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!

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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.

[Note from Jessa: Today we have Genie Gabriel with us. Her new Rock'n'Romance series isn't technically paranormal (although there a reference to angels if you visit her website) she explores some of the dark places where shadows AND silk are found.]

Domestic violence, abusive childhoods, the murder of a spouse, the loss of a child–all these experiences can cast long shadows on the soul. Toss emotional demons into this mix–of guilt, of shame, of thinking you didn’t do enough or should have been able to somehow stop this from happening–and you come up with characters as tortured as those who come toenail to talon with fantasy beasts.

I blame twenty years of exposure to social workers for the trauma, drama, and hope in my stories. I worked at a social services agency when the shrouds of secrecy around the ugly realities of humanity were being torn down. Then came the process of guiding damaged young souls to become successful, healthy adults.

Yes, I know there are people who shouldn’t be social workers, and I’ve seen cases where the rebuilding stage didn’t work out so well. However, I’ve also seen incredibly committed, caring and courageous social workers who have the patience and intestinal fortitude to bring together a team to shape miracles from the muck of the worst of abuse.

I was amazed, a bit disbelieving, and fascinated. And I had an endless supply of ideas for my stories, starting with my Rock’n'Romance trilogy–just re-issued from Rogue Phoenix Press.

THE ROCK STAR grew up without much direction or love. In his own words, “My old man took off when I was five or six, and not long after that my mother had a nervous breakdown. Then I bounced in and out of foster homes. In my teens, I discovered music…” and the heady adoration of fans. Then came the crash of discovering a daughter with a terminal illness, whose death plunged him into a dark abyss of grief.

The second book of the series begins with a child psychiatrist helping kids heal from abuse, who becomes caught in the viciously ironic situation of domestic violence. A terrified flight to save her children lands her under the protection of THE BODYGUARD, ripping open Mitch’s emotional wounds… “[Julia] turned to say something to the child, revealing the jagged purple bruise smeared across the ivory skin of her cheek. Memories plowed into Mitch so hard his knees almost buckled. The sound of shots. A scream. A frantic ride in the ambulance and a flat line on the heart monitor. Squeezing his eyes closed, Mitch gulped a deep draught of air, battling the memories as valiantly as [his wife] had once fought to save women battered by those who claimed to love them…”

Zach started out as the antagonist in the first book of the Rock’n'Romance series, but partially redeemed himself. In the third book of the trilogy, THE LEADER OF THE BAND, he faces the rest of his journey to redemption and to winning the woman he has loved since they were both teenagers. However, they have been dancing around each other for so long with excuses why their lives won’t mesh, it takes a life-or-death situation to help them see the truth…”Time ceased to exist as Zach helplessly watched Lauren crumple on the porch. Gravity sucked at his feet, trying to hold him in place while he ran as fast as he could. Ka-thump, ka-thump, ka-thump. His heart thundered in his ears, terror oozing through his body like the blood seeping down Lauren’s face.”

Lest you think my stories sound totally sadistic, please know I sprinkle touches of humor and hope among the angst while my characters struggle toward happily-ever-after endings.

The heroine in THE ROCK STAR has a dog who makes her coffee in the morning, and a cadre of young music therapy patients who fill the walls of her house with drawings of their dreams. The twins in THE BODYGUARD firmly believe in angels–in fact, they think Mitch is the answer to their wish for an angel for their mom. And THE LEADER OF THE BAND, Zach, has outfitted a “Chamber of Love” in his house to exude a playboy image, complete with heart-shaped, vibrating bed.

Overcoming shadows on the soul with courage, determination, foot-dragging, humor–there are many paths to a brighter future. I love exploring these paths in my stories and, beginning in March 2012, my new LEGACY series will introduce a family of eight adopted siblings who make their own journeys. As they uncover secrets that lead to the truth that killed their adoptive father, the action, romance and family drama heat up.

Thank you so much to the ladies of Silk and Shadows for giving me a chance to talk about the stories I love to write!

Who is your favorite rock star? Leave a comment
for a chance to win a free ebook from Rogue Phoenix Press!

To learn more about Genie Gabriel, visit her website or the Rock and Romance page: For years I’ve been fascinated by the puzzle of why some people collapse under life’s traumas and others emerge triumphantly stronger. These triumphs of the human spirit over the ugliest of adversities became the basis for my stories. Yet my dramatic stories have always contained touches of humor, and sometimes I have great fun writing romantic comedy novellas. However, in all my stories, my passion for writing romance is an outlet for the powerful messages that people can overcome great difficulties, and true love can turn life’s heartaches into happily ever after.

