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Just Sucking the Pavement

August 18, 2009 by in category Archives

By Nancy Farrier

My daughter loved all kinds of critters as a child. She loved toads and lizards, often thinking they were her very own pets. When she was four, our area had an infestation of caterpillars. They were everywhere—on the roads, the outside walls of the house, and everywhere on the ground. My daughter delighted in the abundance of new “pets” at her house.

One afternoon, my husband and I noticed our daughter being quiet on the back steps. The sight of our whirling dervish sitting still had us both heading outside to see what she was up to. As we listened through the door, we could hear her low soothing tone as she talked. On the step next to her was a caterpillar that had seen better days. The poor thing was dead, but our daughter continued to stroke it and talk to him as if they were best friends.

When we stepped out, our daughter looked up with excitement, eager to show us her friend. As we tried to convince her to leave the dead caterpillar alone, she became upset. Finally, after my husband told her the caterpillar was dead, she narrowed her eyes, and said, “It’s not dead, it’s just sucking the pavement.”

I am sad to report that I have some caterpillars “just sucking the pavement” in my book files. These are story ideas that I love, but they’ve never interested a publisher. I talk to the characters, polish again, and send them off to another publisher to no avail.

I am not alone in this. I’ve judged many contests for unpublished authors in the last few years. I can’t count the times I’ve seen a mediocre story appear time after time with very little improvement. The author refuses to put aside the stale manuscript in favor of something new and fresh, with life in it.

The memory escapes me of how we distracted our daughter so the caterpillar could conveniently disappear. We probably distracted her with a cuddly kitten that she would love. It wasn’t easy, since she was so determined, but we accomplished the feat. As an author, I’ve found it difficult to let go of those ideas that weren’t as appealing to others as they were to me, but I’ve persevered. I’m determined to trade in those dead “pets” for ones that are full of life and bring excitement to the page. No more “just sucking the pavement” for me.

Nancy’s new book PAINTED DESERT will be released September 1st. You can find out more about both Nancy and her books at http://www.nancyfarrier.com/
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e-maginings: What Is Erotic Romance?

August 16, 2009 by in category Archives tagged as , , ,


There seems to be a lot of different opinions about what constitutes erotic romance, so I thought I’d explore some definitions today. It’s a little more complicated than you might think.

Some believe erotic romance is all sex with no plot, so is it the literary equivalent of a porno flick? In order to answer that, we have to distinguish between erotica and porn. I discovered that the word pornography literally means “writing about prostitutes”, and in the 19th century, it was used for factual reports about prostitution. Erotica, on the other hand, comes from Eros, the Greek god of love. So a literal definition might be that pornography is solely about the lusts of the body, while erotica is about the longings of the heart as well. In practical terms, the definition is always somewhat subjective.

Erotica is a sex story; that means it has a plot with a beginning, a middle and an end. Pornography may or may not have a plot. In fact, I was reading recently that some porn stars are lamenting the fact that they don’t even get dialogue any more!

Generally speaking, erotica differs from erotic romance in that it’s the story of a character’s sexual journey rather than the story of a developing relationship. In erotica the main character may have more than one partner and a happily-ever-after twosome is not guaranteed. However, a HEA threesome is a definite possibility!

Like other romances, erotic romance is a love story and you better believe that your readers will expect that HEA. I got dinged by a reviewer for not providing one for my Revolutionary Way spy story, Seducing The Enemy. While the characters did develop a relationship, they were unable to be together in the end, so technically it was erotica, not erotic romance.

In Passionate Ink: A Guide to Writing Erotic Romance, Loose Id, LLC, 2007, regarding the difference between sensual and erotic romance, Angela Knight points out, correctly IMO, that what drives sensual romances “isn’t sex, but not having sex”. In order to maintain sexual tension between hero and heroine, the writer devises external and internal reasons why going to bed with each other is a bad idea. The actual act of making love often signals a significant drop in sexual tension and the writer then has to find a way to make the conflict kick in again.

So what drives erotic romance?

Obviously, there still have to be reasons why the happily-ever-after ending isn’t guaranteed, despite the fact that they’re having sex at any and every opportunity. Knight refers to this as “romantic tension”. Again, this means strong conflict, especially if you’re writing a full-length novel. I think I prefer to call if “dramatic tension”.

For a little more background, check out this article at my Lyndi Lamont website. And if you’re at all interested in writing erotic romance, I do recommend Knight’s book.

How would you define erotic romance?

Linda / Lyndi

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Book Trailer: Italian Style

August 11, 2009 by in category Archives tagged as

by Jina Bacarr

Il Profumo del peccato (Sinful Perfume) is the name of my Spice novel, Cleopatra’s Perfume, in Italian. I was very excited to see they used the same cover as my American publisher (Harlequin). Since I had already put together a book trailer in English, I decided to use the same video, podsafe music, still photo, etc.

I love the blurb my Italian publisher wrote, but it was way too long for a one-minute book trailer. So I used what I thought made sense–here is the translation:

“What is hiding in Cleopatra’s Perfume? It all resides in a woman named Eve, a woman reckless, sexy, unleashed, uninhibited, insatiable. Only she can reveal this passionate story with its nonstop erotic scenes…

“Jina Bacarr, author of Passioni di una Geisha (The Blonde Geisha), takes us into a film noirish atmosphere in the year leading up to 1940, enticing us with sensual dreams, spies, secret missions, situations and affairs beyond your wildest imagination.

