A Slice of Orange

We all had one – “a first love,” often back in high school, maybe college. However long ago it was, most of us can still recall that time of incredible emotional intensity, where the object of our affection consumed our thoughts, where a broken date could feel like a broken heart. Hormones? Maybe…but also the newness, the adventure, the sense that no one else felt quite so passionate about their, well, passion as we did. It’s a wonder we managed to cross the street without getting run over, such was the distraction.

Most of us “grow out” of that first love. Move on to loves that are just as strong, hopefully even stronger, but also more rounded, more grounded.

For a lucky few, the person they’re in love with remains the same, but the relationship itself matures and deepens. These are the people who marry their high school sweethearts, and never have to go through all that awful break-up and search-for-subsequent-love.

Other people, it seems, never quite let go of that first love, even if they did break up. You hear about people bumping into each other years later, and attempting to rekindle the romance.

It’s a not-uncommon starting point for many a romance novel. Case in point, my new novella, Chasing the Dream, which is out this month in The Memory of a Kiss, the first volume of the new series from Harlequin NASCAR. Chasing the Dream is about two people who were incredibly attracted to each other as teenagers. They both knew they were out of their depth, for different reasons, and chickened out of the relationship. But the memory of that one, extraordinary kiss they shared stayed with them both. Unfortunately, as Jeb, my hero, discovers, recapturing that moment is not as simple as one might hope.

Which is how I figure it must be in real life. I mean, I loved writing Chasing the Dream, and I love the romantic ideal of coming full circle, back to a first love that becomes one’s last love. But…we all know that what works in a book doesn’t necessarily add up in reality? I don’t know about you, but I’ve changed quite a lot since I was a teenager. Certainly what I look for in a guy has changed – buying me flowers on Valentine’s Day used to be #1 on my list…now I can think of many more important things.

What do you think? Any views on the pluses and minuses of rekindling an old romance?

OCC’s monthly meeting is coming up Saturday, June 12th, at
the Brea Community Center, and this is one you don’t want to miss!

Our all-day guest is Borders, Inc. romance buyer Sue Grimshaw. Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Borders Group, Inc., is a publicly held company with 2008 consolidated sales of $3.2 billion. Sue has worked for Borders for more than 14 years, the last eight of those years as a Romance buyer. She is married and lives in Michigan. In her spare time, when she is not reading, Sue and her husband enjoy the outdoors — bike riding in the summer and skiing in the winter.

During the morning session, Sue will speak on “The Business of Books.” If you’ve ever had questions about how books get on bookstore shelves, this is the talk for you! In the afternoon, Sue will lend more industry insights and also announce the winners of OCC’s Book Buyers Best award.

Doors open at 9:30 AM for Ask-an-Author with Tessa Dare and Kara Lennox. Hope to see you there!

Complete information about membership and all events can be found at our website: www.occrwa.org.

Sam’s story, Freedom’s Treasure, is due on June 6. It is always exciting when a book is coming out. When I got my cover, I just stared at it for a moment. This has always been Sam’s story. That was the way I talked about it. He wasn’t on the cover. Jubilee was.

I really like the cover and it is Jubilee’s story also. She is half the story.

I am going to be running a contest on my webpage to launch Freedom’s Treasure. There will be nice prizes. One will be short stories about Sam and Jubilee before they met. Sam’s story is done. Jubilee’s…part way there. That will be next weekends project.

This weekend I have to read my galley for Freedom’s Treasure and get it back by Monday. Thank goodness Monday is a holiday and I don’t have to work, because I have final projects to grade and new classrooms to set up by then to go with the galley.

And to make the weekend even better, the plumbing backed up and I have wet rugs to attend to.

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Hi everyone! Check out the exciting online classes offered by the
Orange County Chapter of RWA!

“The Lessons of FIREFLY: Learning from the Works of Joss Whedon“
with Jacqui Jacoby

June 14 to July 10, 2010

Enrollment Information at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassJune10.html
COST: $20 for OCC members, $30 for non-members
If you have specific questions, email occrwaonlineclass@yahoo.com

Although Joss Whedon’s television show FIREFLY only aired through the fall months of 2002, it has continued to generate followers through word of mouth, DVD sales and an inexhaustible amount of discussion both at conferences and online in writing loops.

FIREFLY, created by the Rod Serling of our generation, was a masterpiece of writing. Each of its thirteen episodes taught character development, dialogue and plotting techniques. Its motion picture sequel, SERENITY, not only touched on these subjects but added relationships, loyalties and loss to it’s repertoire.

In this workshop, Ms. Jacoby will reveal the lessons of FIREFLY. By using class participation and examples from the episodes, she will translate with words what Mr. Whedon was teaching us on screen.

Joss Whedon has reviewed this workshop and has given his permission for it to be offered to The Romance Writers of America.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:

Jacqui Jacoby is an award winning writer, who has penned nonfiction articles for various RWA Chapter newsletters including The Kiss of Death, The Orange Blossom and The Heartbeat of Denver, as well as RWR Magazine. She has met with such notable authors as Nora Roberts, Suzanne Brockmann and Debbie Macomber. She has done phone interviews with editors and agents and she has conducted e-mail interviews with Sandra Brown and Jayne Ann Krentz, just to name a few.

When asked how she got started in writing, Jacqui Jacoby looks a little confused. “Actual writing? You mean like pen to paper?” she wants to know. “Not until about 1989…April in fact. My son was eleven months old, my daughter about three. I’d been out of school for a year and a half and I was going a little batty. So, finally, I began to write down the stories that had been playing in my head.”

These days, Jacqui spends five days a week at her computer, creating her stories and writing her articles. “The most fun, though, is the research,” she says. “I’ve worked with rock bands and spoken to the CIA to get info for books.”

A graduate of UCLA, Jacqui lives in the Arizona mountains with her husband of twenty three years and their three semi grown children.

Enrollment Information at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassJune10.html
COST: $20 for OCC members, $30 for non-members

Coming in July 2010–
“Break Free from the Slush Pile” with CJ Lyons

Join award-winning medical suspense author CJ Lyons as she explains the secrets to successful pitching, tips to engage an editor or agent through your query letter, and reveals the creation of a high concept.

This will only be a two-week class.
COST: $10 for OCC members, $15 for non-members

http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html. Check out our full list of workshops.

Want to be notified personally two weeks before each class? Be sure
you’re signed up for our Online Class Notices Yahoo Group! Sign up at
the bottom of http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html or send a blank
email to OCCRWAOnlineClassNotices-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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