Note from Jessa: Meeting people in the story community is much like following links on the web: You meet one cool person who knows a cool person who knows a cool person, and by the time you look up, you have a bunch of cool readers and writers all around you. Case in point….

Today, we have KC Klein whose first (and I mean first) book DARK FUTURE is out now with Avon Impulse. As you know, we here at Silk And Shadows love us some dark heroes. So of COURSE we had to have the author of DARK FUTURE tell us more. Welcome, KC, and congrats on your debut!

First, I wanted to say thanks to Jessa for taking pity on me and asking me to come on her blog. And to everyone else, I just want to say…begging really does work.

Let’s pretend we are trying to get our best friend to read your book, what should we tell her to get her most excited? (And pretend we can’t read the back cover blurb; pretend our friend is running out to the bookstore RIGHT NOW and we have to tell her quick.)

Umm…let’s see…there are some really good sex scenes in DARK FUTURE. The interrogation scene (part of the excerpt in this post) won first place in “Reveal Your Inner Vixen” contest. So that’s good, right?

Your heroine, Kris, is a doctor who has to go forward through time to save the world (and the hero, of course). What interested you about time travel and the future world? And how much of Kris is KC?

I loved the concept of time-travel and a future world because I could make the world out to be whatever I wanted (I was never very good at research). How much of Kris is KC? Umm…that is a tough one. Since DARK FUTURE is my first book I put a lot of myself into the heroine (and not necessarily the good parts). I think Kris is KC, but to the 3rd power. Kris is a bit over the top and not really tempered with a wife and a mom’s hard earned wisdom. But, hey, she was a hell of a lot of fun to write.

Your hero is dark sexy warrior (yay!) ConRad Smith. What did you find most compelling about him as a hero? And what does Kris see in him?

When I wrote ConRad, I was looking for a hero who was a little harder and grittier than the heroes that I was reading. Now, in the world of paranormal romance, there a lot of tortured heroes to choose from, but close to ten years ago that wasn’t the case. Kris sees in ConRad what I love to see in my heros—a sense of security. I’ve been married to the same man for over sixteen years, and my husband still makes me feel protected and cherished. What more could a gal want?

On your website author bio, you say you were surprised to find out you write dark. Why were you surprised?

Well, truly, I was surprised to find out I could even write at all. I come from a family of machinists and bankers. Needless to say, creativity doesn’t run high on my family’s list of priorities. When I started to write, I thought I would lean more toward family dramas and fun, quirky, westerns because that’s my sense of humor. But it was funny, every time I started writing a light romance some character always ended up dead or tortured—I don’t know what’s wrong with me.

DARK FUTURE was the first book you finished, started when your first child was born (who will presumably take longer to finish). How much should we hate you that you sold your first book?

Oh please, even though DARK FUTURE was my first book I re-wrote it like four times. So really, it was more like my fifth book. And to make everyone feel better I have book two and three sitting in my hard drive with no place to go (those were my attempts at funny, quirky, westerns).

Which are your favorite apocalyptic-y scenarios besides aliens? Do you like homicidal computers, plagues, environmental collapse? How do you feel about zombies?

World-wide floods, meteors, deadly plaques, the latest ice-age, I love them all, the more catastrophic the better. I say that, but apocalyptic scenarios do not keep me up at night. I was talking to a guy about things we worry about, and he mentioned he was concerned the sun would one day burn out and we would have to find a new planet to live on. I thought…umm…I’ve never worried about that a second in my whole life, but…I would love to write about it.

Assuming the apocalypse is coming soon, which one weapon and two canned goods would you recommend?

Oh no, don’t get me confused with a character from my book. I’m not the courageous type. I wouldn’t know what to do with a weapon, but I sure can play a mean game of rock, paper, scissors. And as far as canned goods—do a bottle of gin and a bottle of tonic count? Hell, what am I thinking? The world is ending. There are no rules! So yes, gin and tonics DO count.

Thank you, KC, for posting with us. Maybe we’ll have you back for a dark cowboy next

Thanks again Jessa for having me. I love to chat with peeps, so please find me on Twitter @kckleinbooks and on Facebook as AuthorKCKlein.

My website is www.kckleinbooks.com

You can find DARK FUTURE at Avon Impulse and at Amazon. Also for all you non e-reader types, DARK FUTURE has just come out in print form. Check it out on Amazon.

