Gemma Halliday | In Search of Prince Charming…

Dating is hard. I mean, way harder than writing a book. Way harder than getting published. Even harder than walking in five inch stilettos. Mostly, I'm convinced, due to the inordinate amount of frogs out there trying to pass themselves off as Prince Charming. Some of my recent forays into Toadville: a man who, after three weeks of dating, admitted to me he was actually married, a guy who committed a felony (While on a date with me! Hiding from the cops – not my idea of foreplay.), a man who learned English from watching old Seinfeld reruns (If everything in your life relates back to Kramer, you have a problem.), and Hairy. Nope, I didn't spell that wrong. The man was a walking wookie. But, the one that capped it all off, my favorite amphibious fellow, the man with one leg. That's right, just the one. Not one to discriminate (Hey, love comes in all shapes, right?), I went out with him anyway. Until he dumped me. That's right folks, I was dumped by the guy with one leg. See, what I mean? Dating is really hard.

So, as I set out to write my latest story, I'll admit, I was kind of in a jaded place. (Understatement alert.) I decided I was going to write a short about a woman that worked as a decoy to bust cheating husbands. She was hot, kick-butt, and had a bunch of James Bond worthy gadgets. I loved her. (Okay, I'll admit, kinda wanted to be her.) The story started out with her waiting for the mark she was totally going to bust for cheating on his wife. She was all set to seduce him, take photographs, and present them to his wife so she could milk him for beaucoup alimony. (Bwhahaahaha!) But as I wrote, somewhere along the line the story took a turn. Instead of busting him, she started falling for him. Instead of being a cheating creep, he turned into a sexy, suave and actually truly caring guy. Oh, no, what had I done! Despite the frogs I'd kissed lately, I'd turned my story of kick-butt girl revenge into a romance. I realized that no matter how rough it was out there in the dating world, something in me still wanted to believe in real heroes. What can I say? I guess that's why I write romance.

And, I'm happy to report that, while I haven't yet found my frog that morphs into Prince Charming, I'm not giving up on real life romance, either. You can read about my latest dating triumphs and disasters every Friday on the Killer Fiction blog at http://killerfictionwriters.blogspot.com/ And if you're in the mood to have your faith in romance renewed, too, be sure to pick up my short story, "Mark of a Bond Girl", in the Dreams & Desires Vol. 2 anthology to benefit victims of domestic violence, out February 1st!

Gemma Halliday
http://www.gemmahalliday.com/
http://killerfictionwriters.blogspot.com/

Mary Vine | The Blonde Writer

Do blondes have more fun? Having had two or three other hair colors over my lifetime, I should be a good judge as to whether a blonde has more fun than a brunette. However, I haven’t been able to see any difference. I do know when confronted with something beyond my immediate understanding, I can point out that I’m blonde or say I’m having a blonde moment. I am always granted a smile and unbelievable understanding and patience. The truth be told, I tried to make it as a brunette, but it just didn’t work because people expected me to know things.

To be honest, this blonde writer’s ignorance doesn’t have to do with hair color as much as the fact that I’d never befriended an author and hadn’t a clue of what being a writer entailed. Without a writer’s group in the early years to steer me along, I had to learn things the hard way.

I set out to write the perfect inspirational book. I had a hard time thinking about changing anything I’d written as it came to me upon inspiration. Which is all well and good, but was told after my first critique that people didn’t want to be preached at, they wanted to be entertained. I believe I paid $400 for that information. Now I know a more subtle approach would be a better way to go about getting a message across. I’ve also learned not to pay for a critique. Once I got over that inspired writing thing, I learned that each free critique partner since has had something important to impart to me about my writing. I believe it does take a village to write a great book.

In those early years I thought that I could only write when I was stress-free, because that’s when the inspiration would flow. Then one day a writer told me that the book her fans liked the most was written during a very stressful time in her life. I wish she had added that I would never get any writing done if I waited for a time without stress. Is there ever a time without stress? What I know now is that writing has taken my mind off of stressful events, such as my mother’s recent death and moving to another state.

I joined Romance Writer’s of America and watched others do a book-in-a-week or month (i.e., writing for a specific time line without stopping to edit), but I didn’t believe I could do that so instead, I partook the only way I could: by editing the first chapter over and over and over, before I could move forward.

Finally, I attempted to set up a writing schedule while attending to a full-time job. I can’t believe all the writing I’ve gotten done since implementing a routine. With a schedule in place, I started to rethink the book-in-a-month. Where I once thought I could never simply write and not go back and edit, I decided to try it. While writing, I didn’t know if I could salvage any of the story, but later when I read through it, I found much of it usable.

I deny that the years have made me older, but I am wiser. I think I may be starting to think like a writer. One would have to agree I’m finally on the pathway to being a successful writer. Perhaps now, I even know enough to be a brunette.

Mary Vine

http://www.maryvine.com/

Hank Phillippi Ryan | Keeping Mom Happy

My mother is so mad at me. She’s in the midst of reading Face Time, the newest Charlotte McNally Mystery. It’s just been named a Book Sense Notable Book, and it's on the Boston Globe Best Seller list.

