Silly Love Songs

I am a huge music geek. My tastes are wide and varied - pretty much as long as a song has music and lyrics and everybody stays on tune most of the time I'll like it. I do have my favorites, though. Guaranteed listens that mellow me out if I'm stressed, pep me up if I'm feeling sluggish, make me happy if I'm down. The one song that does all these things for me is Silly Love Songs by Paul McCartney and Wings. Not the edgiest or most independant of songs, I know, but it's happy! It's unabashedly un-selfconscious and it sticks its tongue out at music that takes itself too seriously.

I always think of the song when I hear someone reference the "genre ghetto." Or when an author talks about her frustration when someone asks when she'll start writing "real books." According to pop culture lore, McCartney wrote Silly Love Songs after years of listening to critics, including his own former bandmate John Lennon, debase his post-Beatles work.

""I listened to him for a few years," said Paul, "and used to think, 'I can't write another of those soppy love songs. We've got to get hard and rocky now.' In the end, though, I realized that I just had to be myself. It's bolder, you know, to say, 'What's the difference? I like it.'"

I've found a real inspiration over the years, watching genre writers meet similar criticism head on. It seems like the anti-genre critics defeated its own purpose in criticizing commercial fiction. Instead of bringing the genre community down, they pissed it off. It regularly speaks out. Recently, after a reader called her a "hack," Lilith Saintcrow responded by penning her Hack Manifesto. Ursula K. LeGuin wrote a hysterical article in response to a "real books" reviewer who called genre fiction a decaying corpse that writers of serious literature had abandoned in a shallow grave. In a Romancing the Blog post, erotic romance author Sylvia Day said, "Write “real” books? I do! And I’m proud of it." And Jennifer Cruisie writes some really empowering articles about the romance genre on her website. If you ever want to feel smart about your reading and writing tastes, go there. Actually, go there right now. I'll wait.

There's lots more out there. Much more than I can fit in one blog post. You know, if everyone wrote "real" books, we'd be living in a depressing Oprah List world where love brings no joy, lives have no adventure, and where readers have no escape, however brief, from their stressful jobs, family troubles, and the 6:00 news. How tragic.

In the 3-17-01 issue of Billboard, Paul McCartney said this about his post-Beatles work: "But over the years people have said, "Aw, he sings love songs, he writes love songs, he's so soppy at times." I thought, Well, I know what they mean, but, people have been doing love songs forever. I like 'em, other people like 'em, and there's a lot of people I love--I'm lucky enough to have that in my life. So the idea was that "you" may call them silly, but what's wrong with that?"

I think that's an excellent question! So, to those who scoff at the abundance of love stories, tales of magic, and spacefaring adventures, I issue this challenge: What's wrong with that? (I'd like to know!)

Print Source
Billboard 113.11 (March 17, 2001): p.1. (8065 words) From General OneFile.

Enjoy the Ride--Guest Blogger

This is Lexie, trying to blog while on the road vacationing with her family...we just left an exhausting whirlwind of trying to catch at least a minimum of the sights in D.C. and are now visiting family in Connecticut. So, of course, I'll write of my adventures at a later date--right now I'm too pooped to
be creative.

So, please join my heartfelt welcome of Carla Damron, our guest blogger. Carla has spoken several times to our LowCountry Romance Writers group and is a mystery writer rather than paranormal, but there's a little bit of paranormal in all of us.

Last month, the LowCountry Romance Writers hosted Carla Damron, author of the Caleb Knowles Mysteries (BellaRosabooks) as our guest speaker. This is a summary of her talk, with her permission.

Carla’s topic was the not-so-easy basic of scene and sequel. I had only heard of Dwight Swain’s well-known Techniques of the Selling Writer, so some of the other approaches to this crucial tool were helpful to me. Hopefully, they’ll be helpful to you as well.

Just as an extra, my Sunday School class the next day (no kidding) included a question about Jesus’ parables—what makes a good story? I listened to the others in the class, rather than jumping in and heard what you might expect. One lady answered characters, she needs to feel she knows or could get to know the people. Another chimed in that the story needed to be believable and, the third, drum roll, please, said the plot.

