Blog Chain: Summer Flings: Do they really exist?

I chose the topic for Blog Chain this time around:

Have you ever written a summer fling? Or are all your fictional relationships the deep, forever kind? If you did write one, how would it begin (the meet cute)? Where would it be set? Give us a few paragraphs sample. 

Surprisingly, though I wrote this prompt, I haven't really written a summer fling. I'll have to think of a new one for the assignment. 

Synopsis: Jaron, a philosophy student visiting hick cousins in Ohio, falls off a hay wagon and lands on a stranger's farm in the middle of nowhere. After blacking out, he comes to with the barrel of Agnes' rifle at his nose. An endlessly practical but lovely corn farmer, she's in the middle of a feud with the mega-farm ten miles upwind, who claims she's growing their patented seeds. The last thing she needs at her door is one of their spies. While Mr. Philosophy waxes poetic about her corn-silken mane and muses over the possibility that reality is completely subjective, Agnes tries to get in touch with his cousins so he can do what men do best and leave. Jaron doesn't remember their phone number, he lost his phone in the fall, and can only tell her their names and horribly mispronounce the town where they live. 

Sample:

"Coshocktown? You mean Coshocton?" Agnes rubbed her forehead with her whole palm. "You're in Plainfield. That's at least ten miles and it ain't flat."

"Well, could I trouble you for a ride?" Ten miles didn't seem that far. Maybe he could take a hike in the morning, after the rain stopped.

Her hand fell to her side and she stared. "Our truck mysteriously stopped working two days back. About the same time another young gentleman came poking around the farm. Another spy!"

Back to the conspiracy theories again. Her patience for his theories on existentialism wasn't likely to improve, either. He'd have to try another tactic. "Our? Is there a Mister Cornsilk?"

Her eyes went from narrowed to slit-thin. "No. And there never will be. If it weren't for this stupid rain and the flash flood warning I'd send you on your way on foot." 

She spun around and tossed a folded quilt. He caught it with his stomach.

"This must be the Midwestern hospitality I've heard so much about," Jaron mused.

"Don't get too used to it."

A little boy with brown hair like a sheepdog and brand new Levi denim walked into the room with a math book. "Explain it again, Aggie? I can't figure out these stupid fractions! Who's that?"

With a deep sigh, Agnes took the boy under her wing and gestured toward Jaron. "This is what a city boy looks like. Take a good look at those skinny limbs and baby-soft hands. It's what happens to a person who forgets how to work." She gave the boy a swat on the bum and told him she'd be in to tuck him in soon. 

Jaron's made-for-children grin collapsed. "Nice. Really nice. You know, you're shaping his reality, too."

Agnes groaned. "Good night!" 

Before he could even think of a response, Jaron found himself alone in a dark, wood-paneled room on a tattered sofa, with only a mutt for company.  

Make sure to check out the other links on the Blog Chain! Catch up with Christine Fonseca to see yesterday's blog chain post,

and check out Demitria Lunetta's tomorrow.

A Valentine-ish Blog Hop: Entangled in Love

(Click here to check out what the other authors are giving away during the Entangled In Love blog hop!)

Michelle McLean, author of TO TRUST A THIEF (which I just reviewed today on Afterglow Book Reviews) is giving away a copy of her brand new book on her blog.

Enter to win here: Entangled in Love Blog Hop

Here's the trailer, as seen on usatoday.com:

Also, join the Entangled authors for a Twitter Party February 8th at 9pm EST.

The deets:
Date : February 8th, 2013.
Time : 9pm EST.
Hashtag : #EntangledInLove
What : We’ll be asking Valentine’s day related questions and each question has prizes to be won! Answer right for a chance to win some of the many awesome prizes!
Where : Follow the instructions below!
1. Go to http://tweetgrid.com/party2. Fill in the hash-tag as #EntangledInLove
3. Fill in the hosts
@entangledpub@totalbookaholic@babsbookbistro@anjanavasan
4. Enter your twitter handle, follow the tweets, answer the questions and you may just get lucky!
Don’t forget to mention the #EntangledInLove hashtag in your replies!
Good Luck!!

