Saturday, January 29, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
All that gold ... The Egyptians come to town!
There's great excitement in Dublin with the news that Tutankhamun is visiting Dublin on February 14th - July 31 2011, and for me, the date of his arrival is particularly significant.
There's something strange going on here.
The Egyptian gold arrives in Dublin 14 February.
And Bound to Love, my next book, is launched on 14 February.
And a very important pair of artifacts feature large in Bound to Love.
These are them. The beautiful gold Rameses bracelets, from the reign of Rameses II (1290-1224 BC).
I'll be posting more about Bound to Love as the date approaches, but the story begins in the British Museum, where my heroine, Tempest MacKenzie is leaving a meeting. She's a master goldsmith, specialising in replicating ancient golden artifacts, who has been contracted to make detailed replicas of the above bracelets, which will remain in the British Museum after the Egyptian Gold Touring Exhibition leaves.
It's a romantic suspense, so I won't reveal any clues except to say that where's there's gold, there's trouble!!
But the perfect synchronicity of the golden Tutankhamun exhibition opening on the same day as my novel's launch?- Well that's priceless!
There's something strange going on here.
The Egyptian gold arrives in Dublin 14 February.
And Bound to Love, my next book, is launched on 14 February.
And a very important pair of artifacts feature large in Bound to Love.
These are them. The beautiful gold Rameses bracelets, from the reign of Rameses II (1290-1224 BC).
I'll be posting more about Bound to Love as the date approaches, but the story begins in the British Museum, where my heroine, Tempest MacKenzie is leaving a meeting. She's a master goldsmith, specialising in replicating ancient golden artifacts, who has been contracted to make detailed replicas of the above bracelets, which will remain in the British Museum after the Egyptian Gold Touring Exhibition leaves.
It's a romantic suspense, so I won't reveal any clues except to say that where's there's gold, there's trouble!!
But the perfect synchronicity of the golden Tutankhamun exhibition opening on the same day as my novel's launch?- Well that's priceless!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Itchy Fingers
Thanks everyone for checking out Long and Short Romance Reviews - The lucky winner of the week was Judi Fennell whose book I dream of Genies sounds great fun, so congratulations to her!
My fingers are itching to start a new book, I'm trying to sketch it out, and really solidify internal conflicts, but its tugging at me to just dive in and start writing, so first thing tomorrow, that's my plan! When my muse taps on my shoulder, who am I to refuse him? And yes, he's a him. A tall, dark and handsome him. He's my muse, so he can be anything he wants!!
Finally, thanks to The Romance Studio, for the nomination I discovered yesterday - I've been entered in for the Cupid and Psyche Awards (the capas) under the category, Favorite Author.
My fingers are itching to start a new book, I'm trying to sketch it out, and really solidify internal conflicts, but its tugging at me to just dive in and start writing, so first thing tomorrow, that's my plan! When my muse taps on my shoulder, who am I to refuse him? And yes, he's a him. A tall, dark and handsome him. He's my muse, so he can be anything he wants!!
Finally, thanks to The Romance Studio, for the nomination I discovered yesterday - I've been entered in for the Cupid and Psyche Awards (the capas) under the category, Favorite Author.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Book of the week? - Voting now open!
I got a lovely e-mail yesterday from Long and Short Reviews, telling me that Catch Me A Catch is a contender for book of the week. Now obviously this isn't a prize for the book itself, but rather the book that sounds the most enticing by the review.
They sent me a link to my review, which is here.
And a link to the poll here. This is a weekend poll only, starting Saturday and ending Sunday - so if you have a moment, do pop over there, have a read, and vote for the one that tickles your fancy.
They sent me a link to my review, which is here.
And a link to the poll here. This is a weekend poll only, starting Saturday and ending Sunday - so if you have a moment, do pop over there, have a read, and vote for the one that tickles your fancy.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The 3 R's.
Readin? Riting? Rithmatic?
No. Not those three R's. Today I'm blogging about the past month. And my 3 R's were Revision, Rejection and Review.