The Sunday School extra is very apropos because Ms. Damron began with a quote from Charles Baxter’s Burning Down the House in which he stated the mechanisms of hell are akin to the mechanisms of narrative. Baxter, and many others I’ve heard speak over the years, believe we should put our characters through hell—and that’s what makes a good story.

But is plot equal to story? Damron went on to say that a story is like a history, a simple retelling of events in the order in which they occurred. Plot, on the other hand, is a story organized by logic and drama. Structure is process, not rigid. Not static, but dynamic—from Bickham’s Scene and Structure.

A story starts at the beginning. Plot starts where it’s fascinating. I actually want to open this one up for discussion because I’ve seen it both ways—some argue start with a glimpse of the ordinary world while others argue start where everything changes. Just my opinion, but I believe books appealing to a middle, older, or literary audience might open with the ordinary world. Books which promise to be action-packed are expected to open with the change. Keeping your promise to the reader should also figure in here somewhere—some readers, believe it or not, don’t want action all the time. But…begin as you mean to go on—in love and in writing.

Now, to the meat of the matter. Damron went on to describe three different approaches to outlining a plot. Since Swain’s is so well known, I’m going to recap Carolyn Wheat’s Writing Killer Fiction as summed up by Damron. Laurel Dewey’s Formula for a Novel in Three Acts will be reviewed at a later date.

Wheat calls her approach the Four Arc System. In Arc I, the opening scene, the writer must grab the reader’s attention, introduce the main character, the problem, make a contract with the reader, and establish the setting.

Arc I must then establish the character’s inner need, introduce a subplot or two, use conflict to get the story moving, and end at a crisis point.

Arc II sees the main character tested. He or she (and I insert they both should) be given tasks at which they either fail and things get worse—or they succeed and things get worse anyway. Subplots deepen and move along to crunch points. The main plot builds toward a climax. Discrepancies between what the characters want and what they need grow. Again, this arc ends at a crisis. Since Damron writes mysteries, she says a sign of the end of each arc in a mystery is another dead body. With a romance, this may be where the main characters actually fulfill their sexual relationship (unless it’s erotica and my guess is that’s happening in Arc I) and instead of lessening the tension, it increases it.

In Arc III, the pace increases—and something I’d not seen before—Wheat suggests the chapters and sentences should become shorter. Threads are coming together, with subplots being resolved but the main plot getting worse—lower levels of Hades. The character’s drive towards his/her goal increases and the character rushes headlong to the black moment.

In Arc IV, the showdown between good and evil arrives. Evil appears to win. But then, the hero and/or heroine transforms in both internal and/or external ways. The reader is given the gift promised in Arc I.

To conclude (this episode—an hour-long talk with good discussion is difficult to briefly put to paper—or screen), Damron quoted Wheat, “Writing the middle of the book is like driving through Texas. You think it’s never going to end and all the scenery looks the same.” Our task is to make sure the reader doesn’t feel this way about the middle of our books.

Strange, I drove through Texas and I saw cowboys and women with big hair and the town where George Strait lives and the Alamo and the border patrol…so much going on if we just see past the typical. And if our plot is a wild ride rather than a scenic tour.

What is Magical About August 13?