To Trust a Thief Cover Reveal and Release!

To Trust a Thief by Michelle McLean was released today!

I know, it's almost hard to keep track of all the awesome! But I'm very excited about Michelle's release, and not just because she's an Operation Awesome blogger. I've read this book and it is chill-inducing. The suspense and romantic tension are freaking delicious. 

I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I have. Here's the sexy cover:

Add it on goodreads

And the sexy/suspenseful blurb:

Minuette Sinclair's parents are in trouble and her fake fiancé is too. A legendary lost necklace might be their salvation, and Min is determined to find it and use it to buy her family and fiancé out of their misfortunes.

Master thief Bryant Westley is also looking for the fabled necklace. He knows Min’s got information he can use so he poses as her dance instructor and tries to seduce it from her. What he doesn’t count on are his feelings for her. He offers to partner up in the search – even though she is a distraction he can’t afford. 

Things become more complicated when Min realizes that her convenient engagement means more to her fake fiancé than her and that she’s fallen in love with Bryant. Bryant realizes that he can’t double cross the young lady he’s come to love. Can they find the necklace together and admit their love before it’s too late?

For release week, Michelle is hosting a real live treasure hunt, beginning on her blog today.

You could win this gorgeous Victorian bookmark: 

More prizes to follow in the coming week.

Want to know what treasures you will be hunting for?

Day 1 = a beautiful Victorian bookmark
Day 2 = a $25 gift card
Day 3 = a Shakespeare Insults clock (totally cute and hilarious)
Day 4 = a Minuette locket (a replica of the one in the book)
Day 5 = A NOOK COLOR!!!

Here are the Treasure Hunt blog stops:
Day 1 - Monday Jan 21st – Michelle's blog
Day 2 - Tuesday, January 22 -- Romance Junkies
Day 3 - Wednesday, January 23 -- Cocktails and Books
Day 4 - Thursday, January 24 -- Romance Book Junkies
Day 5 - Friday, January 25 -- Romance Reviews Today

So head on over to her blog and start hunting for treasure!




Buy it at Barnes and Noble 

Ooh, Scandalous! (Entangled's newest imprint: launched)

Goodreads

USA Today posted interviews with Scandalous editors and authors yesterday in their piece:

It's a Scandalous Day: Entangled introduces its new imprint

There was a time when a mere glance at a handsome man, a seductive movement by a single woman or even a slight, knowing nod between couples would be cause for denunciation. Reputations were ruined; people were forced to flee to far-off lands to spare families from distasteful improprieties. Whatever became of these days of social morals and righteous standards? A time when men were men and women knew their place. Well, wonder no more. Welcome to the world of Scandalous, the newest imprint from Entangled Publishing.

Scandalous is historical, classical, sexy — romantic! Our tales are set between 900 and 1920s/1940s, anywhere from the lush hills of Ireland, Regency London, Renaissance Italy … or even the Viking age. These stories are bold, sexy and heartfelt, and can be funny, action-packed, mysterious or dramatic. They are full of romance, deception, love and, yes, honor between strong men and even stronger women. Wherever there's a masked ball, Scandalous will be there. Whenever there's a damsel in distress, Scandalous will be there. If there's a scoundrel to be had, Scandalous will have him.

Sounds great, right?

And great news for authors, Entangled's Scandalous line is looking for new authors! Check out their SUBMISSION GUIDELINES, which are deliciously detailed:

Specifically, we want:

