Michelle Rowen
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Signing off and Signing tomorrowI'm shutting down the blog until I finish the first draft of my Blaze. I'm also going to shut off the Internet for the most part. It's such a distraction for me and I waste far too many hours surfing when I should be writing.
However, I will be Twittering if anyone wants to be updated on my progress...
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Tomorrow I'm doing a signing with the fabulous Eve Silver in downtown Toronto. If you're in the area, please come by and see us!
September 4, 2008 ~ Booksigning
IndigoSpirit
Royal Bank Plaza, 200 Bay Street, Toronto
12:30 pm
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Getting it on
One of the main reasons I wanted to try my hand at writing for Harlequin Blaze was to challenge myself. I felt relatively confident that I could do plot, characters, and dialogue, but there was one element of writing romance that I haven't really explored quite as much as I could have.
Yes, teh sex.
My vampire series fits firmly in the sweet area. Or, rather, PG. L&TV and S&S are more like PG-13, but still. It's tame in contrast with a lot of what's out there. When I first started writing seriously I didn't read that much romance so I wasn't sure of the heat levels. After I was published I started reading voraciously and was, frankly, surprised at how hot these stories got. I convinced myself that I had to ramp up this area if I wanted to continue to sell in the genre. I wrote a couple quickies (heh) in Countdown for that reason. I was surprised that those were not scenes I was asked to rewrite. I figured I might not completely suck (heh) at it after all.
I do believe that if you are a writer who refuses to write sex (and I know a couple of them) you will have a much harder time, perhaps not getting published in the romance genre, but sustaining reader interest over a longer career (I give this sort of thing way too much thought). I love writing sexual tension. Writing the act itself tends to make me a tad uncomfortable. It's the whole "family reading over my shoulder" thing I need to get over.
Thus, the reason I wanted to challenge myself. Well, I just wrote the first sex scene in the Blaze. It's pretty rough, and by that I mean first draft quality. :-) But I got it down and it will be revised to fit within the accepted levels of what the line requires. Sounds a bit analytical? Maybe a bit. I want this book to be good. I'm taking it seriously, even though it is a light story. And since sex is a huge part of the Blaze experience, I want that part to be very shiny and, well...hot. After all, I love reading Blazes and other more erotic romances. I have no problem with the reading. I just need to deal with the writing.
I remember when I first met Brenda Chin on an airplane on the way to the RWA conference in Reno in '05. I thought -- hello? What a great opportunity sitting next to the editor of Blaze herself? I told her "if i wrote hot, I'd totally submit to you."
And here I am three years later writing for her. Now I need to prove I can do it. (so to speak).
However, I have realized something recently. Just because I write hot in one book doesn't mean I always have to. I think, for the most part, my work will remain PG -- especially since I'm going to be published in YA soon. If I do more Blazes, they will be explicit. But my other light paranormals might not be. I say "might" because you never know.
I received a reader letter wondering why Countdown was explicit (the reader wasn't complaining just curious) when my other stuff wasn't. And why one book had more swearing in it. I replied by saying that I give the book what it needs. If it's logical for the characters to have sex and swear, then that's exactly what they're going to do. I go with the flow. I don't try to inject sex in for the sake of it, and I don't leave it out because it makes me uncomfortable.
It's all about story, baby.
So I'm wondering if you have any element of your writing that makes you uncomfortable. Do you try to avoid it or do you jump right in with both feet?
Friday, August 29, 2008
Best quiz everYour result for The What type of MAN turns you on Test...
Classic scorcher
You scored 65% masculine, 82% athletic, 27% exotic, and 56% refined!
You have picked my personal favorite type of man. Yes, man, not boy. The all-American and then some. You admire a buff body and manly features but someone who knows how to bathe himself and even though he's a scorcher, you could still bring him home to mom - as long as she keeps her hands off! Someone this hot would be......Victor Webster. But let's face it, the whole point of this was to look at a bunch of hot guys. If you liked what you saw, please rate my test!