“Sinful Perfume (Cleopatra’s Perfume): Love, passion, intrigue.”

Then I recorded the voiceover. I love doing voiceovers (I used to do radio commercials in English and Spanish) and this one was a lot of fun. So here it is, the black and white book trailer in Italian for Il Profumo del peccato. I hope you enjoy it!

Best,
Jina

Jina Bacarr is also the author of The Blonde Geisha , Naughty Paris, Tokyo Rendezvous, a Spice Brief, and Spies, Lies & Naked Thighs, featuring an Indiana Jones in high heels.

Coming in February 2010: The Blonde Samurai “She embraced the way of the samurai. Two swords. Two loves.”

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Notes from Val’s Desk

August 4, 2009 by in category Archives tagged as , ,

  • This blog is writing related only in the sense that I’m writing it. And, (to those who know me) sometimes I like to begin with the definition of my “topic” word, which in this case is quite impressive.

So here it is:

vol·un·teer (noun)
· a person who chooses freely to do or offer to do something
· a person who chooses freely to enter into any transaction with no promise of compensation
· a person who serves as volunteer, usually without compensation
· a person who freely chooses to offer or give without being asked or obliged

I am by nature a very curious person. When I was growing up, my mother (who was handicapped and never wanted to be noticed) always made me sit quietly and watch. Watching is definitely not my idea of having fun. As a result, I became a first-class observer and an excellent listener. It took a few years to take that first step, but I finally got my butt off the bench and have been running ever since. Today I am a dyed-in-the-wool VOLUNTEER and darn proud of it.

It’s so much better to be involved than sit on the sidelines. To me, it’s like looking at sparkling Christmas lights through a window and wanting to touch. Today, and with no regrets, I think about the adventures I’ve had, the places I’ve been, the interesting people I never would have met and the wonderful friendships I’ve made. I’ve learned and developed new skills from artfully arranging goodies on a tray to getting up and speaking to a room full of people. Volunteering doesn’t have to be vocal; what you do can be done “behind the scenes” as well. But most important is the feeling of satisfaction knowing that your efforts may have contributed to something or someone in a positive way.

Maybe you say you don’t have the time or worse, you’re all volunteered-out. I took a little hiatus from volunteering just once. It didn’t take long for me to realize that a part of my life was missing—that connection with people and what was happening out there in the world. I couldn’t wait to get back in the game and I did.

I have to be honest. More than once I should have said “no” instead of “yes” and then felt burdened with a little too much to do. So do your homework. Be realistic about how much time you are willing to devote so you won’t “burn out.” What are you interested in? What will give you the greatest satisfaction? What would make your life a little more interesting? Find that event or group you’d like to be a part of—they may need you as much as you need them.

Now, get out there and volunteer for something!!!

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Chapter Meeting – August 8, 2009

August 3, 2009 by in category Archives tagged as

General Meetings are held the second Saturday of the month at the Brea Community Center, 695 E. Madison Way, Brea, CA 92821.

For a map and directions, click here.

Meeting fees are $10 for Members and $20 for Non-Members.

Meeting Schedule for August 8, 2009:

9:30 am: Doors Open / Ask an Author—Volunteer Ask an Author/s for August: Karen Kay

10:30 – 10:45 am: Announcements

Morning Workshop: ALYSON NOEL New York Times, USA Today & Publisher’s Weekly bestselling, award-winning author of the Immortals series, including Evermore and Blue Moon, will talk about Drama, Angst and Heartache: Writing the Young Adult Novel

11:50 – 1:00: Lunch Break (Lunch Orders available)

12:45 – 1:00: New Member Orientation

12:30 – 1:00: Book signings (check www.occrwa.org for schedule)

1:00 – 1:30 pm: General Meeting and Announcements

Afternoon Speaker: KARL IGLESIAS, a screenwriter, script doctor and consultant, best-selling author of Writing for Emotional Impact: Advanced Dramatic Techniques to Attract, Engage, and Fascinate the Reader From Beginning to End and The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters. Karl is going to discuss Writing for Emotional Impact

3:00 pm: Meeting Adjourns

Attention: OCC Members Attending the Meeting–Monthly Critique Drawings!
Volunteer Critique Author for August: Jennifer Haymore

Important 2009 Dates to Remember:

August 10, 2009 – September 5, 2009—OCC Online Class: Using Body Language and Vocal Gestures to Create More Believable Characters with Bill Edmunds. For information click HERE

Saturday, August 22, 2009: Character and Conflict; Point of View and Dialogue

Multi-published authors Deb Mullins and Charlotte Lobb (aka Charlotte Maclay), will help you stretch your writing abilities and move you on the road to publishing. These are the basics of writing a good book, drawing in your readers (and editors) and pumping up the emotion. Building these basic skills – and maybe latching onto some advanced techniques – will up your chances of making THE SALE.

Join them from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 for a full day of learning and growth in your craft at the Brea Community Center (Art Studio). Don’t miss this special presentation from two of OCC’s very talented and successful authors! For more info Click Here

For current Online Class Schedule and registration information, please visit http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html.

For more chapter meeting information visit OCC’s website at http://occrwa.org/meetings.htm

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