Pins and Posts of 2012

New Year's Day. Hmmm. This is probably a good time to reflect on the lessons of 2012 and make resolutions for a happy, healthy, prosperous 2013. Instead, here are some of my favorite posts on Facebook and Pinterest.

Writers get this.

Someone also wrote: "Writer's block is when our imaginary friends stop talking to us." Hate it when that happens.

I thought this inspiring and hereby resolve to step outside my comfort zone more often in 2013, to go places I've never been and try new things. Zip lining, anyone?

A 86 year old woman once told me she felt 35 inside. She wore stylish clothes, traveled, had lots of friends of all ages. This made me think of her and what I learned from the way she lived her life.

Mystery solved:

 Another great one for writers and readers. This week I spent many hours in Paris, the British Virgin Islands and Wyoming without ever getting on a plane.

And this was just so delightful, I had to share. Anyone who has ever had a Lab or known one, knows it is just dead on!!!

Wishing everyone a wonderful 2013! Anyone have resolutions, thoughts or humor to share?

Defending Genre Fiction...Not that it needs it

This weekend a friend gave me a DVD of her new favorite movie, THE OTHER MAN. (Spoiler warning: if this is on your dying-to-see list, don’t read on) She told me to tell her I loved it even if I didn’t. Looks like I’m going to lie.

I love romance novels so watching a story where a wife (Laura Linney) while dying of cancer sets up her husband (Liam Neeson) to discover her infidelity after her death—well, I’ve got a problem with the b*!#$! Everything we see on screen shows a loving relationship and yet she leads him to discover she had an affair with a janitor ( Antonio Banderas, but still…) in Milan and leaves pictures on her laptop of them together. Naked. The cruelty was inconceivable to me and as a result I couldn’t believe two men could love this woman so deeply. Hey, in romance the heroine has to deserve the hero and vice versa or they don't get their happily-ever-after.

When the movie was over I realized that for my friend it was a cinematic equivalent of a literary novel. She's made it clear she thinks romance novels are trite and formulaic and yet I think she misses the point. Like all genre fiction, romance is entertainment, and yet there’s an integrity to the stories, characters and relationships that I love. No romance heroine would intentionally inflict pain on the man she loved in such a heartless, selfish and irrevocable way. Yeah, they make mistakes and hurt people they love, but never deliberately and cruelly.

In romance we create a lot of flawed characters and torture them into redemption. But redeem them, we do. One of my favorite writers, J.R. Ward, has written the Black Dagger Brotherhood series in which horribly damaged, murderous vampire warriors find redemption in order to make a life with the females they love. This is an edgy series that has limited appeal even in the paranormal romance world, and yet these characters do their best to love, protect and nurture—and any hurt they inflict is unintentional and sorely regretted. Their happily-ever-after isn’t guaranteed, we know they’ll always have to work at their relationships, and yet they try to be the best people, or vampires, they can be. Call me shallow, say I live in a fantasy world, but that’s the life I want to live—one of caring and integrity.

Expand to other genres--thriller, sci-fi, fantasy, suspense, mystery—and the moral compass still points to good, not evil. Sure, some protagonists have a dark side but they also have a moral code—think Mitch Rapp, Jack Reacher and any action hero Jason Statham plays on screen. We love them because we want good to triumph and for the hero to do the right thing. It’s human nature. Hmmm. Maybe genre fiction says more about who we are than literary fiction after all.

There are great pieces of literature that I love and cherish in my library, books I read over and over. On the other hand, I’m still on page 22 of A Confederacy of Dunces and not likely to get much further no matter what prize it won. 

What’s your guilty pleasure? What books move you and bring a smile to your face? 

Visiting THE BALLROOM

At the 2012 RWA National Conference I attended a workshop called "Have a Ball with Your Blog: Fostering an Online Community for Readers" where six fabulous historical romance writers (Sarah MacLean, Tessa Dare, Miranda Neville, Sabrina Darby, Lauren Willig and Kate Noble) talked about their blog, The Ballroom. 

 All of these authors write Regency Romances, stories set in England in the early 19^th century and the most popular of historical genres. In these romances, much of the action is likely to take place in ballrooms where lovely young women and dashing aristocratic men meet under the scrutiny of the ton. By a stroke of creative genius, these authors have created a blog ballroom supervised by an ever-gracious hostess, Lady B, and visited by authors and the characters in their books in a fun mash-up of time and cultures.