Take The What type of MAN turns you on Test at HelloQuizzy
I just lost a long post. I am saddened.
The highlights...
The League hasn't picked a winner for the $15 Amazon.com gift certificate yet because of a technical issue they're having, so head over and enter while you still have a chance.
I chatted a bit about writing and having been delayed this week because of doing some freelance design work; I'm not a multi-tasker and therefore decided not to try to write too; I yammered on about FEELS LIKE MAGIC (title to change) and how I'm on that as of tomorrow. Stamped it, no erasies. Fast draft, ahoy!
And then I mentioned that Mrs. Giggles loved Bitten & Smitten and gave it an 88 because she obviously rocks. She did have a few issues with my darling hero. This prompted a short inner convo...
"We'll show all the naysayers why I love you so much, right Thierry?" Sarah said. "Thankfully it's a five book series to show our incredibly well-thought out and developed relationship arc."
*the author clears her throat nervously*
"Yes, Sarah, whatever you say," Thierry replied wearily. "However, we weren't in the third book, which means we're only in four books."
"Whatever. Four, five. What's the difference?"
"The reviewer did mention that I might idolize Edward Cullen. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"I...I don't know." Sarah hesitated. "Who's Edward Cullen?"
"He's a vampire character in a very successful series of young adult novels who tends toward self-indulgent behavior and general annoying broodiness." He cleared his throat. "That doesn't sound anything like me, does it?"
Sarah averted her gaze. "I'm not really much of a reader."
Also she reviewed Countdown and liked it, giving it a 76 (coincidentally, also my high school average), however, would have preferred a hero more along the lines of Vin Diesel's Riddick...ie: an unrepentant murderer. Love Riddick. However, he doesn't work as a romance hero, in my opinion. :-) That cyborg character who's been kicking around in my head lately on the other hand... He's a nasty piece of work. Food for thought, definitely.
Speaking of Edward Cullen, I've just started reading BREAKING DAWN. Two chapters in and so far so good... I'll be sure to report on the whole series, with plenty of spoiler warnings, once I'm finito.
Have a good weekend everyone!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
OOTB Spotlight: Marianne MancusiI think it's fairly obvious that I'm a huge fan of Dorchester's SHOMI line. They're kick-butt, fast-paced, and sexy! But, enough about COUNTDOWN... ;-)
I can't wait to read RAZOR GIRL (which just came out)! The cover is so awesome and Marianne is one hell of an author... plus, zombies in Disneyland? Bring that action on.
RAZOR GIRL by Marianne MancusiMolly Anderson is not your average twenty-one-year-old. It’s been six years since she and her family escaped into a bunker, led by her conspiracy theorist father and his foreknowledge of a plot to bring about the apocalypse. But her father’s precautions didn’t stop there. Molly is now built to survive.
Yes, Ian Anderson’s favorite book gave him ideas on how to “improve” his daughter. Molly is faster, stronger, and her ocular implants and razor-tipped nails set her apart. Apart, when—venturing alone out of the bunker and into a plague ravaged, monster-ridden wilderness — what Molly needs most is togetherness. Chase Griffin, a friend from her past, is her best bet. But while he and others have miraculously survived, the kind boy has become a tormented man. Together, these remnants of humanity must struggle toward trusting each other and journey to the one place Molly’s father believed all civilization would be reborn: the Magic Kingdom, where everyone knows it’s a small world after all.
Read an excerpt!
ABOUT MARIANNE MANCUSI
When it comes to writing, award winning author Marianne Mancusi likes to play the field. From time travel comedies to kick butt speculative fiction romances to a Buffy’esque vampire series for teens, she’s published eleven books in three years, in a myriad of genres and styles.