Before I start - Happy Belated New Year to everyone - I've been in internet hell here for the past couple of weeks, with my connection breaking and then coming back, which has involved lots of men climbing poles (!), handsome hero digging up floors and pulling wires around, and swapping out routers struck by lightning. So I'm here. And hope to continue to stay here - for a while at least!! Sorry if I've missed anything!
In mid December I received my first R - Revisions for a story for The Wild Rose Press. I've done em, and sent them back for a re-read - fingers crossed!
On Christmas Eve I received my second R - A Rejection from M&B on a partial. I was very glad to get this before Christmas, and it was a good, helpful R which left me not so much gutted as revved up and determined to totally wow them with the next one.
This week, I received my third R - A lovely Review for Catch Me A Catch from Long and Short Romance Reviews. http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-01-11T04%3A03%3A00-05%3A00
You don't want to know about my revisions - I ate the rejection - but I print below the review in full, because I like it! Now off to scan everyone's blogs and see what I've missed!
***
Catch Me a Catch by Sally Clements
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (191 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rated: 4.5 books
Review by Snapdragon
She had the perfect life - and all she wanted was to escape it. Artisan chocolatier and reluctant matchmaker Annie Devine wants to survive the annual Durna Matchmaking Festival without messing up. She's useless at relationships, and the whole village know it. They've known ever since the day she was left at the altar in her wedding dress. When Jack Miller, charismatic head of Miller Advertising is forced to make an emergency stop on his transatlantic crossing, she mistakes him for a love-lorn bachelor, and sparks fly. Jack's in Ireland to discover his roots, while Annie's desperate to escape hers. Annie longs to win the coveted Chocolate Oscar competition, and claim the ultimate prize, her own shop in Dublin. But with the deadline for Jack's return to New York looming, is she making the right choice?
Immediate, heart-stopping action marks the start of Catch Me a Catch, by Sally Clements. Her fast-paced prose drops us into the center of storm and the struggles of sailor Jack Miller. He's just coincidentally sailing right into an Irish matchmaking festival, although fate has more in store for him than finding an easy match.
Annie Devine has sort of inherited this matchmaking gig, and she's determined to do a good job at it. Jack is plainly a challenge to her. Their initial conversation is hysterical -- partly because we suspect they aren't quite on the same page from the start! Clements shows a remarkably light touch with believable and sometimes cross-purposed dialogue, throughout.
In fact, each of our characters are more complex than they appear. This will be no straightforward, predictable romance. And all sorts of things from their lives keep butting in to complicate matters. Who knew that making the world's best almond praline truffle could pose such a conundrum? Although, certainly more important matters put Annie and Jack at loggerheads, as well. Is it alarming or merely stereotypical that they each reach for booze to cope with emotions? I'm not sure, but it cropped up often enough to be distracting.
Clever and subtle use of words and names (loved the pub named "The Maiden's Arms," Or even just Annie's own: the 'Devine' girl of his dreams, and similar) is fun and interesting, especially at the start. Now and again, action or a challenge seems to be resolved unconvincingly fast, but this indeed is a small complaint. Overall there was a nicely balanced blend of emotion, action and sizzling interaction. Annie's sense of being watched - indeed by the whole quaint community, adds so much to the charming Irish village backdrop.
The be there in-the-moment style of this dramatic narrative will grab your attention and keep it, cover-to-cover.
It's great to see this super story matched with such a perfect cover: Delightful, slightly whimsical, relates to story, and quirky enough to be eye catching. Kudos to the cover designer, too. This one belongs in the must-read pile!
No. Not those three R's. Today I'm blogging about the past month. And my 3 R's were Revision, Rejection and Review.
Before I start - Happy Belated New Year to everyone - I've been in internet hell here for the past couple of weeks, with my connection breaking and then coming back, which has involved lots of men climbing poles (!), handsome hero digging up floors and pulling wires around, and swapping out routers struck by lightning. So I'm here. And hope to continue to stay here - for a while at least!! Sorry if I've missed anything!
In mid December I received my first R - Revisions for a story for The Wild Rose Press. I've done em, and sent them back for a re-read - fingers crossed!
