Silk & Shadows

Currently working on: Missing all my friends in New York
Mood: Wistful

As you read this, about 2,000 romance writers are converging on New York City for the annual Romance Writers of America conference. Con attendees will take workshop, “network” at the bar, giggle too much, and get blisters in the miles of hotel corridors.

In the weeks leading up to a major conference, the blogging world, Facebook and Twitter are full of advice for newbies old war horses trying to be more efficient with their conference time and money. The advice runs the gamut from the eminently practical (“stay hydrated” and “bring a sweater; some rooms are cold!”) to the sublime (“RWA is not a popularity conference. Which makes it easier to win”) to the ridiculous (“Remember, editors and agents are human too”; no they aren’t, if they hold the life of your work in their hands, that makes them demi-gods at least).

But I haven’t seen as much on post-conference advice. To rectify that…

1. Don’t lose momentum.
Conferences are exhausting. With the prep time before you leave, the travel stress, and the forced extroversion (not to mention the laundry and dirty dishes that mysteriously piled up at home while you were gone) it’s easy to come back from conference utterly drained. Take some time to recover, but don’t let it derail you for more days than the conference itself, which can easily happen.

2. SUBMIT your requested work.
The anecdotal number varies, but editors and agents all say that they get surprisingly few of the manuscripts they request at conferences. Don’t be that writer. Or if you want to be that writer, don’t take away the ed/ag appointment from a writer who WILL follow up.  After conferences, there’s always a flurry of emails on writing loops asking “How long do I have to send in my story? Cuz, uh, actually, it’s not done. Really, it’s not even started.”

My answer (and not everyone agrees) is: Send it fast. It has to be good too. Not fast OR good; fast AND good. An editor or agent isn’t going to ding you on points if you take too long, but if she asked for it, it’s because she thinks she has a place for it.* Later, that maybe not be the case.

* Or because she’s just being nice. Which is a waste of everyone’s time. But don’t waste more time by NOT sending your work.

3. Do something with those business cards you collected.
If you followed the pre-conference advice and networked like crazy, you probably have lots of cards. Hopefully you followed good pre-con advice and jotted down a note on the card to remind you who this person was. Now to figure out what use you can make of those cards. Rather than keep scraps of paper around, you can data enter names, email addresses and the identifying feature you noted earlier into a word doc or spreadsheet for later retrieval. Send a quick email to people you want to remember so you have their addresses handy in your contact system.

4. Distribute all that swag.
You probably came home with more bookmarks, pens and plastic whatnots than you thought possible.  Contact your local romance book club or indie bookstore to see if they’d like to paw through it for the vicarious thrill. Your local RWA chapter might be interested in deconstructing the swag to see what marketing efforts seemed effective.

5. Put your favorite workshop advice to use.
Handouts and jotted notes seem to accrue more easily than mastery.  Actually TRY some of the craft, business or inspiration ideas that you learned. Also, share them with writing friends to reinforce them in your own mind. Keep a folder of only the very best (for you) of what you learned. That’s a great folder to take with you to writing retreats when you need a boost of remembered excitement.

6. Stay hydrated.
Hey, can’t hurt.

What’s your best post-conference advice? Anybody going anywhere else fun this summer? I’ll be at RomCon in Denver the first weekend of August and Authors After Dark in Philadelphia the second weekend of August. I’ll let you know if I follow my own advice!

The first season of HBO’s new series Game of Thrones (based on the books by George R.R. Martin) came to an exhilarating end on Sunday night.

I have to say, they have me hooked. It’s grim, violent, and full of graphic sexual content … and I’ll be waiting with bated breath for next season, which won’t happen until Spring 2012.

For those of you who haven’t seen the show, I’ll avoid spoilers as much as I can, but I’m going to list some of the reasons why I think this is a great series:

1. Conflict. There are masses and masses of it. Yes, there are also masses of characters, but after the first show, I had a pretty good handle on who was who. The conflict exists on a number of different levels: between ousted royalty and their replacements, between houses (or clans), between members of families, between duty and family, between societal dictates and individual preferences, between old beliefs and new beliefs, and so on. Very deep, very interesting.

2. Characters. The characters are revealed through their actions, both good and bad. They make choices we like, we hate, and we wince over. Bad things happen (see item #1) and the characters are forced into situations they’d really rather avoid. People scheme, lie, and make promises they don’t keep. What does all this mean? It means the characters that are vivid and complex. You want to spend time with them, week after week.

3. Mystery. The world unfolds slowly, with each show providing more and more detail. The people change as events influence their lives. The political landscape shifts, creating turmoil for all. And through it all, you’re left wondering. Not in a frustrating way, but in a curious way. What will happen to the characters? How will the characters react to events? How will the political intrigues play out? Who is trustworthy, and who is not? What better way to engage the audience than to have them wonder and hope and question?