Awakened in the middle of the night by a future version of herself, Kris Davenport is given a mission: go forward in time to save the world–and His life. Of course, her future self doesn’t tell her who he is, just sends her into an abyss and straight into an alien invasion.

He turns out to be ConRad Smith, the callous, untrusting Commander of Earth’s army and the world’s last defense. There’s only one way to know for sure if this strange woman is an alien spy–slice her throat. Except, he didn’t anticipate the heat he would feel as he interrogates the hot-tempered, warm-blooded woman. For a man whose sole focus has been survival, she’s more temptation than he can handle. But a world on the brink of destruction leaves no room for love…and time is running out.

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“Mmm, you taste human. Like salt or more like … warm sunshine?” He pinned me with his gaze. His eyes spoke a primal language. Desire warred with anger; need against punishment.

I looked away. Embarrassed. Violated. His body crushed mine, suffocating in its nearness. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even breathe without crushing my breasts against him. I always considered myself strong and physically fit, but he subdued me with barely any effort. Heart racing, I panicked.

The feeling of no control would break me–complete powerlessness always did. I used whatever weapon was available; whatever maneuvers would give me a fighting chance. This was no different. I turned my head, opened my mouth against his neck, and … sunk my teeth in.

He cursed. Grabbed hold of my shirt, picked me up, and slammed me back against the wall.

A painful whoosh came from my lungs. My vision rocked–brain swished inside my skull.

“You bit me.” He sounded shocked.

My head hurt so bad I had to blink hard to keep my eyes in their sockets. “You licked me,” I shouted back.

He assessed me, aqua blue eyes hooded with thick, long eyelashes, for what seemed like an eternity. “I will ask you one more time. Who are you?”

“I’ve told you everything.” My voice sounded desperate, tired, even to me. “I went running and fell into the dark … I’m a doctor at a hospital. If you don’t believe me, just call them. I’ve worked there for years.”

He stood still, his body hard against mine, creating an insurmountable barrier. His face so close I could see his pupils enlarge, almost hiding the hard blue of his irises. The rage in him lived and breathed. One hand ran along my scalp in a mock caress, grabbed hold of my hair and pulled.

“Liar,” his voice barely a whisper, the knife was back … shaking at my very exposed, very vulnerable artery. “There hasn’t been a hospital anywhere on Earth since the year 2075.” And in one efficient movement, he drew the knife across my throat.

So, the other day…my ten year old began asking me prolific questions. The conversation went something like this…

Daughter (ten years old and in her “I’m bored” mode as usual): Mom, why do you write about paranormal stuff?

Mom: Well, it is a very popular genre right now.

Daughter: So, you think if you write paranormal that you’ll get big sales?

Mom: That would be great! But that’s not the only reason WHY I write it.

Daughter: Why do you write it then?

Mom: I like the idea of being able to create characters who have supernatural powers and I enjoy the mythology and fantasy of it all.

Daughter (twirls her hair, staring out the window): But you didn’t invent demons.

Mom: No, of course not but I invented the ones in my book like this vampromancer demon who is part vampire and part necromancer.

Daughter (scrunches up her nose at me): But vampires aren’t real. Demons are real.

Mom (suddenly feeling inadequate as to how to respond to the too smart 10-year-old): Yes, well, I write fiction and so my characters aren’t necessarily based on the real study of demonology.

Mom (feeling smart with her wise answer).

Daughter: Hmmm…well can you name any real demons?

Mom (trying to wash dishes and break up battle between a 3 year old and a 1 year old that is currently brewing nearby): Uh, well…let’s see…

Daughter: Because we studied about demons in Bible class.

Mom: Oh, good. I’m getting my money’s worth out of that school.

Daughter (rolling eyes at Mom): I’m serious. Demons are real. Vampires are not demons.

Mom (deep sigh): Let’s talk about this more later. I can’t really concentrate on this discussion with your brother and sister screaming and my hands in the dishwater.

Daughter (shrugs): Okay, well anytime you want to learn about REAL demons…you know where to find me.

Mom (smiles)

How did these kids get to be so smart at such a young age? I mean, when I was 10 years old (I struggle to remember the time) I was into those little pencils that had the removable lead pieces that you pushed down from the top of the pencil to replace it with a freshly sharpened piece. Then you put the used piece back through the top to advance the next nub of lead downward. Kind of like a mechanical pencil but I think they were called “push pencils”. Anyone remember those? The ones I had were the kind where the pencils themselves were also scented with a fruity scent.

That was my 5th grade obsession. That and the new bad (very bad) permanent that my mother (who was a cosmetology student at the time) gave me. I wanted to look like Molly Ringwald and came out looking like…well…most definitely NOT Molly Ringwald.

