Silk & Shadows

Susan Fox (who also writes as Susan Lyons) is one of the best contemporary romance writers I’ve ever read, and I’m so pleased to be able to host a guest blog for her at S&S! We’re celebrating the release of Yours, Unexpectedly, so check out the contest at the end of this post!

***

Thanks to Sharon Ashwood and the rest of the gang at Silk and Shadows for inviting me here. What a great way to start 2012!

When an old year fades away and a new one begins, I get reflective. What did I accomplish? What did I learn? How will I make the next year a better one?

Well, one thing I accomplished in 2011 was to finish my second 4-book series: Wild Ride to Love (Kensington Brava). It seems like a very long time ago that I first had the notion of writing a sexy “planes, trains, and automobiles” anthology of 3 novellas about single older sisters who come home from far-flung places for their baby sister’s wedding and find sexy romances along the way.

Lesson: Listen to the muse – or instinct, or whatever you want to call it – when she speaks! Don’t discard any ideas, even if you’re not ready to use them now.

I pitched the idea for that anthology to my Kensington editor and somehow she got the notion I was talking about a 4-book series. Huh?

Lesson: Don’t turn down a good opportunity! When asked if you can do something, say yes!!

So I started on the series. In the first book, Sex Drive, oldest sister Theresa, the serious professor, comes home by planes from Australia – and her sexy seatmate, Aussie thriller writer Damien, shows her some in-flight entertainment that just might turn into true love.

In book 2, Love, Unexpectedly, second sister Kat, the girl with the worst luck in love, comes home by trains from Montreal – and her best friend Nav plays “stranger on the train” and gets her to view him in a whole new, sexy and romantic, light.

In book 3, His, Unexpectedly, third sister Jenna, the free spirit, comes home from Santa Cruz by automobiles – and hitches a ride from hot marine biologist Mark, who shows her that some things in life – and some people – are worthy of commitment.

So far, so good. But what about book 4? I’d initially conceived of baby sister Merilee as the one who was lucky in love, having fallen for Matt in grade 2 and been with him since then. Very sweet and romantic, but where’s the tension that makes for a compelling book?

Lesson: Be flexible and creative. You can always find a good idea if you hunt hard enough.

The runaway bride!! But with a twist. That’s what I came up with.

We authors do like to torture our characters. So, as Merilee watches her sisters arrive home with exciting new romances, she realizes that her own relationship is sadly lacking in excitement and passion. Full of doubt, she calls off the wedding and she and Matt break up. Yes, I split up my young lovers.

And now, here’s the twist. When Merilee decides to go on the honeymoon Mexican Riviera cruise alone, to get some distance and perspective, she discovers Matt has the same idea. So there they are, reluctant roommates, aboard a luxury ship bound for Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. And now what?

Lesson: An author is bound to put a large chunk of herself into her books. Or at least, if we do, it tends to make our books deeper, more insightful, and more emotional.

I remember what it was like to be 21. You think you’re all grown up, but nope, that’s not true. Actually, I believe you’re never “all grown up,” in the sense that you have nothing left to learn. And to me, M&M’s problems hinged around the concept of growing up.

They’d been best friends, then boyfriend-girlfriend, then lovers, over the course of 14 years. They thought they knew themselves and each other inside out. But how dull is that? People need to change, to explore new ideas and activities, to – yes, you know it’s coming – to keep growing.

And that’s the journey I sent M&M on, as they go on their cruise as individuals rather than a bonded-at-the-hip couple. As they give themselves make-overs, play pirate and flapper, explore Mexican towns, go zip-lining, and experiment with their sexuality.

It’s time for each of them to find out who they really are and to become adults. There are lots of surprises in store for them as they discover whether growing up means growing apart or growing together in a way that’s deeper, more exciting, and more passionate. A way that will last a lifetime.

Lesson: Okay, this one I knew all along. I write romance. There will be a happy ending!!