Each author has adopted a Ballroom personality while remaining herself. Occasionally the hero of a book scandalizes Lady B or or a heroine enlists help in catching the eye of a handsome young lord. There are polls,quizzes, parlor games, holiday parties and guest posts by visiting authors. Last week, Sophie Jordan and Cleo Hadley (the heroine of LESSONS FROM A SCANDALOUS BRIDE) joined Sarah MacLean and Lady B to find Cleo a match. 

Each post is a story in itself--interaction between author, characters and Ballroom regulars that anyone can join in. I was delighted by the wit, not only of the poster, but also in the comments as authors and visitors get into the spirit of Regency romance.

There are thousands of blogs out there with all kinds of purposes and themes. The Ballroom stands out for me as a place to enjoy the whimsy and creativity of a brilliant group of writers who invite us to hang out with them in the imaginary world of their books and an era that has inspired an entire genre of romance. If you enjoy historicals, check it out!

Are there any blogs you find especially fun to visit? Please share!

Read Kimberly Frost's New Series! Now!

This weekend I finished Kimberly Frost’s ALL THAT FALLS, the second in her Etherlin series. I liked the first, ALL THAT BLEEDS, a lot. With the second, I’m totally hooked. In Ms. Frosts' world the descendants of the ancient muses live in a glittering community in the Colorado Rockies called the Etherlin, while beyond the wall live humans and vendala, human-vampire hybrids who crave muse blood. Here are excerpts from the cover blurbs:

ALL THAT BLEEDS

Alissa North is inspiration made flesh, so she should never have met Merrick, a deadly half-vampire enforcer, but when they do meet, the connection is instantaneous, and an illicit flirtation is born. The long-distance friendship was never supposed to go any farther. But when she is kidnapped and thrown briefly into his world, everything changes.

ALL THAT FALLS

As his muse, Cerise propelled her musician boyfriend to the heights of fame, but when he died under mysterious circumstances her powers vanished. Now she’s plagued by disturbing half-formed memories of his final night…until she meets the fallen archangel Lysander who seems to hold the key to restoring her memories and abilities.

I love the world Kimber’s created—the magical Etherlin which is too good to be true and the violent Varden where Merrick and Lysander live—and the characters who go against their natures to connect with each other. These beings are larger than life and yet very human in their capacity for love and loyalty. The villains are deliciously evil, the heroes heroic and flawed, and the action is fast paced, epic and addictive. If you enjoy paranormal romance, you’ll love this series! I certainly do.

Anyone have any book recommendations this week? I'm headed to RWA and would love to pick up signed copies at the 2012 "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing in Wednesday. Details here. 

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Would he be more handsome if his name was Ryan?

I’ve always had a thing about names so when I came across a piece from NPR called Baby Names: The Latest Partisan Divide?,  I couldn’t resist reading it. Apparently people in the conservative Midwest choose more creative and androgynous names like Paislee, Liberty, Rykan and Scottlynn for their children while New Englander’s favor traditional names such as Evan, Elizabeth, Rachel, Abigail and John. Hmmm.  An interesting study.

As a writer I think a lot about characters’ names before committing to them because I know how important it is for the reader connect with the persona I’m creating as quickly as possible. If my heroine is strong and adventuresome, Molly or Tillie won’t communicate those traits. An alpha-hero can be Will, Jake or Roarke but not Billy, Walter or Elmer.  A lot has been written about how names affect peoples’ reaction to a person. The BBC asked, “Would he be more handsome if his name was Ryan?” over a picture of George Clooney. Archibald Leach was certainly more attractive as Cary Grant and Betty Joan Perske was much sexier as Lauren Bacall. Would Tom Cruise still be a star as Thomas Mapother IV? And, yes, there’s a website with celebrities’real names if you want to see more. 

Historical author  Shana Galen wrote a great blog post about naming characters  where she said, “The author also has to choose a name she can live with for six months. If my archenemy is named Gabrielle, I’m not going to want to write that name a dozen times a day.” Good advice! She also warns that difficult spelling and pronunciation.   

