offer a foray of outdoor “activities”. There are numerous lovemaking sessions under the trees in the dark outside edges of a military encampments. With only a blanket or the long wraps of the Hero’s plaid to cover them, or conceal their activity, these scenes could appeal to someone who likes to live on the edge of danger.

2. I can not remember the particular author, but there were three books in her series. She has had several scenes from separate books, where her hero and heroine are making love besides a freezing cold loch in Northern Scotland after bathing. Her heroes must be very well endowed or her heroines must be hotter than Aphrodite, for after a dip in 40 degree water, there is noting holding these couples back. These scenes will warm you up in the middle of a North Dakota Blizzard.

3. Shannon Drake is my next recommendation for tumbling in nature. Under the moonlight, in a grassy clearing of the wood, her hero and heroine laid bare their souls and the rest of their bodies. This seems to be the most romantic setting to me. Who doesn’t look good in moonlight? The soft wind blowing through the grass and gently rustling the leaves. Quiet, sensual lovemaking. The kind that lulls you softly to sleep when you are finished. mmmmmm......

4. Jackie D’ Alessandro wrote a great scene in the Love and the Single Heiress about making love in a hot water spring outside in a garden. It was very sensual. My heart was racing the whole time because the story took place in Regency England, and I was terrified they would get caught by prying eyes or by the antagonist who was trying to kill the heroine. In the water lovemaking is very sensual, but hard to imagine.

5. I can not remember the novel’s name or the author’s name, but there was a historical novel set in 1700s of Italy where the heroine and hero made love in a grotto by the sea. The details of the grotto, the waves crashing along the rocks, and the silky sand still stand out in my mind today. What a beautiful place to consummate your passion.

6. The last on my list is a shameful advertisement for myself, Jacqueline McDermott - My Father’s Bride. The Waterfall scene. Details - well, you will have to wait and read the book to find out. :o)