In addition to writing, Marianne is a multiple Emmy award winning television producer, currently working for the nationally syndicated women’s lifestyle show Better TV. A Boston native and graduate of Boston University ’s College of Communications , she currently lives on Manhattan ’s Upper West Side. (But has NOT become a Yankees fan!) In her spare time, Marianne enjoys clubbing, cosplay, cheesy horror movies (especially those featuring zombies!), her dog Molly, and videogames.
REVIEWS
“Opens with danger and will grab your interest immediately. Stellar!”
--Huntress Reviews
“An increasingly intense, suspenseful edge-of-the-seat thrilling ride…stunning, cutting edge romance.”
--Merrimon Book Reviews
"Non-stop thrill ride from page one! Marianne Mancusi spins an eerily marvelous tale in her book RAZOR GIRL."
--Simply Romance Reviews
"Mancusi doesn_t hesitate to take chances and innovate!"
--Romantic Times
"Marianne Mancusi has returned with an edgy all-new tale, Razor Girl, filled with fast-paced action and a heroine strong enough to mold her own destiny."
--SF Scope
Website(s):
www.mariannemancusi.com
www.rebelsofromance.com
www.shomifiction.com
Mark Henry conducts a somewhat torturous interview with me over on The League of Reluctant Adults blog... check it out. I'm giving away a $15 gift certificate to Amazon.com to a commenter. That is, if I ever get these ropes loose...
Monday, August 25, 2008
Monday night stuffThanks to everyone who voted in my poll below. Looks like witches are the winners. I kind of hoped that along with the results a really good idea involving witches would magically pop into my head. Turns out, not so much. Why is it easy to come up with ideas for novels and hard to come up with short story ideas? Do not know.
I think I have an idea, though. It's a twist on reincarnation love stories. It was originally a book idea, but I think it's fine for a short story. We'll see. I'm not going to work on that until I'm finished my first draft on zee Blaze. Personal deadline: Sept 15th. Not only will that deadline happen, but it must happen. I need the following two weeks to whip this puppy into shape.
Happily though, the story is coming along nicely. Slowly, of course, since I'm at the tender beginnings -- page 45 at the moment -- but nicely. The two ghost secondary characters turn out not to be so much with the comedy though, and instead have a rather tragic little backstory. Tragedy is good. Maybe this book will be a tad more serious than I originally planned. I'm dealing with my usual issues in this -- accepting who you are instead of trying to be something you're not. Good times. Books are a way to sort out personal crap. Eventually, right?
I've officially turned in TALL, DARK & FANGSOME to my editor. Go in peace, my little fanged friend. Go in peace.
Tomorrow I'm receiving my editorial revisions on my young adult novel.
The next month or so is going to be rather creatively busy. Be careful what you wish for is another theme I like to explore in my writing...also my real life. At the moment, I have enough to keep me super busy, but not enough to be crazy. Hopefully the writing between now and November will go swimmingly.
Also... on page 200 or so of ECLIPSE and firmly on Team Jacob still. I know it's probably a losing team, but what can I say? Tall, dark and furry edges out cold, bossy old guy for me. Despite the crappy reviews, I've ordered BREAKING DAWN. I expect to be very disappointed, but will go along willingly for the ride.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Please vote on your favorite paranormal being!My original idea for the short story I'm writing for the Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance has been moved off the table for further development. Basically I'm thinking Barkley the werewolf needs something bigger than a short story, but we'll have to see about that. In the meantime, I'm wading through a sea of ideas and need things narrowed down.
I'm guest blogging on Fresh Fiction today. Or, rather, Michelle Maddox is. Check out what she/me has to say about bad boy heroes.
Other than that I'm trying very hard to get into the writing on my Harlequin Blaze. I've reread all of my proposal and know that this is going to be a hugely fun book to write. But, as always, starting is the most difficult thing. Once I get that momentum going, then it's a matter of showing up at the page. I may have to bribe myself with some kind of treat. Deceive myself into getting some pages done. It works. I'm easily influenced by treats. I'm a lot like my cats, that way, although I'm not particularly partial to catnip.