On Christmas Eve I received my second R - A Rejection from M&B on a partial. I was very glad to get this before Christmas, and it was a good, helpful R which left me not so much gutted as revved up and determined to totally wow them with the next one.
This week, I received my third R - A lovely Review for Catch Me A Catch from Long and Short Romance Reviews. http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-01-11T04%3A03%3A00-05%3A00
You don't want to know about my revisions - I ate the rejection - but I print below the review in full, because I like it! Now off to scan everyone's blogs and see what I've missed!
***
Catch Me a Catch by Sally Clements
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Contemporary
Length: Full Length (191 pgs)
Heat Level: Spicy
Rated: 4.5 books
Review by Snapdragon
She had the perfect life - and all she wanted was to escape it. Artisan chocolatier and reluctant matchmaker Annie Devine wants to survive the annual Durna Matchmaking Festival without messing up. She's useless at relationships, and the whole village know it. They've known ever since the day she was left at the altar in her wedding dress. When Jack Miller, charismatic head of Miller Advertising is forced to make an emergency stop on his transatlantic crossing, she mistakes him for a love-lorn bachelor, and sparks fly. Jack's in Ireland to discover his roots, while Annie's desperate to escape hers. Annie longs to win the coveted Chocolate Oscar competition, and claim the ultimate prize, her own shop in Dublin. But with the deadline for Jack's return to New York looming, is she making the right choice?
Immediate, heart-stopping action marks the start of Catch Me a Catch, by Sally Clements. Her fast-paced prose drops us into the center of storm and the struggles of sailor Jack Miller. He's just coincidentally sailing right into an Irish matchmaking festival, although fate has more in store for him than finding an easy match.
Annie Devine has sort of inherited this matchmaking gig, and she's determined to do a good job at it. Jack is plainly a challenge to her. Their initial conversation is hysterical -- partly because we suspect they aren't quite on the same page from the start! Clements shows a remarkably light touch with believable and sometimes cross-purposed dialogue, throughout.
In fact, each of our characters are more complex than they appear. This will be no straightforward, predictable romance. And all sorts of things from their lives keep butting in to complicate matters. Who knew that making the world's best almond praline truffle could pose such a conundrum? Although, certainly more important matters put Annie and Jack at loggerheads, as well. Is it alarming or merely stereotypical that they each reach for booze to cope with emotions? I'm not sure, but it cropped up often enough to be distracting.
Clever and subtle use of words and names (loved the pub named "The Maiden's Arms," Or even just Annie's own: the 'Devine' girl of his dreams, and similar) is fun and interesting, especially at the start. Now and again, action or a challenge seems to be resolved unconvincingly fast, but this indeed is a small complaint. Overall there was a nicely balanced blend of emotion, action and sizzling interaction. Annie's sense of being watched - indeed by the whole quaint community, adds so much to the charming Irish village backdrop.
The be there in-the-moment style of this dramatic narrative will grab your attention and keep it, cover-to-cover.
It's great to see this super story matched with such a perfect cover: Delightful, slightly whimsical, relates to story, and quirky enough to be eye catching. Kudos to the cover designer, too. This one belongs in the must-read pile!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Getting to grips with internal conflict
For me, as all the minxes are painfully aware at this point, internal conflict is the most difficult element of creating a story. Maybe because I'm a private person, who tries to avoid looking at her own internal conflicts, maybe because it takes a lot out of me, or maybe because I know that its the heart of any romance, and I'm fearful of not getting it right.
I'm not very keen on therapy. My characters on the whole, tend not to be either. But I need to analyse them, empathise with them, and feel their inner pain in order to infuse my story with it. Its a struggle. But when I get it right nothing tops that feeling of achievement. Then a story has fulfilled its potential, and truly come to life.
So - in my eternal search to crack this most difficult of story elements, I read and constantly re-read the work of writers who HAVE got a handle on it. And one of the books I go back to again and again, is Hooked by Les Edgerton. I've blogged about this book before, and lauded Les's excellent writing blog. He somehow manages to elicit 'aha' moments from me every single pass that I take of Hooked. And his take on the 'story worthy problem' is both clear and concise. And a guaranteed aha.