As a storyteller, I’m filled with admiration for George R.R. Martin. As a viewer, I’m just plain enthralled.

Anyone else out there a fan of the series?

Currently working on: Scouring dirt from my fingernails
Mood: Soiled

The garden is finally in. Took a couple extra weekends because the ground was so wet and cold that nobody — not me, not XY, certainly not tomatoes — wanted to be in the dirt. But as of today, all the chicken poop is scattered, all the starts are started, all the stakes are stuck through the hearts of vampires are ready to bear the weight of future produce.

Which means it’s time for this spring’s edition of “All the Ways Writing is Like Gardening.”

I’ve noted before, in past editions of ATWWILG, when I read authors’ bios, a lot of them comment about their gardens. I’ve hypothesized that writing is such a head-bound pursuit, writers need an excuse to get outside and connect with life. Gardening fulfills that need to immerse ourselves in the real world — while still letting our minds wander in our storyworlds. Sneaky, I know.

1. Gardens and stories don’t look like much at the start.

As the picture above demonstrates. Baby plants and blank pages aren’t very impressive. They are vulnerable to the late-night predation of slugs and self-doubt. But they are also so fun and exciting at this point; just think what they could become! Their potential is limitless (especially in the case of cherry tomatoes) and they are still easy to weed around. But just wait for high summer when plants and pages have exponentially run amok.

2. Gardens and writing will bug you sometimes.

We do have some terrifying spiders that may or may not be black widows, brown recluses and hobo spiders, but these yellow cuties are infant common garden spiders (sometimes called diadem spiders, which sounds so pretty). In the spring, they are as numerous as the words in a very good writing session. (Although after a few weeks, they will eat each other down to just a few; much like the words after a very good revision session.)

For me, walking face-first through a spider web and getting stuck in my story engender very similar responses: lots of swatting, swearing and skin-crawling. (Ack, it’s on me, get it off, get it off!) Nothing for it but to brush away the sticky strands holding you up and continue onward.

3. Don’t forget to play.

It’s possible — likely? inevitable? — that not everything you find in the garden and in the story will be what you expected. Take, for example, the vast variety of spherical throwing objects the garden apparently sprouted over the winter. Who knew spherical throwing objects could breed and bear offspring? There’s no other explanation for why there are so many in my backyard. Digging them out of their various nooks and crannies was super entertaining. (And part of the reason I have so much dirt under my nails; Monster Girl wasn’t going to have ALL the fun…at least not when the fun came at the expense of my strawberry bed.) Take some time to enjoy the weirdness and see what might work better than what you planned.

So what’s growing in your garden — or your word garden — these days?

After watching the new Marvel movie, Thor, over the weekend—along with thousands of other folks—I expect a surge of interest in Norse mythology. Mythology makes a great basis for storytelling, and it worked for Tolkien and Rowling, so I say embrace it.

There are two ways use mythology in your stories:

- Stay faithful to the legends and be very careful about the details you include, treating your story like a fictionalized historical.

- Play with the mythology—even blend it with other mythologies—to create your own twist on the old stories.

Fantasy authors have been doing both successfully for years. Tolkien and Rowling both played with mythology, creating a unique world that is wonderfully identifiable to their stories. Many have copied them.

Is there a right approach? Not really.

But the reason many authors tweak mythological tales to suit their own needs is that the old tales are restrictive. You can’t stray off the beaten path without a fan of the old tales pointing out your error. If you create your own variation of the old tales, there are no beaten paths. Everything is fresh, new, and malleable.

You don’t need to stick to Norse mythology. Almost every region of the world has its own set of tales, from Hindu to Celtic, from Egyptian to North American Indian. There are plenty of stories from which to draw. I’ve used both Egyptian and Japanese mythology in my Soul Gatherer series so far.

One of best investments a paranormal/urban fantasy author can make is the purchase of a thick tome of mythology. Or several. I haunt the discount shelves at my local bookstore and regularly find texts on Greek myths, the Celtic druids, and Ancient Egypt—to name a few. And I’ve found all of them helpful at one time or another.

Anyone have a favorite mythology reference?

I happened to see a short interview with singer ADELE up on YouTube the other day. It precedes a rendition of Someone like You, but gives a bit of background on the song.

As you watch the video, it becomes very clear that she’s not afraid to share her emotions—in fact, she pours them into her songs, heart and soul.

There’s no holding back, not when she’s writing the songs and not when she’s singing them. Her words and her performances are intensely personal—she even admits to having cried as she performed Someone Like You at the 2011 BRIT Awards—yet she doesn’t shy away from the feelings they evoke. She openly bleeds as she sings, and her feelings reach out and grab you by the throat.