• Quality, well-researched story-telling
• Authors who aren’t afraid to push creative boundaries
• Prolific authors who can write three to four books a year are a plus
• Time periods: 900–1950
• Heroines who are age 20+, confident, and can be unconventional (a scientist, for example). If absolutely necessary to story, heroine can be 18-19.
• Stories that feature an alpha male, whether he be the captain of a ship, royalty, or a warrior
• Realistic stories—no manipulation of history, or alternate history
• Although we are not a paranormal line, stories may contain light paranormal elements.
• Active, dialogue-rich stories, with a minimum of narrative and navel-gazing, but firmly ground the reader in the setting and culture
• Emotional depth depicted through strong conflict, theme, symbolism, and sub-text
• Stories focused on the heroine and hero falling in love
• Sensual stories, but the heat level should grow organically from the characters, their situations and emotions. We are not looking for erotica, but closed door is also fine on occasion.
• Manuscripts must be 60-70K words in length
• Revised backlist titles will be considered on a case-by-case basis
• We accept agented and un-agented submissions, although agented submissions will receive first priority in the slush pile 

This certainly describe's Michelle McLean's upcoming regency romance, Treasured Lies, which I am hotly anticipating. 



Check out her blog and anticipate with me.

New book, new blog design

My new work-in-progress is dark. One of the primary themes is darkness vs. light, heaven vs. hell, and so on and so forth. Above is my mock cover, just playing around on picnik.com. If you're wondering what that blob is, it's a planet shaped into a human heart, bursting with light (which is actually more than just a theme in the story; it's a paranormal element). 

So I'm not much of a cover designer... BUT I did go ahead and redecorate my blog and I'm happy with the way it turned out (thank you, thecutestblogontheblock.com). More importantly, Lucy likes it.

I hope you don't hate me for ditching the orange swirls. I do still love them, but while that cheerful vibe matched my last MC, Lucy needed something a little more subdued. Here's what I've discovered about her so far:

Lucy Belle 

• Dreads conflict and avoids it at all costs, mostly due to her empath abilities.
• Usually succeeds in blending in, which also helps in avoiding conflict.
• Loves, loves, loves old books - if they're falling apart, even better.
• Doesn't like eating in public, but enjoys going dancing with her best friends.
• Is bold and funny around her closest friends.
• Secretly wants to be an actress like her late mother, but is terrified to try.
• Didn't do anything to stand out in high school and regrets it.
• Can be very irresponsible when tempted.
• More prone to guilt and sympathy than normal people.
• Could eat Smooth and Melty Mints all day.
• Believes in fate and soulmates, and has trouble seeing beyond that box.
• Sings like an angel, but never performs.
• Is completely powerless when it comes to the magic touch of a certain charming devil.

Also, she likes old movies, especially of the vampire variety. I've had a lot of fun getting to know Lucy and the people she surrounds herself with. I hope someday to introduce her to you more formally. 

Until then, keep on writing and I'll do the same! Done any characterization exercises lately?

Happy Weekend, Blog Buddies!!

Teaser Tuesday: LOVE ME OR LET ME DIE

I know it's a bit self-indulgent to post clips of your own work. But I'm excited about this story, have spent many late nights writing it, and I'm feeling self-indulgent. So here's a taste of the dark paranormal romance I'm writing with a few holes in the narrative for which I hope you'll forgive me. My main character Lucy is eighteen in the summer after graduation. I'm still trying to decide if that makes it YA or the mythical beast called New Adult. I think the rest is self-explanatory. 

Lucy decided her stupid empath abilities were to blame for the kiss with Chase. He was feeling attracted. Ergot, she was feeling it, too, secondhand. But it wasn't real. Not like what she had with Nick.

She sighed into her pillow and swore not to think about Chase for another second. Saturdays were for Nick. Every day was for Nick.

.... {removed spoilers}

She'd sworn not to think about Chase, and she totally wasn't. She was thinking about herself—her abilities. Just because he shared those abilities didn't mean she had to think about what he did with them.

"Gah!" She buried her head underneath the pillow. It was like Mac's mean trick one day on set when she was bored. "I dare you not to think of a giant, flashing red number twenty-four." Then he'd walked away, and Lucy had tried really hard not to think of that stupid flashing number. She still saw it sometimes when she closed her eyes. The forbidden thought that wouldn't leave.

That was Chase Gillan. 