On my most recent read, this is the kernel of truth that resonated. The difference between melodrama and drama. Now, I'm pretty good on melodrama. Mostly because I like plotting, and I like writing big, dramatic scenes. But the big dramatic scene can often be melodrama. The emotions it involkes are the true drama.
Take for example, the movie, Terminator.
The protagonist in Terminator is young Sarah Connor. She's 19, in college and working in a burger place in the evenings. She shares a flat with a girl called Ginger, and at the beginning we see her going out on a date with a guy she doesn't like very much. She's young, innocent, and we get the impression that not much has happened in her life, thus far.
As everyone knows, the two other main characters in Terminator are Terminator (played by Arnie) and Kyle Reese, sent from the future to save Sarah Connor, no matter what, because of the important role she will play in her future.
When her life is under threat, she can't believe her eyes as the Terminator relentlessly tracks her. Kyle explains that the Terminator is a Cyborg. Here's the section from James Cameron's treatment:
"I don't believe any of this," Sarah says. Frantic. She seems about to scream.
"Yeah, well that's OK. But that doesn't mean it isn't happening. You've got to accept and understand what this thing is. It can't be reasoned with, it can't be bargained with, it doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear...and it absolutely will not stop, ever, once it has been targeted. Unless it's destroyed."
Sarah is relentlessly pursued through the movie. She learns more about her future, and the importance of her as yet unconceived son, John Connor. She falls for Kyle. But she still doesn't fully comprehend the awful persistence of the Terminator. Until the where the relentless cyborg is caught in the flames of an exploding oil tanker. I could certainly write that with bells on. All licking flame and twisted metal. But the truth behind the scene isn't the explosion, but rather the response of the protagonist, Sarah Connor.
Here's James's treatment again:
An unbelievable fireball erupts skyward. The dumpster is enveloped by flames and is hurled, rolling on its casters, down the alley. Sarah falls before the blast as the forward trailer explodes and an ocean of fire rolls forward, almost reaching her. The dumpster tips over and Kyle rolls out.
In the center of the inferno Terminator struggles violently. His flesh fries and sizzles. He tears loose from the twisted wreckage and collapses to the ground. He sinks into a charred mass and stops moving.
Sarah crawls away from the intense heat and lies watching the motionless figure in the blaze. She staggers to her feet and circles around the building to find Kyle. She finds him lying near the dumpster, sheltered from the heat by its mass, and drags him away.
His head lolls. He opens his eyes. "Sarah."
"We got it, Kyle."
They embrace, silhouetted by the fire.
At this point Sarah feels a whole bunch of emotions, and they reflect in her eyes. Joy, that the man she loves is alive. Relief, that the terminator is finally dead. Elation, in triumphing against all odds. Fatigue, at the end (she thinks) of this horrible nightmare. The audience knows this, feels it with her. The struggles have changed Sarah, given her depth.
And the Terminator staggers out of the blaze behind them.
Sarah's emotions morph into terror.
In the struggle that follows, the Terminator and Kyle are both destroyed forever.
Sarah closes her eyes, letting the cool water bathe her, washing away blood and the fear.
Now that it's finally over, she can't believe it. The destruction of the cyborg and the loss of Kyle
neutralize each other, leaving a vacuum.
Sarah has survived. And her internal wounds now define her. She will live, because she is the mother of John Connor. The final image we have of her is of a woman, no longer a girl. The melodrama that she's been through give way to the drama that is uniquely hers. She now battles with a new confict, whether or not to reveal to her son that Kyle is his father:
"I'll always wonder," she continues, "Whether you should know about your father... whether that will change your decision to send him. Did you already know when you sent Kyle that you were his son... that you were sending him to his death? What an awful burden that was, or rather will be. Kyle was right... you can go crazy thinking about this stuff. Well, I'll do more later. I'm a bit tired... think I'll take a nap."