As a writer, especially a writer of romance, tapping into real emotions should be your aim as well. Don’t be afraid to reveal a big part of yourself in your writing. Dig deep, find those emotions that wring you out and pour them onto your pages. If you want your readers to feel, make your characters feel. To make your characters feel, look inside yourself. The truth is there.

Don’t be shy. Put it all on the page.

Currently working on: Chicago booksigning tour
Mood: Easter candy overdosed

I’m in Chicago for the Easter weekend, touring most of the bookstores within 50 miles. [Side note: If you live in Chicagoland and want a signed copy of VOWED IN SHADOWS, check with your local bookseller to see if I blew through.] I spent two solid days on the drive-bys, hitting as many stores as I could, signing the books in stock, and handing out goody bags filled with bookmarks and romance trading cards from fellow writers along with my book. Stock signing tours are fun, but tiring.

Yesterday, I spent Easter with my family. Woozy with exhaustion and excessive sugar intake, I listened to the priest’s homily and contemplated the Easter story of resurrection. I was also thinking about chocolate Easter eggs as well as the surprise elements and features on websites, DVDs and other electronic media which are also referred to as Easter eggs. The common element to all these Easter moments is rejoicing, whether that’s rejoicing in the  promise of eternal life or rejoicing in the discovery of a hidden chocolate or digital treasure.

As tired as I was after all the running around, I might have forgotten for a moment I should be rejoicing about having a book to sign. But even worse than that, sometimes I forget to rejoice in the writing itself. Just as eternal life shouldn’t overshadow that “This is the day the Lord has made” (emphasis mine), so I have to be careful that the joys (and trials) of being an author don’t overshadow the writing.

As I move forward with Book 3 launched and Book 4 almost a year away (yeah, yeah, it’ll be here before I know it) I am going to remember to rejoice. I will:

• Write anew and write a new…something
• Try something short and fresh as springtime
• Find the heart and spirit of my writing and set it free

Which aspects of writing or your other favorite pastimes continue to surprise and delight you? Leave a comment any time this week for a chance to win one of the goody bags I handed out this weekend.

Currently working on: Revising back cover copy for Marked Souls 4 (March 2012)
Mood: Time warped & future shocked

On Sunday, there was actual sunlight in Oregon! At one point, I was down to one single layer of clothing! Must be spring!

And spring means spring cleaning in the garden. I’ve noted before that many writers have gardens. I think a garden is sometimes an excuse to get away from the computer, to go outside, to see that blazing ball of light in the sky. It’s also a good time to think about stories. And today, as I pulled weeds, I was thinking what a lot the garden has taught me about writing.

Bloom where you are planted

Not every place is perfect. In fact, I’d hazard to say that most places aren’t perfect. Most life situations, most writing schedules, most publishing opportunities aren’t going to be perfect.

But like these balloon flower seedlings show, perfect isn’t a necessity. They found an opening in the gravel path, and they will happily sprout and blossom there. Even more impressively, not only will they bloom in the gravel, they will slowly build up dirt around themselves and make an even better situation for themselves next year.

Find the inner beauty

Oregon winters are relatively mild, but I have some plants that need to be protected through the coldest months and so I bury them in autumn leaves. In the spring, I’m always thrilled to find how some of the old leaves have been carved away to the intricate structures within. Sure, most of the leaves are a cold, wet, rotted mess, crawling with red wiggler worms, but a few are treasures.

I find the same is true of my writing efforts. Some leaves of pages aren’t going to grow into a grand novel oak; they are more suited for composting. But those are worthwhile too. And the skeletal structures that do stand the test of a winter’s rain might be the outline for that grand spread.

Think big, think small

The hairy bitter cress has to be one of the most weedy weeds ever. It’s one of the last things blooming in early winter and one of the first to shoot up in late winter. What I find most amazing about the hairy bitter cress (besides the remarkably unlovely name) is that it makes the most of every situation. Given light, space and a bit of dirt and water, it grows into an airy bush several feet across. (Pictured left, with my boot for scale.)

But in poorly lit, cold, hard soil, it will still sprout, blossom and go to seed at sizes even smaller than a quarter. (Pictured right.) Left to its own devices, it makes dry seed pods that explode at the touch of the wind, sending seeds in all directions.

I’m always tempted to think big in my writing, but the small can have just as much impact and throw its seeds just as far. Sometimes I need that reminder to focus on the intimate details.

This too shall pass

When I was a kid living through the Cold War threat of global thermonuclear annihilation, I sometimes comforted myself (and I admit I still use this technique) with the knowledge that no matter what we did, the world would keep spinning. (Although maybe slightly skewed on its axis if all the bombs were dropped in a certain pattern… Okay, TMI.) The plants NOT in my garden remind me that the best-laid plans are just that; plans, not reality. Even though I clear the patio pavers every year, every spring the Mexican feather grass, mullein, spearmint, and assorted other creepers have found nooks in the pavers and gotten a merry start on running amok.