She called Nick on the drive over to the costume shop. She only wanted to hear his voice, to remember why she'd fallen head over heels for him. To forget the red flashing twenty-four in her mental rear-view mirror.  

"Good morning, my light," his sleepy voice purred.

If there was anything Nick was made for, it was making Lucy forget. She almost ran a stop sign. "Hey, sexy," she answered. "I miss you. Thanks for the flowers."

"Of course." She could hear his smile through the phone.

... {spoilers removed}

She'd been tossing in bed last night for another reason besides Chase and his confusing kiss. No matter how she figured things, Nick had something to do with her burgeoning sensitivity to the paranormal. So could she trust him with her secrets? Did he already know?

Lucy could really use some of that famous lucent clarity about now. 


Thanks for the shout-out, Tiffany!

Story Analysis Time: Pride, Prejudice, and Romance (my notes from Sarah Eden)

If you remember from my notes on Sarah Eden's All You Need is Love... and some other stuff presentation at LDStorymakers 2011, she names Three Things You Need in a Great Romance. Today I'll pass along my notes on how this actually applies to a famous and classic story: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

1) Emotional Connection

a) Between the characters -1st sight, intrigued but slightly turned off. Darcy watches her, getting to know Elizabeth, trying to figure out why he's so intrigued by her. Elizabeth reads THE LETTER, and realizes she's misjudged him. They both help out each other's loved ones.

b) Emotional connection to the reader -we see Elizabeth's love for her sister, her wit and resilience, her intelligence. She struggles with her difficult relations. We see her rally after emotional upheaval. The reader connects to her because she's real and we like her.

Darcy is harder because we don't get his perspective. Austen has other characters give insight into Darcy.

• Bingley likes him, and trusts him implicitly
• Georgiana's story tells us Darcy is kind and loyal
• Generosity to Lydia and Wickham

2) Need Fulfillment

a) What Elizabeth needs in a soul mate:

• Someone she can respect
• Someone who is intelligent
• Someone with money (very practical need)
• Someone who is responsible and serious because she often is not
• Someone loyal, unselfish, and good

b) What Darcy needs in a soul mate:

• Someone who lightens him up, yet takes his responsibility seriously
• Someone strong to challenge him
• Someone who loves his sister
• Someone who sees the real him

3) Uniquely Suited to Each Other

Darcy and Elizabeth are the only ones for each other because:

• Everyone's intimidated by Darcy except Elizabeth. 
• No one is as smart as Elizabeth except for Darcy.
• Everyone is afraid of Lady Catherine but Elizabeth.
• No one likes Elizabeth's wild family, but Darcy still takes care of them.

What do you think? Other things that make Darcy's and Elizabeth's relationship unique in literature or life? 

This discussion opened my eyes about my own characters, since my main guy is a bit Darcy-ish on some level. I hope it reaches you in the same way and helps you to define what's unique and special and necessary about the romance in your story, whether it's the entire plot line or just a blip in your epic fantasy. Enjoy writing the kissing scenes. :)

P.S.es

• I'm over at Operation Awesome today talking about The Lonely Hero a la Dr. Who and passing along three giveaway links you won't want to miss (free books and critiques).

• Afterglow has had a lot of seriously booklove going on recently. Skip over there to see which books are leaving our reviewers with a delicious afterglow.

All you need is love... and some other stuff (notes on Sarah M. Eden's epic romance class)

First of all, if you're not already a fan of Sarah M. Eden, run--do not walk--to www.sarahmeden.com where you can get to know this charming lady and find out about her regency romances, like The Kiss of a Stranger, and one now firmly on my TBR list: Courting Miss Lancaster.

Her presentation was incredible! Funny, relevant, detailed, and eye-opening. I left with all kinds of ideas for making my contemporary fantasy's romantic plot line more real and intense.

So here are my notes, mostly taken directly from her Powerpoint presentation at LDStorymakers 2011 with a few of my thoughts or interpretations added in (you know how notes are).

Love is a universal human experience and emotion.
Love is a basic human need.
Love adds depth to any story.