Let’s see now, what is magical about August 13, 2008 ~ it’s Wednesday the 13th, not Friday the 13th, which may be a very magical day for some, especially if your story is halloween spooky with lots of naughty tricks or treats.
August is an 8 month in numerology, meaning all things material, money and what looks good, or appearance makes the woman or man. The day is a 4 (1+3) which denotes stability, the four corners or what you build a future on, whether an event or a decision. This is a 1 year ~ numero uno ~ ‘we are number one’ is the attitude.
What does it all add up to in numerology? This is a 4 day (8+4+1 = 13 = 4). So NOT my best numbers, yet very magical in the realm of the practical, bringing forth a stable future and making good decisions.
Okay, what’s really magical about the day for me is ~ ta-da! This is my release day for When A Good Angel Falls. This story is truly a labor of love on several levels, especially on a the spiritual level, for me.
Being an avid listener of Coast-to-Coast am, night talk radio, famous for its paranormal topics ~ the subject of 2012, the end of the Mayan calendar ~ is one of the hottest conversations going, and only gets hotter as we come closer and closer to what some people refer to as the endtimes.
So, what if? What will occur on that magical and mystical winter solstice date of December 21, 2012 ~ that final day of the Mayan calendar?
Well, I’m here to tell ya, my imagination couldn’t resist the fun of answering that question. No, indeedy, my muse was transformed into a crystal ball, and I forged ahead into the mists of the near future.
And thus, When a Good Angel Falls was born. This is Sedona and Volcano’s story as they travel to Maya Toga Days in LA.
Truthfully, this story was not only a delicious adventure and a fun passionate love story to write, it was also darkly disturbing, since all is not angel brightness in our world. The dark force rises just like Darth Vader rose to power in Star Wars. And that is the evil Sedona and Volcano must overcome to save Earth for humanity.
Blurb: When a Good Angel Falls
Winter Solstice, December 21, 2012 – The end of the Mayan Calendar
What happens when a world weary, worn out incarnated angel, Sedona, who believes she is merely human has three choices after her old van breaks down? Let the Nazerazzi squad of the North American Union capture her and force her into a FEMA concentration camp? Walk out into the Arizona night desert, let the wildlife have a good meal, with the hope her death will be quick? Or does Sedona trust the mysterious stranger suddenly before her? Handsome as sin and all in black, he emerges from the darkness astride a super-speed black motorcycle.
Is he her savior from the brutal hell of end times, or is he a roving cult member of the New World Order, hunting his next blood sacrifice?
Sent from heaven to help her save humanity, Zerr Dann knows the Divine is playing its last card on Earth.

Page Link ~
http://www.bookstrand.com/authors/savannakougar/wagaf.asp ~

What do you think ~ December 21, 2012, just another day? Just one more winter solstice...

Networking - Stepping Outside of Your Comfort Zone

For everyone going to Nationals, here’s a reprint of an article I wrote back in 2007 for the Carolina Romance Writers’ The Final Draft Newsletter:

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Networking - Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone

Most writers are introverts – far from the social butterflies that RWA National dictates. We chose this profession because we feel more comfortable keeping to ourselves. We tend to stay away from social events and instead prefer to surround ourselves with imaginary people and events that we control. And while the majority of RWA members are open and friendly, we know it’s all about connections. If you don’t already know someone, sometimes getting that first connection can be daunting and uncomfortable to the point where it takes the excitement out of being at National.

At the PRO Retreat this year, one agent stated she only took on new clients by referrals. A hand was raised and the million-dollar question asked: “How do I get that referral?”

The most likely answer is ‘Network’.

Networking is a term all writers are aware of but stumble at. Some of us are too busy to keep 10+ active email loops. Some of us just don’t come off as very personable – yes, you know who you are. Some of us are career motivated and cannot spare a minute away our writing time. I’m one of those. Whatever is keeping you from your ability to network, your must first determine what is hindering you and recognize it as your weakness.

There are two ways to overcome your weaknesses: play up your strengths or tackle those weaknesses head-on.

I get stage fright and do not do well in front of people. I’m naturally quiet and am more an observer than a participator. Recognizing this as my weakness, I play up my strengths. I am at ease with the written form of the language, so most my networking is done online and through emails and email loops. There’s not a loop I’m not on and I can guarantee a lot of people will recognize my name or email. This works for me because it retains the feeling of comfort and safety while giving me the exposure to my peers in the industry to develop the connections I need. Play it safe and you’ll be amazed at the number of contacts you’ve made and people you’ve befriended.

However, we all know nothing in life is easy. The most important goals in life are the hardest to achieve. Knowing this, eventually you will have to step out of your comfort zone and face your weaknesses.

Take me for example. Knowing what my weaknesses are, I decided I wasn’t going to let it stop me from coming into contact with key individuals that are strategic to my success. So I put myself out there. I signed up to moderate a handful of workshops, which meant that I had to get in front of a room of people and actually talk. And because I’m ambitious and determined that if I go down, I go down with a fight (or just plain suicidal depending on how you look at it), I took this even further. These weren’t just any average workshops I’d volunteered for, these were publisher spotlights of houses and specific editors I’m targeting or who already has my manuscript on his/her desk.

Talk about an overachiever. But it wasn’t an easy decision.