Sarah shuts off the cassette recorder and crosses her hands peacefully on her belly. Over her loose dress she wears a leather shoulder holster. The butt of a .38 revolver presses against her breast.
She is strong. Determined. We see this in the final image of her:
A serious, dark-complected woman brings her some tea. On the beach below a boy runs by and yells something to the woman in Spanish.
"What did he say, Maria?"
"There's a storm coming in."
Sarah gazes at the thunderheads way out there, rolling in. Heat lightning pulses in their depths. She sips her tea.
"Yes, I guess there is."
So despite the huge budget, impressive animatronics, and great special effects, the core of the story is Sarah Connor's internal transformation from innocent student to battle-weary veteran. She's known love, known death, and these experiences and her response to them are the truths that the audience takes with them. Things will be different for her in the future, because of the emotional scars that she'll bear from her past. These are the seeds of her deeply felt internal conflicts.
So what does this mean to me, writing romance?
That whatever has happened to my character in their past has formed a scar within their inner being. One they don't want to pick at. One they've most likely suppressed, and one they keep hidden. At the story beginning, they're managing fine without navel gazing on their inner scar, but when the story bursts into life, they find their scar start to itch. They're challenged to look closer at themselves, confront their inner demons, and battle with them. They can't avoid it, any more than they can ignore the Terminator. Not if they want to reach their happy ever after. They have to climb the ladder of change, and its going to be damn painful. What they want is within reach, if they can only realise that they have to face their fears and cut away the scar tissue. Internal conflict is the heart of romance. It's hard. For everyone. But here's hoping its worth it.
I'm not very keen on therapy. My characters on the whole, tend not to be either. But I need to analyse them, empathise with them, and feel their inner pain in order to infuse my story with it. Its a struggle. But when I get it right nothing tops that feeling of achievement. Then a story has fulfilled its potential, and truly come to life.
So - in my eternal search to crack this most difficult of story elements, I read and constantly re-read the work of writers who HAVE got a handle on it. And one of the books I go back to again and again, is Hooked by Les Edgerton. I've blogged about this book before, and lauded Les's excellent writing blog. He somehow manages to elicit 'aha' moments from me every single pass that I take of Hooked. And his take on the 'story worthy problem' is both clear and concise. And a guaranteed aha.
On my most recent read, this is the kernel of truth that resonated. The difference between melodrama and drama. Now, I'm pretty good on melodrama. Mostly because I like plotting, and I like writing big, dramatic scenes. But the big dramatic scene can often be melodrama. The emotions it involkes are the true drama.
Take for example, the movie, Terminator.
The protagonist in Terminator is young Sarah Connor. She's 19, in college and working in a burger place in the evenings. She shares a flat with a girl called Ginger, and at the beginning we see her going out on a date with a guy she doesn't like very much. She's young, innocent, and we get the impression that not much has happened in her life, thus far.
As everyone knows, the two other main characters in Terminator are Terminator (played by Arnie) and Kyle Reese, sent from the future to save Sarah Connor, no matter what, because of the important role she will play in her future.
When her life is under threat, she can't believe her eyes as the Terminator relentlessly tracks her. Kyle explains that the Terminator is a Cyborg. Here's the section from James Cameron's treatment:
"I don't believe any of this," Sarah says. Frantic. She seems about to scream.
"Yeah, well that's OK. But that doesn't mean it isn't happening. You've got to accept and understand what this thing is. It can't be reasoned with, it can't be bargained with, it doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear...and it absolutely will not stop, ever, once it has been targeted. Unless it's destroyed."
Sarah is relentlessly pursued through the movie. She learns more about her future, and the importance of her as yet unconceived son, John Connor. She falls for Kyle. But she still doesn't fully comprehend the awful persistence of the Terminator. Until the where the relentless cyborg is caught in the flames of an exploding oil tanker. I could certainly write that with bells on. All licking flame and twisted metal. But the truth behind the scene isn't the explosion, but rather the response of the protagonist, Sarah Connor.