Often, I write about strangers becoming lovers, and Yours, Unexpectedly presented a different kind of challenge, and a different romantic journey.

Lesson: For me, every good romance shares two common elements. One is, of course, getting to know your lover – whether they’re someone you’ve just met or someone you’ve been with, perhaps even been married to, for a decade or more. The other is getting to know yourself better – to stretch and learn and grow and become a better person, a person who will fight for love, and who deserves love.

If I bear those elements in mind as I write, it helps me set the challenges my heroine and hero need to meet, and to make sure their journey is an emotional and satisfying one. As I hope M&M’s is.

In a Top Pick review at The Romance Reviews, Shana Rea said: “Yours, Unexpectedly is both wild and sweet. It tugs at the heartstrings and delivers a powerful message or two. It is the perfect ending to the exciting Wild Ride to Love series that has kept me captivated and engrossed… Matt and Merilee’s story is one that will stay with me for some time to come. Fluid writing, absolutely unforgettable characters, Yours, Unexpectedly will touch you and provoke you to think about love and life. And like Matt, this book – the entire series – is a keeper!”

You can find an excerpt, behind-the-scenes notes, a discussion guide, other review quotes, and recipes (chocolate mousse, anyone?) at my website.

And now, looking ahead to 2012, I intend to take all those lessons I’ve learned – and my belief that we all need to keep growing – and challenge myself to create new love stories that resonate emotionally with my readers.

All the best for 2012 to all of you!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on my book, the concept of the series, lessons you’ve learned in the past year, or anything else you’d like to talk about. I’m giving an autographed copy of Yours, Unexpectedly to someone who comments.

It’s a long story, but a mildew incident recently forced the disposal of a cupboard full of magazines in my house. As I reviewed the titles of the masses of periodicals I was forced to throw out, it really made me think about how magazines say something about the subscribers. Mostly, how different titles describe different phases in one’s life.

I had to put out years and years of the old Victoria magazine (in my opinion, the old ones were better than the new version), Tournaments Illuminated, a complete series of a small publication I worked on once upon a time, and a whole lot of writing magazines. I did manage to save a huge stack of sheet music.

When I got through the unpleasant mildew business, I reviewed my current magazine rack. It says a lot about who I am.

First, there’s the writerly stuff: Romantic Times, Romance Writers Report, and Publisher’s Weekly. Fellow authors will recognize those titles, and so will a lot of avid readers.

Then there is Maclean’s, which is a bit like Time or Newsweek, but with a Canadian focus. It’s my weekly dose of in-depth news. Otherwise, I pretty much rely on the morning radio to keep me abreast of the world’s goings-on.

Then I read Chatelaine for the women’s perspective–and possibly because it was always in the house growing up. I think it’s a connection with my childhood while at the same time having some really good recipes. Kind of a twofer.

And then there are the wish fulfillment magazines. Two minutes to a sexier you. Gorge your way to the perfect body. Tips and secrets to being the confident businesswoman you know you can be. Etcetera.

Yes, there are always a few of those around for the combo of reproach and hope, a powerful mix in any female’s life.

So there I am: a reader and writer, somebody who tries to be alert to the world at large, but who loves home and comfort, and has the same insecurities and dreams as every other woman. It’s all there in my magazine rack, along with the TV guide.

What’s in yours?

Currently working on: Hot draft of new story
Mood: Borne & buffeted

Sometime in January, I like to pull my Tarot cards for a start-of-the-year spread, to see where I’m at. This year, so far, I’ve been too busy to take a quiet night to get into the right space to think about things. But with the month almost over (and how did THAT happen?!) I figured I better get at least ONE card done so I’d have something to contemplate on my dog walks.

I pulled the Page of Swords. I use the Mythic Tarot deck by Juliet Sharman-Burke and Liz Greene, illustrated by Tricia Newell. This deck features Greek mythology which I loved as a kid, so I relate to the stories.