I was also into this nifty little machine named Atari that my Dad brought home for us. It was the first in real video games and I was determined to master the game “Pong” before all the other kids in my neighborhood.

I most definitely was NOT thinking about demonology or the study thereof. So, are our kids smarter than us? There’s a show dedicated to just that theory (Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?) and despite the fact that my sleep deprived brain couldn’t focus in on my daughter’s impromptu discussion of demons—I’m still the boss in this house. Or, am I?

In Courting Demons, Paisley thinks she’s the boss too. She’s the mother of two children, a much more powerful witch than she realizes, and now the judge of all demons in the Underworld. But really, we may all have something to learn from our kids.

What is something you’ve been taught by your kid? Or, better yet, what were you “into” in the 5th grade?

Thanks for hosting me today at Silk & Shadows. Hope everyone will chime in with their own lessons learned.

Giveaway for the day:

Leave a question or comment to be entered to win today’s prize: A Vintage Push Pencil and an e-book copy of Courting Demons!

Then, enter to win my book tour Grand Prize Kindle by following me on tour and e-mailing me the answers to each question of the day at the end of tour. The more questions you answer, the more entries you gain.

Question of the Day:

Kerri Nelson discovered her love of writing at an early age and soon became a columnist for her local newspaper winning the Outstanding Young Journalist of the Year Award for her efforts.

Giveaway for the day:

Then, enter to win my book tour Grand Prize Kindle by following me on tour and e-mailing me the

Question of the Day:

© Kerri Nelson 2011

If you’ve never seen the series, but think someday you’ll want to, turn back now. There are a few spoilers in this list…

1. Throw them a curve ball: Take an ordinary high school cheerleader and give her an inescapable destiny as a vampire slayer.

2. Pit them against villains capable of killing them: Such as an ancient vampire who not only sucks the slayer dry, he leaves her face down in a puddle. Caveat: If you do this, you also need to give her friends who can conveniently save her life…

3. Make their nightmares come true: Afraid of spiders, clowns, or public speaking? Good. Because all the bad guys can’t be demons. Welcome to the slayer’s world.

4. Stomp on their hearts: Let her fall in love, only to discover that love can cause serious, earth-shattering problems, like awakening the soulless vampire buried in her boyfriend.

5. Kick them when they’re down: Ensure the only way to save the world is to run said boyfriend through with a very sharp sword.

6. And then just for the heck of it, kick ‘em again: When she finally gets up the courage to date again, have that guy dump her after one night of sex.

7. Take away all their support: Mentors? Fire them. Friends? Turn them into hyenas or magic-addicted dark witches. Mother? Make her a zombie, have her do the nasty with the mentor, then kill her.

8. When in doubt, make them sing: Literally, for a whole episode. And while she’s singing, have her blurt things she’d never say otherwise, wound all her friends, and almost go up in flames. Then blame it on a tap-dancing demon.

Fortunately, Buffy’s ego is never completely shattered by all that happens to her–she’s a terrific example of what doesn’t kill you (or does kill you but you come back to life) makes you stronger.

Any other Buffy fans out there?

Note from Jessa: I met Laurie at a signing up north when SEDUCED BY SHADOWS first came out. Learning that her debut novel was in the works too, I instantly felt affinity. Even if she’s not a plotter like me One of my favorite parts of being a romance writer and reader is that anywhere I meet fellow rom writers and readers, I have insta-friends.  If you need more romance lovin’ friends, you can find Laurie online on Twitter and Facebook, oh, and Goodreads.

Unlike Jessa, I’m not a big plotter. Let me admit that right up front. She showed me her plotting charts once, and I’m still getting over my hives. Before jumping into a story, I do the bare minimum of planning. Oh sure, I write character sketches and fill out a few simple character charts, and now that I’m on contract, I grudgingly write a synopsis for approval before writing the book, but I don’t plot much beyond that. I prefer to discover the story as it’s revealed to me while writing the first draft.

However, this can lead to a lot of surprises. Enter Hello Kitty.

Ideal ending hooks for chapters, as well as a line or two of dialog, often pop into my head, and I find myself building scenes around them. This happened when I wrote the first chapter of BONDED BY BLOOD.

At the end of the scene, Dom looked down at Mackenzie’s keys in his hand and wondered, “…who was this woman with the Hello Kitty keychain? Hell, this was going to be interesting.”

Perfect, I thought. Mackenzie was already confounding him—even though she was unconscious at the time.