If you want to know what names were popular in the United States when an American character was born, the Social Security website lets you search the most popular names by year.    This site can eat a lot of time, but it’s also fascinating to see how the popularity of names changes. Dorothy, Betty and Joan were common in the 1930’s, and disappeared from the list in the 1950’s when Linda, Susan, Barbara and Nancy hit the top 20. By the 2000’s, none of these girls names appeared in the top 200. On the other hand, Michael has been near the top of the boys’ names list since the 1940’s, and James and William have never dropped off. Does this data fascinate anyone else?

So what names do you respond to positively or negatively? Are there any that would turn you off to a character or book instantly? Any that would create instant rapport?

HAVING A THRILLER OF A SUMMER

With summer here, I’m finding my reading choices have shifted with the season. Recently I’ve been especially enjoying some terrific romantic suspense books and thrillers. Who can resist Vince Flynn’s political thrillers or the latest Jack Reacher from Lee Child? But beyond the top ten of the New York Times Bestseller List, there are some great beach reads that take a bit more digging to discover.

 Out this week is a collection of short stories/novellas called LOVE IS MURDER by thirty superstars of the suspense genre. Sure, Sandra Brown’s name is on the cover in bold type, but don’t overlook gems by Brenda Novak, Laura Griffin, Roxanne St. Claire, and Houston’s own Will Simon. If you’re out and about in Houston on Sunday afternoon, stop by Murder by the Book on Bissonnet at 3:00 pm and get Will to sign your copy!

Speaking of Brenda Novak and Laura Griffin, I just finished their recent releases and both were terrific!! In Laura’s TWISTED  a young woman police detective teams with a hardened FBI profiler to find the twisted killer of young women. Laura knows her stuff when it comes to real life detective work and could teach CSI Miami a thing or two!

The hero of Brenda Novak’s INSIDE served fourteen years for a murder he didn't commit, but when he’s finally exonerated, must go back inside a high security prison undercover to protect his sister and her kids. Add a woman Chief Deputy Warden who tries to protect him and…well, things do heat up in more ways than one!

 So what are you reading? What do you recommend for a sunny afternoon at poolside?

You’ve Got to Read This Book: THE PROPHET by Amanda Stevens

I’m a huge fan of Amanda Stevens and her Graveyard Queen series so the release of the third book, THE PROPHET, this week is an exciting event. 

In the first book of the series—THE RESTORER--she introduces Amelia Grey, a graveyard restorer who sees ghosts. When a murdered woman is found in the graveyard where she’s working, Amelia is called on to help in the investigation and gets involved with John Devlin, a police detective haunted by his dead wife and daughter. I reviewed it here.

In the second book, THE KINGDOM, Amelia flees Charleston and Devlin to take a project in the dying town of Asher Falls where she comes face to face with her own mysterious history as well as some truly evil entities. (Reviewed here)

 As THE PROPHET begins, Amelia has returned to Charleston and is immediately drawn back to Devlin and entangled with his ghosts. Add the high-functioning ghost of a murdered cop looking for answers, a beautiful fortune-teller with a past and present with Devlin, and a sorcerer practicing deadly African rituals, and you have a story you won’t be able to put down. If you haven't read this series--start it now!!! Right now! 

 Check out the Graveyard Queen trailer. It’s deliciously creepy like the books!

SAVED BY MY NEIGHBORHOOD BOOKSTORE!!!

I hate Christmas shopping. Well, that’s not quite true. I hate figuring out the perfect gift for each person on my list. Some people have a talent for knowing the exact thing to buy—not me. So this year several people on my list are getting books from my friendly independent book-sellers. I know I can count on these to help me find the very best presents:

MURDER BY THE BOOK is my choice for mysteries, action novels, and a wide range of genres that will delight some of my favorite people. AND—big plus drum roll—they have autographed copies of many of those books. Want a great read signed by Janet Evanovich, Harlan Coben, Michael Connelly, Diana Gabaldon, John Sandford, Kathy Reichs? No problem! Call or email your order. Or better yet, stop in and ask the staff for recommendations. Like them on Facebook and keep up with all the famous authors who speak and sign there. 