The Page of the Swords is represented by Zephyrus, the Greek god of the West Wind. His card is ambivalent — as the Swords tend to be cards that poke at your complacency — since he and his brother the North Wind started out as malicious little shits, prone to starting storms just to knock things over. Eventually Zephyrus married Isis of the rainbow, which mellowed him out. But still, having him start my year gives me lots to think about.

The positive aspects of Zephyrus as the Page of Swords are curiosity, enthusiasm and the emergency of new ideas. The downsides are irritability and petty quarrels that blow up into battles. As I move forward with some new story ideas, I guess I better practice my patience. That’s usually on my list of New Years Resolutions, so I suppose that’s okay. Sigh.

I like this picture of Zephyrus because he is puffing up all these great clouds leading into a blue sky… but the way he is holding the sword makes me think he is about to burst his own bubble. He had better be careful which bubbles he bursts, since some of them are holding him aloft. I better make sure I’m puffing up the right dreams. Not there’s anything wrong with walking sometimes. Ask my dog.

If you play with tarot cards, did you get any thoughtful readings for the new year? Or if you want me to pull a card for you, just let me know in comments and I’ll see which Greek myth might be right for you.

Yes, we have returned from our unplanned hiatus. January has been a bit disorganized for me, so the break was thematically consistent with everything else going on and, truth be told, a little timely.

However, I did finally get some stuff checked off the list. Kitchen wallpaper removal and paint job is done. The last bit was replacing the heater, so now everything is working, clean, and toasty-warm:

Demon Lord of Kitty Badness inspects the work:

I really have enjoyed the finished product. I was puttering in the kitchen over the weekend, which let me see the results in daylight (we’re still at the point of the year when I’m coming and going in the dark). I like the gentle, sunny yellow. I also don’t miss the trailing bits of paper where the paper was parting company with the walls.

Now that I had a working kitchen again, I finally did my Christmas baking, although it was on January 14 (this is the outcome of the recipe for Dundee Cake I posted a few weeks ago):

And I submitted a manuscript—book one of my new Nocturne series. I still don’t know the title or release date, but this is the one I was working on during Nanowrimo. Of course, I’m now charging ahead frantically on the next manuscript, before #1 comes hurtling back to eat my writing time. You might say it’s business as usual, working, writing, sleeping and keeping up with the odd bit of trash TV, but there are times when routine is welcome.

You might have noticed we were temporarily unavailable due to a hacker with too much time on his hands. Dude, please, use your powers for good!

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming…

Currently working on: Getting back in the groove
Mood: Groovy

I can’t find my New Years Resolutions from 2011. I know I wrote them down because goal-setting gurus tell us we’re supposed to write that stuff down so I’m sure I did. Somewhere. Somewhere veeeery safe and special so I wouldn’t lose the list, so I could review it and see how I did.

Looking back at my Silk & Shadows posts from early in 2011 I see several references to cleaning my closets and exercising more. Uh… Yeah, anyway, moving on to 2012.

What with the world ending on December 21, 2012, though, I’m not sure I should bother with a new list. According to some eschatological* interpretations of Mayan prophecies, the world ends with the end of one of their calendar cycles on 12/21/12. I know I often feel apocalyptic when Christmas is rolling around, but actually ending the world seems a little melodramatic. The calendar cycle in question marks 5,125 years — give or take a few holidays — which is about how long it would really take me to clean my closets.

Still, I think I’m going to discount the December 21 end of days. Mostly because the people who predict apocalypses always seem a little sad and angry. And perverse. Like they are DISAPPOINTED when the world doesn’t end. Jerks.

Here are some of the comebacks I’ll be using for the post-apoc-ers who will be running rampant this year:

• Let me introduce you to a friend of mine. His name is Y2K. Perhaps you’ve met.
• Then can I have your dessert?
• I wanted to have three funny comebacks, but I only have two. That’s okay, though. It’s not like it’s the end of the world.