But now I had a problem. How in the world did a vampire warrior recognize Hello Kitty enough to identify her by name? He didn’t refer to it as a toy, or a Japanese cartoon character, or a keychain from a store at the mall. Heck, my own husband wouldn’t know Hello Kitty by name.

Sure, I could change it, but it felt so right. I just had to figure out how he knew.

Dom didn’t have children, so that couldn’t be it. He didn’t have family members with children, so that couldn’t be it either. Aha, Lily, his good friend and fellow Guardian, had a daughter. That was it!

Because she’s a single parent, Lily works two weeks on and two weeks off. While she’s on duty, her daughter stays up in British Columbia with her parents. It just so happens that Zoe is obsessed with Hello Kitty and Dom often buys little trinkets for Lily to take to her. A few chapters later, Lily tells Dom that Zoe loves the Hello Kitty purse he gave her, and voila, the reader (and I) now understands how and why Dom knew about Hello Kitty.

This process of discovery not only ended up answering questions in the first book, but it seeded events in the second book.

EMBRACED BY BLOOD comes out in July and is Lily’s story. Not being a single mother and never having read a paranormal romance about a vampire single mother (let me know if you have), I’m not sure I’d have thought to write about such a character if this whole Hello Kitty angle hadn’t happened.

So my advice to other writers is this: when Hello Kitty happens, don’t blow her off. Work with her. You might be surprised to learn just how powerful she really is.

Thanks for having me on Silk and Shadows. I’d love to give away a signed copy of BONDED BY BLOOD to a commenter.

Jessa adds: To kick off comments, I’ll ask, does anyone know a real-life male who could touch a Hello Kitty object without fearing that he might burst into flames like a vampire exposed to sunlight?

NYT Bestseller Marjorie Liu needs no introduction. I’m told that, besides being a bestselling novelist, she is also a practicing lawyer, a comic book writer for Marvel, and spends half her time in China. She also recently gained national renown with her paranormal romance video game, Tiger Eye: Curse of the Riddle Box. We’re very grateful that she found the time to visit us here! Leave a comment below and enter to win a copy of In the Dark of Dreams.

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You know, I love the water — as long as I’m not in it.

I nearly drowned when I was a kid, and there’s nothing like being trapped in a place where you can’t breathe to make you appreciate a) air; and b) the danger inherent in a deep body of water. Even one that’s only as deep as a swimming pool.

And yet, I love the ocean. I love looking at the ocean.

I had to go on a week long sea kayaking trip in high school. Weather was bad, we were paddling against the winds, rain spitting in our faces. And once again, I was reminded that there’s a very tenuous, fragile line between life and death when you’re on the sea. The surface alone will swallow you up. The surface is an immense wall you can pass through, but once you’re on the other side…you, human, air-breather, are absolutely in another world that is hostile and magical, mysterious and very deadly. We’re not made to live in the ocean. Above it…sure. Below? No.

We can visit beneath the surface. Technology allows us to go places that previously we could only dream about. But trapped in submarines and suits, reliant on tanks of oxygen, limited by pressure, temperature…there’s no real interaction.

Three-fourths of the earth is covered in mystery. We know more about Mars than the deep ocean. More people have stood on the moon than traveled five miles deep. Five hundred feet below sea level, no light penetrates.

Anything could be hiding. Really, anything.

Which is why, from a young age, I’ve always loved reading about mermaids and mermen. That, and sea monsters. It was never much of a stretch for my big imagination to accommodate the possibility that legendary, magical creatures could be inhabiting the sea.

That’s where IN THE DARK OF DREAMS begins. With a girl on a beach, discovering a taste of that magic in the form of a young boy who isn’t human. Changed forever by that one brief meeting, bonded in their dreams, the two of them spend the rest of their lives trying to recapture a single moment of magic.

And eventually they do.

So, again, I love the ocean. It a source of inspiration for me. But I’m content to stay on land…and use my imagination to travel beneath the surface.

IN THE DARK OF DREAMS

Jenny is no stranger to magic — she is a child of covert organizations that specialize in the arcane and mysterious: shape-shifters, magic-makers, psychics, and monsters out of legend. And yet, she is utterly ordinary, one of the few members of her family without any “gift” to speak of. Except for one thing. A secret she has carried from childhood: an encounter with an extraordinary boy, born from the sea. And so begins a lifelong obsession, a love affair with the ocean — and a search for that magical boy she lost so many years before. Until she finds him and discovers that together they must save the world…or drown with it.