And I kind of like the green invasion. No matter how clean-swept and barren those pavers are, new life will find a way. I know no matter how empty my writing hours sometimes feel, new stories will set root and bloom.

Go deep & aim high

Two years ago, we put in a marionberry bush. People who live outside berry country may never encounter a fresh marionberry. This is because Oregon grows most of these berries…and then eats them all. Marionberries are called the “Cabernet of blackberries” for their rich, intricate sweetness.

For all its elegant name, our plant is a monster. Last year, it sent out runners that could entangle a smallish elephant. Where the 10-20′ vines touched down, they rooted and are sending up new sprouts. (Diving and sprouting viciously-spined cane pictured right.)

What a great inspiration for my writing: beautiful and ferocious, sweet and thorny, strong and spreading, unstoppable. (And highly commercial!)

Enjoy

When I’m out there in the damp, filthy, slug-infested spring garden, pulling bent grass with roots two feet long, there’s a certain amount of growling and cursing. Sometimes I have to take a breather and remember why I’m doing this. Right now, I’m doing it for the tulips, but also for the strawberries and grapes, the dogwood and the purple smoke bush, the weeping cedar and the white birch. I’m doing it because I love my garden.

And despite the brain-bleeding brainstorming sessions trying to find the ideal story concept and the late-night revisions, I love my writing too.

Are you going to have a garden this year?  What lessons do your other hobbies teach you about life?

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?

Currently working on: Some bizarre futuristic postapocalyptic action adventure thing that came out of nowhere
Mood: Baffled

In the strange alternative universe that is publishing, even though Book 3 of the Marked Souls doesn’t appear on bookshelves until April 5, Book 4 is going to cover conference in some high rise in New York even as we speak.

Here’s how I imagine it is happening:

Editor: We need eye catching! We need hot! We need…the bold hero cover!

(Trumpets blare from the coffee room.)

Cover designer (who looks as rumpled and sexy as the males on the covers themselves): I can build him. I have Adobe Photoshop. I have the capability to build the romance novel hero cover. Better than he was before. Better, chestier, more rippling abs…

Editor (producing Author cover notes with a flourish): Here are the specs.

Designer (reading through notes): There are specs.

Editor: Yes, I said that. These are the author’s specifications.

Designer: No, this actually says spectacles.

Author (appearing out of nowhere, much like the aforementioned story idea and the aforementioned trumpets): Ha! Yes, I have given the hero glasses because I wear glasses and it’s about time more demonically-possessed heroes had to wear glasses. We will be bold heroes together! In glasses!

Editor and Designer (blinking)

Author (also blinking as she wakes from her nightmare back in her bed in the middle of nowhere): Yikes. I had this dream I was in New York at a cover conference. And I wasn’t wearing a shirt…

And in honor of my bold heroes, here’s the first glimpse of my Romance Trading Cards. Much like the Book 4 cover, RTCs are in development around the country at right this moment as romance authors gear up for the spring and summer conference and convention season. You can see examples of some of the gorgeous work at the Romance Trading Card website.

Here are mine, with much thanks to my designers and with hands-clasped prayers that Book 4 is as bold!

Have you seen any inspiring book covers lately?

First off, my heart and prayers go out to those dealing with the disasters in Japan. May all of you remain safe.

As for sagging middles…these aren’t the only options available to you, but if you’re stuck, maybe they’ll spark a fresh perspective:

1. Raise the stakes. Have your hero discover the looming disaster is even worse than he imagined. An example of this would be discovering the kidnapped child he’s hunting for is injured or sick. Or the road in front of the bus has not been finished there’s a twenty foot gap between the hero and safety.

2. Peel back another layer of your hero’s character. Use an event to trigger a memory that is very painful for the hero. This is especially useful if it causes conflict between the hero and heroine, or causes the hero to veer away from a possible route to success.

3. Change direction. Put a big roadblock in your hero’s path that forces the hero to discard his current plan and come up with a new one. A hero always has a plan. Sometimes the plan doesn’t work out. A literal example of this is the escape tunnel that ends up blocked, but it can be anything.

4. Unleash your villain. Have your villain do something really smart and really nasty. And if your hero gets injured in the fallout, so much the better. The best villains are always the ones that manage to outsmart your hero a time or two.

5. Deepen the romance. Turn up the heat and let your hero and heroine sweat it out together. This one actually ties in nicely to any of the above events, because there’s nothing like a near-death experience to stir up the hormones.

If you’re a writer, do you have a favorite way to juice up your story? As a reader, do you recall an awesome story twist that really worked for you?