Just Sucking the Pavement
August 18, 2009 by Marianne H. Donley in category Archives
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.â€
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 I’ve judged many contests for unpublished authors in the last few years.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.
e-maginings: What Is Erotic Romance?
August 16, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as definition, e-maginings, erotic romance, Lyndi Lamont
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 sexâ€. 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 tensionâ€. 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
Book Trailer: Italian Style
August 11, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as Confessions of a Podcast Goddessby 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.â€
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.”
Nora Ephron and Meryl Streep-screen magic!
August 9, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category Writing tagged as Abby Gaines, moviesI’m a major admirer of writer / director Nora Ephron and also of actress Meryl Streep. So to have the two women team up in a movie about another woman I admire (Julia Child) on a subject that is one of my greatest passions (cooking)…ah, I’m in movie heaven. I’m talking about Julie and Julia, of course.
But this isn’t a movie review…today I want to ask, what makes for magic on screen? In a movie, as in a book, you can have two very similar stories, yet one is mediocre while the other steps up to greatness. What’s the difference? In a romantic comedy, chemistry is key – Ephron’s Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail teamed Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, whom I think made a great match chemistry-wise. I know lots of people adored When Harry met Sally, but for me, witty as the movie was, the Ryan-Crystal chemistry wasn’t as great. In books, chemistry abounds between so many of Georgette Heyer’s Regency protagonists, while Susan Elizabeth Phillips is a mistress of chemistry on the page in contemporary romances.
Another factor in screen magic is that elusive presence, and that’s something Streep has in spades. In movies from Silkwood to Heartburn, from Kramer vs. Kramer to Adaptation, Streep fills a screen yet doesn’t make it “all about herâ€. Sheer genius.
Lastly, there’s the need for a story that, though it may be about ordinary lives, transcends the trivial and somehow gets to our hearts. This is what I admire about Ephron. She turns even a light comedy into a great story – and you know it’s a great story when you can watch it four, five, six times and it feels fresh every time.
I think that should be the ultimate goal for any romance writer—to write stories that, yes, provide a few hours’ entertainment. But at the same time, they say something about the human condition and the power of love that we never tire of hearing. Anyone got a favorite Ephron and/or Streep movie they’d like to share?
Abby
www.abbygaines.com
Moon Watch
August 6, 2009 by Linda O. Johnston in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as Berkley Prime Crime, Kendra Ballantyne, Linda O. Johnston, Silhouette Nocturne
Tonight is the night of the full moon.
How do I know? I looked it up. Finding out about the full moon is important to me these days, since I write a paranormal romance series for Silhouette Nocturne about Alpha Force–a covert ops military unit of shapeshifters!
Yes, my Nocturne ALPHA WOLF and the Nocturne Bites CLAWS OF THE LYNX, both published in January this year, will have sequels. Notice that the word “sequels†is plural! Already in the works is ALASKAN WOLF, which will be the next to be published. It now has a pub date: January 2011. Yes, that’s a long time away, but worth waiting for!
Meantime, I’ll be working on two more Alpha Force stories. Not to mention my Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series and its spin-off Pet Rescue series. And practicing law. And–
Well, it’s fun to be busy. But tonight I may just howl at the moon!
Linda O. Johnston
http://www.lindaojohnston.com/
http://www.killerhobbies.blogspot.com/
Linda O. Johnston is the author of 16 romance novels and several novellas, including a Nocturne Bites, with more Nocturnes upcoming. She also writes the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime and will soon start working on the spin-off Pet Rescue
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