Self-confidence is not a static. It’s not a ‘have it’ or ‘don’t have it’ attribute. Unfortunately, for most people, intrepidity comes and goes. Teases and taunts. I have days when I’m supremely confident about my writing, and other days when I’m convinced I write dreck. Many times, those days follow one after the other.

The problem is, if you let a lack of confidence stop you from doing something important, the only person who feels the pinch is you. I met writers in my early days who created wonderful stories, but never sent them out to agents or editors—because they were worried about how they would be perceived. I met other writers who started stories, but never finished them—because they lost confidence in the manuscript.

Truth is, we all lose confidence in our manuscripts, and we all fear our writing is crap. Or most of us do, anyway. But we finish the stories and we send them out, despite our lack of confidence. And occasionally we get back shreds of praise and small pats on the back that confirm—if only temporarily—that we are decent writers.

I don’t have any tricks to increase self-confidence. I truly believe that the only way to gain conviction is to just be what it is that you want to be. Ignore the voice in your head that says ‘you suck’. Keep daring the gods and braving the odds, and some day you’ll wake up confident in your skills. Of course, the very next day you’ll wallow in the surety that you’re nothing but a pathetic dreamer. But hey.

On pathetic-dreamer days, you can always zipper up a pair of Jessa’s tall black boots, saunter into the coffee shop, and order a shot of espresso. Only truly confident people order espresso straight up.

Do you have a favorite fake-it scenario, real or imagined? From a movie? A book? Share.

[Note from Jessa: I met Maggie Mae at the Romance Writers of America conference in Orlando and fell in love with her logo   She was such a powerhouse, moving through the conference like a woman with a mission, I couldn't believe she didn't have a half dozen series published in her wake.  I knew we had to have her here so we could say "we knew her when."  Thanks for guest posting with us, Maggie!  (BTW, all, Maggie told me she's a blog virgin; this is her first guest post. So I do hope you'll say hi!)]

Sunday morning dawned bright and early after the big awards gala. My father drove in from Tampa and met my roommate and I for breakfast before ferrying us off to Orlando International Airport. When he asked the question what did you learn at the conference, my brain was overloaded and hyper-caffeinated. I looked at him like he was speaking to me in tongues. It took a few days for my system to calm done from the experience and truly digest all that happened.

Here’s what I learned at Nationals:

• Amazingly enough my favorite authors are people too. People who put their pants on one leg at a time.
• The stupendous solidarity and support offered to RWA members at all levels was overwhelming. It helps validate our sanity when we are having arguments with out characters at three in the morning. Because now we know that other writers do too.
• That yes, one can have far too much rubber chicken.
• For writers who are pre-published, such as myself, getting a thumbs up and encouragement from writers we consider our literary gods will be something we  remember our whole lives.
• Nora Roberts, Jayne Ann Krentz and Sabrina Jeffries are just as entertaining in person as their books!
• That I am entitled to a fan girl moment. Thanks Barbara Vey for being such a good sport!
• Friends should not let friends shop alone at the literacy signing. During the signing I forgot the bookaholics anonymous mantra, “We do not need to own every book we see.”
• For next year, ship all my books before the rush on Saturday.
• That yes, you can have a second fan girl moment when you receive your shipped box of signed books!

So much information, one tiny little brain.

Nationals is unlike anything you will ever experience. I am thrilled I had the opportunity to attend. I applaud the hard work and dedication of the RWA Board pulling off the nigh impossible task of relocating the conference. Whether a newbie or an old pro, it’s worth every cent. I highly recommend attending a conference of this magnitude at least once. I’m already looking forward to Nationals in the Big Apple. A chance revisit the friendships made this year and an opportunity to make new ones.

See you in New York!
Maggie Mae Gallagher

From Maggie’s website, a blurb on her someday-fingers-crossed book:

Born into the nightmare realm Earth has become, Alana Devereaux was raised battling the demons destroying our planet. As a Cantati, it was what she had been bred to do. When humanity’s final defenses crumble, Alana will become the last hope for our survival. Sent back through time, reeling from all she has lost, until she meets the mysterious stranger who fights demons almost as well as she does.

Gaelen Cormac, an exiled Fomorian Fae prince, pulls her into the chess game being played across the globe with the winner taking Earth as their prize. Alana must wage a deadly battle with all the forces of Infernio, even as she wages a dire campaign within her heart.

Alliances shall be forged, ancient enemies shall rise and Alana will be forced to choose. As the last Cantati, she must decide whether she will be humanity’s salvation or its demise. She is…Anointed.