Here's James's treatment again:
An unbelievable fireball erupts skyward. The dumpster is enveloped by flames and is hurled, rolling on its casters, down the alley. Sarah falls before the blast as the forward trailer explodes and an ocean of fire rolls forward, almost reaching her. The dumpster tips over and Kyle rolls out.
In the center of the inferno Terminator struggles violently. His flesh fries and sizzles. He tears loose from the twisted wreckage and collapses to the ground. He sinks into a charred mass and stops moving.
Sarah crawls away from the intense heat and lies watching the motionless figure in the blaze. She staggers to her feet and circles around the building to find Kyle. She finds him lying near the dumpster, sheltered from the heat by its mass, and drags him away.
His head lolls. He opens his eyes. "Sarah."
"We got it, Kyle."
They embrace, silhouetted by the fire.
At this point Sarah feels a whole bunch of emotions, and they reflect in her eyes. Joy, that the man she loves is alive. Relief, that the terminator is finally dead. Elation, in triumphing against all odds. Fatigue, at the end (she thinks) of this horrible nightmare. The audience knows this, feels it with her. The struggles have changed Sarah, given her depth.
And the Terminator staggers out of the blaze behind them.
Sarah's emotions morph into terror.
In the struggle that follows, the Terminator and Kyle are both destroyed forever.
Sarah closes her eyes, letting the cool water bathe her, washing away blood and the fear.
Now that it's finally over, she can't believe it. The destruction of the cyborg and the loss of Kyle
neutralize each other, leaving a vacuum.
Sarah has survived. And her internal wounds now define her. She will live, because she is the mother of John Connor. The final image we have of her is of a woman, no longer a girl. The melodrama that she's been through give way to the drama that is uniquely hers. She now battles with a new confict, whether or not to reveal to her son that Kyle is his father:
"I'll always wonder," she continues, "Whether you should know about your father... whether that will change your decision to send him. Did you already know when you sent Kyle that you were his son... that you were sending him to his death? What an awful burden that was, or rather will be. Kyle was right... you can go crazy thinking about this stuff. Well, I'll do more later. I'm a bit tired... think I'll take a nap."
Sarah shuts off the cassette recorder and crosses her hands peacefully on her belly. Over her loose dress she wears a leather shoulder holster. The butt of a .38 revolver presses against her breast.
She is strong. Determined. We see this in the final image of her:
A serious, dark-complected woman brings her some tea. On the beach below a boy runs by and yells something to the woman in Spanish.
"What did he say, Maria?"
"There's a storm coming in."
Sarah gazes at the thunderheads way out there, rolling in. Heat lightning pulses in their depths. She sips her tea.
"Yes, I guess there is."
So despite the huge budget, impressive animatronics, and great special effects, the core of the story is Sarah Connor's internal transformation from innocent student to battle-weary veteran. She's known love, known death, and these experiences and her response to them are the truths that the audience takes with them. Things will be different for her in the future, because of the emotional scars that she'll bear from her past. These are the seeds of her deeply felt internal conflicts.
So what does this mean to me, writing romance?
That whatever has happened to my character in their past has formed a scar within their inner being. One they don't want to pick at. One they've most likely suppressed, and one they keep hidden. At the story beginning, they're managing fine without navel gazing on their inner scar, but when the story bursts into life, they find their scar start to itch. They're challenged to look closer at themselves, confront their inner demons, and battle with them. They can't avoid it, any more than they can ignore the Terminator. Not if they want to reach their happy ever after. They have to climb the ladder of change, and its going to be damn painful. What they want is within reach, if they can only realise that they have to face their fears and cut away the scar tissue. Internal conflict is the heart of romance. It's hard. For everyone. But here's hoping its worth it.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Snowed in!
Well, very close to it. We had 8 inches of snowfall yesterday, and its still snowing....
These are pictures taken by my daughter yesterday - before today's snowfall. We're almost a mile from the road, so are relying on our 4x4 to get out. Merry Christmas, everyone!
These are pictures taken by my daughter yesterday - before today's snowfall. We're almost a mile from the road, so are relying on our 4x4 to get out. Merry Christmas, everyone!
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