KATY BUDGET BOOKS is another indie favorite. In West Houston near Katy, this store has everything! New and used books, many signed, of all kinds. Fiction, non-fiction, picture books—this place has it all and the friendly KBB staff couldn’t be more helpful. They even have coffee table books for “lookers” and a huge collection of new and “recycled” romances. Get on their newsletter for to keep up with author signings and special events. 

BRAZOS BOOK STORE is a great place for those reader who are more inclined to literary fiction and specialized non-fiction. A book of poetry for your English teacher aunt, maybe? A memoir or biography? Or perhaps you want an off-beat suggestion for an intellectual on your list. Browse the staff suggestions online and check out their signed books for something a little special.

Sure, I still love my Kindle and my husband will have a gift card from Amazon in his stocking to download his beloved Lee Childs’ thrillers to his iPad. But for real shopping, an independent bookstore is where I always go to buy the special gifts with a personal touch. Checks out my favorites and tell us if you have any wonderful bookstores in your area. What are your book gotta-buys this year? 

A BOOK TO CURL UP WITH

Last night I finished THE LAST LETTER FROM YOUR LOVER by Jojo  Moyes and knew I needed to recommend it to anyone looking for a lovely read over the upcoming holiday weekend.

The story follows two “heroines” forty years apart. Jennifer is the wife of a wealthy London businessman in 1960 who falls in love with a journalist while summering on the French Riviera. Ellie is a high-powered journalist in 2003’s London who is having an affair with a famous and very married author. Their paths intersect when Ellie finds a heart-breaking love letter and sets out to discover the story behind it.

The contrast between Jennifer’s world and its oppressive restrictions on women and Ellie’s world where her social freedom creates its own emotional barriers is one of the themes that lifts this story beyond the typical love story and makes it memorable. And the writing is good! Go to your nearest independent bookstore today (plug for the indies who support us!) and get a copy!

GIVING AWAY RITA WINNING YA NOVEL: IRON KING

Last week at the RWA National Conference in New York I got to hang out with some wonderful young adult novel authors. Although I don’t think I’ll ever write for that age group, I love reading the books of such marvelous writers as Tera Lynn Childs, Sophie Jordan, Kimberly Derting, Suzanne Collins and many others. These books cover such a wide range of subjects and characters I’m awed by the imaginations who create them. Okay, and these are some very fun women as well as talented!

Is there any YA book you--or your kids--loved that needs to be added to my TBR pile? Why did you love it?

BOOK GIVE AWAY 

Each year RWA nominates books from each romance genre for the coveted Rita award. This is the romance writer’s equivalent of the Academy Awards. This week I’m giving away a copy of the 2011 Rita Award winner in the young adult category—IRON KING by Julie Kagawa. Just leave a comment any day this week, and next Monday I’ll draw a name for the book.

Here’s what the back cover says:

 Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Leave as many suggestions as you want! I read a lot!

YA...NOT JUST FOR TEENS ANYMORE!

Whether you’re a fan or not, it’s hard to deny that the TWILIGHT series did for young adult (YA) fiction what Harry Potter did for children’s literature—capture adult readers. One of my all time favoriteS is the Hunger Games trilogy which transcended the YA genre and proved that a readers of all ages will flock to a well-written story with a serious theme even if the protagonists are teens.

Several of my friends are YA authors who not only write wonderful books themselves, but eagerly introduce me to books by other YA authors. So here are a few I’ve especially enjoyed lately.

FIRELIGHT by Sophie Jordan

Jacinda is a draki (descendants of dragons who can shift into human form) who is force to flee her “pride” with her mother and sister. Soon she finds that living among humans presents its own deadly dangers

FORGIVE MY FINS by Tera Lynn Childs

Lily is a mermaid princess living on land and attending a high school where no one knows her real identity. She needs to find a mate before she turns 18 in order to inherit the throne. A surprise kiss from the wrong boy leads to a tidal wave of unexpected consequences.

DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver

Lena Haloway lives in a government-managed society where everyone is cured of deliria, a.k.a. love when they turn 18. She looks forward to that day until she meets a mysterious young man who makes her doubt the intentions of those in power.

THE BODY FINDER by Kimberly Derting

Violet Ambrose can sense the unique imprint violent deaths leave on the victim and the killer them. With a serial killer murdering young girls, she chooses to risk her own safety to find him.

Do you have any recommendations of YA books you’ve enjoyed? Please share!