I'm also 300 pages into NEW MOON, and am actually liking it better than TWILIGHT so far, even though Edward is off stage at the moment. I'm all about Jacob now. I'm so fickle. Bella still bugs me (I am prone to heckling at the page things like, "no kidding, stupid!" when she figures something out), but she's a small price to pay for a great story. Plus, I don't HATE her. I'm just thinking Edward and Jacob could do better. I will volunteer. I'm like a werecougar.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Post-Novel blues
I'm experiencing it right now. The blue feeling I get when I finish a book. My seventh contracted novel, TALL, DARK & FANGSOME, is all done and ready to submit to my editor. I'm happy with it. But now, after spending months thinking about it and writing it, I'm left with this weird void. I'm bored. I'm listless. And yet I'm not quite ready to start the next book. The next book, however, must be started in the next day or two because I have an October 1st deadline on it. This is the Harlequin Blaze.
But I can't simply jump from one to the other quite that easily. I need a little time to mourn my vampires as that was the last time I will write about them and they've been in my life now for five long years. I'm ready to move on, but I will definitely miss them a lot.
*mourning*
I also want to glom on to some books. I've decided this is the best way to deal with my recent meh attitude about everything I've been reading lately. Grab hold of some series I've gotten behind on and catch up. This includes Rachel Caine, Lilith Saintcrow, Sherrilyn Kenyon, MaryJanice Davidson, Katie MacAlister, Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, and Jim Butcher. Plus, I've heard such great things about Karen Marie Moning that I need to try her fae series. No more LKH for me, alas. I couldn't get through the recent one, which makes me really sad since she was the author who originally inspired me to write paranormal...and in first person.
I think I'll start with Stephenie Meyer. I loved TWILIGHT, except for a little bit of annoyance toward Bella, and I've had the other two on my shelf for a while. I started NEW MOON and it's really good so far. So I think I'll just glom the rest of the series in one shot. I'm intrigued by the reviews the last one has received and want to avoid spoilers so I guess I'd better hurry up with the reading. I got THE HOST from the library, but it didn't grab my interest right away so I'll have to return it and maybe get it again in the future.
Maybe that's what I need right now. To refill the well. My brain has become a bit dusty the last couple of months.
Here's some movies I've seen recently that come to mind...
MAMMA MIA: Loved this. Loved the play but the movie was even better. Meryl Streep is one of a kind and can play anything. Plus she has an amazing singing voice. Pierce Brosnan? Not so much. But still enjoyable. 9/10
THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE: Wow. This one. I wasn't really even looking forward to this movie even though I was a rabid, RABID X-Files fan back in the day and a hardcore Scully/Mulder shipper. I found this movie to be too little, too late. All of the stuff that should have been on-screen had already been dealt with off screen, and where's the fun in that? It woudl have made a moderately interesting stand-alone episode of the show, but otherwise, it simply was blah. Mega blah. 5/10
THE NINES: I saw this movie on the movie channel. It has Ryan Reynolds in it which is enough of a reason to watch it. Wow. I didn't expect this one to totally blow my mind kind of like the Butterfly Effect did a couple years ago. I can't say anything about it to give any spoilers, but if you see it's on, watch it. It's really incredible and amazingly thought-provoking. 8/10
I still haven't seen BATMAN. Maybe this weekend...
Monday, August 18, 2008
Jackie's at the Midnight Hour...Head over to The Midnight Hour today to get a chance to win a signed copy of Jackie Kessler's HOTTER THAN HELL....
Longer post to come soon, I promise....
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Guest blogging galoreI'm guest blogging on Simply Romance Reviews today. Please stop by to learn about how I picked my pen name(s) and comment for the chance to win a signed copy of COUNTDOWN....
Also, Angie Fox is guest blogging on her NYT Bestseller THE ACCIDENTAL DEMON SLAYER on The Midnight Hour today... come on by and say hi...