And fine, I guess I’ll put closet cleaning and exercising back on my list for 2012

Do you have perennial resolutions? If so, how do you keep them fresh and interesting?

Also, congrats to last week’s winner of the DARKNESS UNDONE
Advanced Reading Copy, courtesy of Random.org, Kate!

* Eschatology is the study of end times. What? You didn’t know there was a word for it? Neither did I. Never stop learning.

Happy New Year everyone!

Here in the Lenox household, we’re preparing for a move! Due to a slight delay on our closing, we now have twenty extra days to get our act together. So we’re pulling everything out from the closets, attic and cabinets, and doing a lot of purging. If we don’t love it, and if it’s not necessary or sentimental, it’s going in the trash or being donated to a local fundraising organization.

Even in the midst of the stacks and boxes, we had friends over for a small New Years celebration, and now that it’s New Years Day, I’m about to start chopping and dicing to put together some Hoppin’ John and collard greens. Confession, I’ve never made collards, and I’m pretty sure I’m not going to love eating them. I’ll be lucky to get my husband and kids to put a bite in their mouth, but we’re going to try them this year instead of cabbage.

Going back to our move — I can’t help but draw a parallel with the New Year and the resolutions I’d like to make. Like always, I want to write bigger and better books. I want to evolve as a writer, and open my mind to different aspects of creativity. But most of all, I want to get rid of the “clutter”. I want to leave behind any negativity and cynicism or mental “ruts” , and begin this year fresh and new.

Here’s to a spectacular 2012! Happy New Year everyone!

Currently working on: A new story!
Mood: Follow that plot bunny!

Did everybody have a fun holiday? Here are my highlights:

I totally screwed up the frosting for my Christmas Eve party cupcakes. I’d decided to use a sour cream frosting for my blackout cupcakes but when I followed the glossary at the back to page 462 and started making the recipe…  It was the WRONG recipe. It was a fluffy chocolate frosting. The actual sour cream frosting was on page 463. Catastrophe! That might not seem like the worst thing in the world… Unless it’s 2:30 pm Christmas Eve Day and the party starts in mere hours. You CANNOT go to the grocery store on Christmas Eve Day, as you all know.

So I totally winged it. (Wung it?) I kept the ingredients I’d already mixed together and just added sour cream. And it totally worked.

Christmas Lesson Learned: You can’t go wrong with pretty much any proportions of cocoa, whipping cream, sour cream and vanilla.

Christmas Corollary: Double check the name of the recipe before you start mixing ingredients.

After thankfully not ruining the Christmas Eve party cupcakes, I spent Christmas Day with my XY and dog. Ah, bliss. Pictured right are the gifts he got me. Which apparently have been wrapped by monkeys. Monkeys with access to all my Christmas ribbons and yet somehow have managed to NOT use the Christmas wrapping paper but birthday wrapping paper instead. Which would be fine if Baby Jesus was getting this particular present, since it’s his birthday, but this was my present.

Happily, one of the presents was a double boiler so I can more easily melt chocolate like in the first picture.

Christmas Lesson Learned: Bows and ribbons and wrapping paper — or the lack and/or incompetent wielding thereof — can’t hide the love.

Christmas Corollary: Men require inordinate amounts of tape.

I eat a lot of chocolate at Christmas, as is obvious from my posts, but not so voraciously as Christmas seems to eat my time. The prep, celebration and cleanup always leaves me blinking in surprised confusion at the end of the month. But life continues and I am finally back at my computer, writing words. Phew.

Christmas Lesson Learned: Don’t forget to enjoy the days. They are particularly short in December.

Christmas Corollary: The dog still needs to be walked. But now I’ll be doing it in boots that don’t have holes!