The morning of my first moderating assignment, I started to panic. Omigod, what if I choke or close up on stage? I’m going to fall flat on my face and make a complete fool of myself in front of these editors I’m trying to oh-so-coolly to make a good impression on. They’re going to return to NY and pick my manuscript from their desk and think, “Oh, that’s the girl that stuttered during my introduction and mispronounced my name.” I was terrified at the thought. I just knew something bad was going to happen and had I been able to get out of the responsibility, I probably would have.

But, I squared my shoulders, pushed the fears aside, and acted like there were not a hundred people in the room and these were not editors I’m standing four feet from but regular people like myself. I wasn’t trying to get a request. My sole purpose for signing up to moderate these spotlights were to hear about the individual houses, learn what they are interested in, and get a feel for the personalities of these editors. And suddenly, I knew I could do this. I wasn’t trying to prove something or be someone I’m not. I was there to educate myself and get to know these editors. So I walked up, introduced myself, exchanged pleasantries and asked for the correct pronunciation of their names, waited until it was time to begin and took my spot on stage behind the microphone – and sailed right through it.

Did I tackle it flawlessly? Ha, in my dreams, perhaps. Did I stumble? Well, not on my feet, but on a word now and then. But it didn’t matter because by the time my third moderating gig rolled around, I felt like I was ready to conquer the world. I’d overcome my weakness, gotten the results I needed, and broadened my network in the industry. And when it came time for Q&A, I didn’t ask about submission guidelines or what they are looking for, I asked what a particular editor read for personal enjoyment. I asked what that editor did before becoming an editor and why he/she’d chosen their profession. I showed a genuine interest in getting to know the editor and I could tell they were surprised but pleased by the questions. I walked away feeling like I’d gotten to know the editor, and that was what I’d wanted.

Can anyone do what I’d just done? Of course they can. Can anyone become a better networker? Most definitely. But—can anyone succeed at networking? Well, that depends on one key factor.

While most people will stress the importance of networking and give you pointers on what to say, how to dress, and how to behave, they forget to bestow the one advice that separates you from every other writer out there trying to make a connection.

Be genuine.

I spend a good deal of time studying others and observing interactions around me and have learned that at National, in an environment where everyone is aiming for the same goal (to make a good impression and get noticed by editors and agents), genuineness outshines pretension. A published peer can tell when you are genuinely interested in them and their books, and when you’re suddenly laying on the sugar in hopes of getting an introduction to an editor or agent in their circle.

Next time you attend RWA National, don’t be afraid to step away from your comfort zone and make those connections. Don’t network with the intention of advancement. Instead, network with the intention of broadening your knowledge and getting to know your peers around you. They will notice and the connections will come.

Title Magic meets Louise Allen

Today Louise Allen is with us, talking to Evonne about her linked series for Harlequin/Mills and Boon -- Six books, following the lives and loves of Those Scandalous Ravenhursts. Seven cousins – the grandchildren of the Duke of Allington – are at the heart of six stories charting their sometimes rocky, and always scandalous, paths to true love. Dangerous Jack, Outrageous Bel, Shocking Gareth, Disgraceful Theo, Bluestocking Elinor, Notorious Eden and Piratical Clemence.

The first book in the series, The Dangerous Mr Ryder was published in the UK by Mills & Boon in January 2008 and is out in America from Harlequin this month. The Outrageous Lady Felsham was published in the UK in May 2008 and will be out in America from Harlequin in August 2008.

Louise began her official historical romance career (if you don’t count the medieval drama, penned when she was eight) as half of a partnership that wrote as Francesca Shaw. Now Louise Allen has a string of titles to her credit and is a past winner of a Cataromance Reviewers Choice award.

Hello Louise, and welcome to Title Magic

Hello! and thank you so much for the invitation to the Title Magic blog – it’s great to be here.

The obvious question first - what attracts you to historicals?
History has always been a passion for as long as I can remember and at school I adored historical novels with Georgette Heyer and Dorothy Dunnett as all-time favourites. I love to see the roots of things - where they’ve come from, how they’ve evolved - whether landscape or words or customs or buildings.