In a Romance:

• the story question is ALWAYS will the couple end up together?
• the story question answer is ALWAYS YES!
• the love story is what drives the plot; it's never secondary to any other plot line.
• the romance is the POINT to the story

Common Romance Pitfalls:

• Love in a vacuum: no existence outside of the couple OR so much else going on that you lose the romance, like they're never actually together.
• Romantic tension relies too much (or entirely) on the physical (i.e. too spicy on the Sweet N Spicy Spectrum)
• Little or no romantic tension: either they're not together enough or they come together too fast, too soon and the rest of the story is saccharine. OR they're unlikable characters and we don't care if they get together. 
• Weak sources of conflict: what's keeping them apart is something a simple conversation could solve
• The love has no foundation: it's purely physical or they don't spend enough time getting to know each other.
• Reader doesn't care: Since romance is character driven, the reader must care about them.

Three Things Every Great Romance (or romantic plot line) Needs:

1. An emotional connection

• Between your characters: being hot isn't enough. Emotional connections require interaction/time.
• With the reader: strengths and weaknesses in characters, "realness." We need to feel like the heroine could be us or our best friend. And we need a reason to cheer for the couple (as individuals and together)
• Pitfalls this resolves: the love in a vacuum problem, readers not caring, cliché plot.

2. Need fulfillment

• needs can range from shallow to deep: a need to have an equal partner, a need to be loved, a need for companionship, a need for vitality and excitement
• the needs should complement each other so they aren't dependent but inter-dependent
• the deeper the need, the deeper the connection. Figure out what your hero and heroine need in a significant other.
• Pitfalls this resolves: the love in a vacuum problem, weak sources of conflict, cliché plot and characters, plot has no foundation
• what if their needs are in conflict with each other? Can they ever be together?

3. The couple is something to each other that no one else is (or can be)

• If their connection is not unique, it will lack impact and will not be satisfying for your reader.
• this is the reason their connection must go beyond love at first sight, infatuation, or physical pleasure.
• Pitfalls this resolves: romantic tension relies too much (or entirely) on the physical, cliché plot and characters, love has no foundation

I know these notes are never the same as actually attending the conference and hearing the connections our presenters make between each bullet and number, but I hope you found it at least half as helpful as I did. Next week, I'll bring you my notes from Story Analysis Time, which was a Pride and Prejudice chat at the end of Sarah's class--possibly the highlight of the whole conference for me. I love talking about Darcy and Elizabeth!

Until then, happy romance writing! And have a fabulous weekend!

POLL Analysis: Biggest Turn-offs in a Romantic Lead

Biggest Turn-off in a Romantic Lead

Let's talk about Romantic characters. Who's hot and who's not? Or rather, what's hot and what's not?

Nerdiness is apparently HOT. Nobody voted for it as a turn-off. 

Disloyalty, on the other hand, is NOT.

Here's the breakdown in order of notness:

First, Disloyalty.
Second, Hygiene problems.
Third, a tie between Disrespect and Playboy persona
Fourth, Know-it-allness
Fifth, a four-way tie between Shyness, Bossiness, Addiction, and Indecisiveness

And Nerdiness, as we've already established, is hot.

So, pay attention, people who want to write a book only to the six people who answered this poll (hee hee). Your next romantic lead needs to be a loyal nerd who respects women and showers, isn't too smart, shy, bossy, or indecisive. And he must not drown his sorrows in alcohol or World of Warcraft. There you have it, people. I hope that helped.

Too small a sample, you say?

Posh! If you write this book, I will post a link here and you have six potential buyers pseudo-guaranteed. That's a pseudo-guarantee! It just doesn't get better than that!

In all seriousness, my friends. I need more poll participation. Or maybe I need a new poll-writer. Hmm... Must contact Obama's people.

What's the biggest turn-off in a romantic lead? We may never know. But we know it's not nerdiness. With 100% pseudo-certainty. Six out of six people declare Nerdiness super-hot.

Am I reading too much into this? Discuss below.