So Christmas is over, but I have one more gift to give away. Want an Advanced Reading Copy of DARKNESS UNDONE? Leave a comment with your Christmas Lesson Learned — or just say hey on any post this week — and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a copy of Sid and Alyce’s story:

Coming March 2012

The war between good and evil has raged for millennia,
and as a powerful new enemy ascends, the Marked Souls
are pushed to the ragged edge…

Sidney Westerbrook has always studied darkness and damnation from a sensible distance. Now, to earn his place as a league Bookkeeper, he must discover why Chicago is such a battleground of soul-linked warriors. But the research becomes personal when he finds himself over his head and under attack — and at the mercy of a waif with demon-lit eyes and a deep yearning in her heart.

Alyce Carver has been alone longer than she can remember, battered by the living nightmares that haunt her city. Cornered by yet another gang of demons, she unwittingly joins forces with a handsome scholar who can salvage her past, and she in turn may be the key to his investigations. But she won’t let him go until he shows her everything she’s been missing.

What begins as an experiment in possession becomes a trial by desire so powerful it threatens both their lives, even as it binds their souls.

Read Chapter 1

Pre-order at:

Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble
Powells | Indie Bound | Indigo | Blackstone Audio

x-posted from Lori Devoti’s 30 Days of Vampires

In answer to the age-old question, authors DO have their sources for characters. I get mine through mail order.

I’ve owned the Dark Hero, Vampire Edition 3.2, for a few years now. He came in a box, all minty fresh with that new hero gleam in his eye. Of course there were limitations. Dark wash only. Do not leave in direct sunlight. I had to get a separate unit, the Djinn Slave 4.0, for household use. However, I have to say I have been a fully satisfied customer.

Of course, all equipment subjected to heavy use eventually needs replacement—and believe me, the 3.2 saw a lot of action since he came out of the carton. He’s held up well, but his cape is getting a bit threadbare and the poor dear gets stuck in the brood cycle more often than is good for him. I’ve had to call the manufacturer’s help desk to unlock the “furrowed brow” setting three times now. So, when I was browsing through the catalogue to see if their new line of minotaur was available yet, my attention was caught by a coupon offer for the JingleVamp Special Edition.

I confess, the notion of a vampire with a “ho, ho, ho” plug-in was vaguely disturbing. I wasn’t sure about the reindeer antlers, either, but I figured what the heck. It would make a change from the usual sort of holiday decoration. So, I placed an order.

The thing I didn’t realize was that, unlike the full-priced Dark Heroes, JingleVamp came unassembled and that the instructions were in the non-language universal to children’s toys and cheap furniture. Soon my living room floor was covered in an explosion of sardonic laughs, sultry glances, and sparkly white fangs as I unpacked and sorted and tried to make sense of the diagrams. Fortunately, there was more information enclosed in a separate envelope:

Hello, and welcome to your new JingleVamp! Here are a few pointers to make sure you fully enjoy your new purchase:

1. Note JingleVamp must be rebooted when changing “naughty” and “nice” settings.
2. When recharging, do not plug JingleVamp into the same circuit as your Christmas tree. Spontaneous carolling may result, overriding your Dark Hero’s patented Sinister Velvet® laugh cycle.
3. Exercise caution when using JingleVamp near pine boughs, holly sprigs, pine trees, or other pointy wooden objects.
4. JingleVamp may consume eggnog while set to “party animal.” Caution: Glassware recommended. Paper cartons will leak if bitten.
5. Do not engage JingleVamp in reindeer games without permission of local wildlife authorities.
6. Your JingleVamp will not pull a sleigh, no matter how nicely you ask.
7. Note that Dark Hero units cannot be set to “shopping” mode prior to noon, December 24. “Wrap” mode defaults to intermittent setting. “Write cards” mode is automatically disabled. Contact manufacturer for override instructions.
8. Shopping list plug-in sold separately. Unit is supplied with only “black negligee” and “toaster” options.
9. If you wish to disassemble unit, use stake provided.

Thank you for purchasing the JingleVamp Special Edition! We hope you enjoy your new Dark Hero’s version of Christmas Cheer.

Merry Fangmas to All!