Would you tell us a little about your career, and the story of the acceptance of the first book?
It began when I was a librarian, back in the late 1980s. My friend Stephanie and I would watch Mills & Boon novels being borrowed and thought ‘we could do that’. It took a while – and lots of rejections from the contemporary lines to work out that this was harder than we imagined it would be! Then we tried historicals – and realised that not only had our technique improved but we’d found our niche. Our first attempt, The Master of Winterbourn was published in the early 1990s. We wrote eight books together as Francesca Shaw, then Steph moved away and I took the plunge and began writing solo as Louise Allen. After working full time all my writing life it was great to be able to leave my job as a property manager in November 2007 and concentrate on the books. My 25th title will be out in the Christmas volume, Married by Christmas, this year.

You write in several historical periods – is there one that you haven’t covered yet that you would like to explore?
I’m interested in all periods, but the more I find out about the Regency, the more it fascinates me as an era poised on the brink of the modern world.
So far I’ve only experimented with two other periods - the first Francesca Shaw novel was set during the English Civil War and Virgin Slave, Barbarian King, which came out at the end of last year, takes place in AD 410 during the Sack of Rome. I’d like to do a sequel to Virgin Slave and I’ve an idea for the 1920s as well, but I think it will be all Regencies for the immediate future.

Moving to the latest releases – a linked series of six books. Wow! How did that come about?
My editor suggested linked titles focusing on one family, and cousins seemed to give me more freedom than siblings might. I started off thinking about 3, or perhaps 4 – but the Ravenhursts had other ideas, so it ended up at 6. I’ve already had suggestions from readers about other members of the family, but we’ll have to wait and see

What gave you the inspiration for creating the world of Those Scandalous Ravenhursts?
It began with Lord Sebastian Ravenhurst (aka Jack Ryder) who invited himself into No Place for a Lady when the hero of story needed a private investigator. He was such a strong personality I knew that I had to give him his own book and solve the mystery of who he was. Once I began to explore his background I discovered the other cousins as I went.

Will you tell us a little about the six books and the heroes and heroines?
The Dangerous Mr Ryder is an adventure story which pairs Jack/Sebastian with the Grand Duchess Eva de Maubourg, escaping across France one step ahead of a murderous traitor and straying into the battle of Waterloo along the way. Sebastian’s sister Bel, the widow of the most boring man in London, thinks she needs a lover, not a husband, and is set on becoming The Outrageous Lady Felsham when a very tipsy Ashe Reynard trips over her bearskin rug and into her arms. Cousin Gareth is a respectable Ravenhurst – until he has to take shocking steps to avoid marriage to Lady Maude Templeton, steps that involve governess Miss Jessica Gifford, found naked in a brothel, and turn him into The Scandalous Lord Standon. Meanwhile, dowdy Cousin Elinor is tumbled headlong into a Burgundian adventure and lethal treasure hunt with The Disgraceful Mr Ravenhurst, her Cousin Theo. Back in London, Maude is free to pursue the man she loved at first sight, rake and completely ineligible theatre manager, Eden Hurst. The Notorious Mr Hurst proves to have more in common with her friends the Ravenhursts than she imagined. And far away in Jamaica the youngest cousin, Clemence, is forced to become The Piratical Miss Ravenhurst when she has to flee her home and finds herself at the mercy of one of the nastiest pirates in the Caribbean and his enigmatic henchman, Nathan Stanier.

What were your work methods – charts, diagrams, maps?
The backbone was a detailed family tree backed up with a spreadsheet with columns for all the characters against the dates. I planned research trips to Waterloo (for Dangerous), Burgundy (for Disgraceful), Margate (for the seaside scenes and bathing machines in Outrageous) and caused major marital disharmony by not booking us on a flight to Jamaica for Piratical. The study is buried under books on Regency theatre and life in Jamaica in the 1800s.

I imagine that creating the characters was fun, particularly having the space to develop them, but that keeping hold on all of them might have been a bit of a challenge. What was it like, staying on course – what were the highs and lows?
It was surprisingly easy to manage the continuity, but as usual I found some of my characters – especially the heroes – were prone to take off and want to do their own thing and developed sides to their character I wasn’t aware of. Eden, for example, turned out to be darker and more complex than I’d imagined, Gareth, once he’d gone off the rails, was more sensual and Theo, more dashing.

Two of the books are out – how long do we have to wait for the others?
Dangerous was out in the UK in January and in North America in July. Outrageous was out in the UK in May and North America in August. Scandalous is out in both in September. The other three are due in 2009.

One of the Title Magicians has already confessed to having a weakness for pirates, so is looking forward to Clemence’s story. Do you secretly have a favourite amongst the Ravenhursts?
All the pirates are very nasty indeed, I’m afraid – Captain “Red” Matthew McTiernan doesn’t fly the skull and cross bones flag, he hoists the real thing - but I hope she likes ship’s navigator Nathan Stanier, who I’m determined is going to do that thing involving sliding down the mainsail by sticking a dagger in it!
As for a favourite… that’s really difficult, because I love them all. I want to be friends with all the heroines and as for the heroes – it was like having the biggest possible box of chocolates to be able to discover six gorgeous men all at the same time.

It must have felt strange, coming to the end of a project of this size. How did you feel at the end? And what’s next for Louise Allen?
I don’t know how it will feel yet because I’m still writing Piratical with a deadline of the end of July, (I’m not panicking, of course I’m not…), but I’m really looking forward to bringing them all together at the end – plus the Ravenhurst babies who have arrived along the way. I’ll miss them, but I’m pretty certain I haven’t seen the last of the Ravenhursts.
And what’s next? There are a couple of schemes still under wraps and lots of plots and characters buzzing around at 5am – I’m not expecting to be bored!

Thanks to Louise for a great interview about a fascinating project.

Tangerine Magical Cover Art

Short and tangerine sweet, everyone...the unveiling of my cover art for Tangerine Carnal Dreams, coming from Aspen Mountain Press. I placed the banner first, in case, the cover could be considered too risque. While there is no actual nudity on the cover, it is implied since the tangerine pleasure world of Yemisque is certainly clothing optional.
Just before I began this blog I heard Willie Nelson singing...a woman, and a stallion, and the wind...
There’s something so lyrical and so free...so incredibly magical about that song for me...the song itself, the musical styling and especially how Willie sings it. And in that moment, the song was also a gift. With a flash of ah-ha, the lightbulb flared in my under-the-weather brain ~ those lyrics, changed a bit ~ perfectly fit the story of Tangerine Carnal Dreams.
....a woman, a stallion and the tangerine wind...

The woman, a fire-fierce heroine determined to save her father.
The stallion, shapeshifter playboy who keeps his royal heritage hidden.
The tangerine wind, a constant sultry aphrodisiac wind on the beaches of Yemisque.
I must confess as an author, there was something so lyrical and fun, so free and fantastic, as I wrote and lived Katta and Zio’s sizzle love story and their adventure, in my imagination.
I still don’t have a release day, but my stallion shifter and fire-fierce heroine novel is due to hit the e-shelves soon ~ aspenmountainpress.com ~

What was the most recent song lyric that contributed to your story, or was an inspiration to you personally?

Where do babies come from?

No, not those babies but the other babies we love: our manuscripts. Where do those babies come from? How are they born? Blood, sweat, and tears--just like the other ones. But the conception takes place in many ways.

My female motocross driver heroine phase started by attending a motocross event with a boyfriend. I couldn’t think of anything more lame than watching motorcycles going round in circles. I was wrong. I had a blast and several stories were born.

An Ann Rule true crime book started my romantic suspense phase. Her depth of research and the twists and turns fascinated me and inspired many tales of love amid a riveting mystery.

A computer game, Gabriel Knight the Beast Within, set me on the road to writing novels set during the German medieval period because part of the game was set in Bavaria. Also, there was this delicious Baron von Glower (played by Peter Lucas) who just set my hormones and my writer instincts on fire.

My futuristic/fantasy phase started a long time ago with Larry Niven’s novel Ringworld, then got stronger with Susan Grant’s novel Contact, but then really got going with Joss Whedon’s Firefly. I developed a whole social structure, new planets, and new technologies. I’m still working on several novels for that particular series since the possibilities are endless.

I always wonder what will inspire me next but whatever it is I’ll happily go along for the ride. So what are the novels, movies, or television shows that have inspired an entire shift in what you write? Or have you always felt comfortable in your chosen niche with no desire to explore?