I say: Hooray. And I expected the same reaction from my mother. But Mom, who has only read the first ten pages or so, actually said: "I’m sure that’s lovely, dear." You have to imagine the "Mom" tone. Maybe you've used it a time or two yourself. Or perhaps, you've heard it. I'm thinking all daughters have.

Turns out, Mom is unhappy with Face Time.

To be sure: Mom is terrific. She’s almost 80, and is absolutely beautiful. An artist, a reader, a wonderful intellect. (She doesn’t have a computer, so she’s not reading this.) I’m her oldest daughter, and any psychologist will tell you that can cause some friction.

So anyway. Why is Mom mad? She thinks I’ve “used her for art.”

It’s true: Charlie McNally’s mother in Face Time is a bit—persnickety. She’s opinionated. She thinks, for instance, that Charlotte might want to give up her very successful 20-year TV career to marry some tycoon and become a tycoon wife. No matter that Charlie is happy with the personal life (pretty happy, at least, for a 46-year-old single woman who is married to her job) and happy with her professional life (pretty happy, at least, even though she’s fearful she’s going to be replaced by someone younger).

Mom also thinks Charlotte (she refuses to call her Charlie, saying, “nicknames are for stuffed animals and men who play sports”) might want to visit the plastic surgeon for some face time of her own.

Now Mrs. McNally is not, I repeat, not, my mother. But in these days of controversy over whether books that are purported to be memoirs are actually true—I find myself fighting to convince her that my book is truly fiction.

It’s ALL MADE UP, I tell her. Yes, Charlie has a Mom, and I have a Mom. But I’m not Charlie and she’s not you.

Silence on the other end of the phone.

“Of course it’s me, dear,” she finally says. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

So I’m wondering, do any of you have a problem with this? Do people “recognize” themselves in your books—and you have to convince them it’s a fictional character they’re recognizing? Would you “use” someone for “art”?

Or if you’re a reader, do you assume fictional characters are real people just put on paper?

And as it turns out—as Mom will find out if she’ll just persevere and get to the end of the book—it’s not only a mystery, and a romance, but kind of a love story between mothers and daughters. My editor said she had tears in her eyes when she read it. One reviewer told me she downright cried at the final scene. (Which is odd, you have to admit, in a murder mystery.)

Yes, as authors we take elements of reality. Then we polish, and tweak, and exaggerate, and accessorize. But the fun is making up something completely new. Creating a new world. New characters and new relationships. And it’s ALL MADE UP.

Okay, Mom?

Do you have a contentious relationship with your mother? (or daughter?) Do you understand each other? I'd love to hear from you--just check my website. And let's chat.

With love to all mothers and daughters...

Hank (okay, it's Harriet but you must never reveal that...and of course, it was Mom's idea.)

PS: And oh--being a reporter myself, (www.hankphillippiryan.com/) I do have news! PRIME TIME, the first Charlotte McNally Mystery, is a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice nominee!

And there's more: AIR TIME, the third Charlotte McNally Mystery, is now scheduled to be published in the next year or so, followed soon after by DRIVE TIME. Here are some hints: Someone has a baby. Someone leaves town. Someone decides NOT to get married. Do you think you know who?

Enter Hank Phillippi Ryan ONE DAY ONLY BLOG contest TEN WINNERS!!!!

Anna Campbell | What a Beauty Is This Beast!

Great romances often have a mythic underpinning that adds depth and resonance. So a road romance can echo The Odyssey or a Harlequin Presents can hark back to the universal themes of Cinderella. I believe readers, even if not consciously aware of these patterns, recognize the structure in their subconscious minds. So the satisfaction we get at the end of The Ugly Duckling when the duckling after all his trials turns into the beautiful swan is the same satisfaction we get at the end of a great love story where the plain governess snags the fabulously glamorous Regency rake who recognizes her inner beauty.

One of my favorite fairytales is Beauty and the Beast so it’s no surprise it’s behind a lot of my stories. Beauty is a lot gutsier and more proactive than many fairytale heroines (I mean, Sleeping Beauty basically…sleeps!). Although she’s sure it means her death, Beauty offers herself up as the Beast’s prisoner to save her father. She’s also got some great values although perhaps a financial adviser mightn’t go astray. Still, it’s a lovely moment when after the sisters have asked for everything that walks and talks from their father, Beauty asks for nothing more than a rose. I love the Beast too. I love that his outer shell doesn’t match his inner heroism. I love that he loves Beauty so much. There’s a wonderful old French film of Beauty and the Beast where the Beast’s pain and loneliness just break my heart, especially when he admits his shame at being an animal before the woman he loves.

My second historical romance for Avon, Untouched, uses the themes of Beauty and the Beast. Matthew, the hero, has a lot in common with the Beast. In fairytale terms, he’s been cursed by his wicked uncle and forced to live as a captive madman. But like the Beast, Matthew has an inner strength that nothing can quash and like the Beast, when he falls in love with Grace, the heroine, it’s completely and forever. And as in the fairy story, Grace gradually sees past the façade to the wonderful man beneath. Only when they surrender to love and unite against evil can they break the curse and get their happily ever after. Which is how all the best fairytales end!

What’s your favorite fairytale? Does it find echoes in your favorite romances? And don’t forget to check out news, excerpts and my latest contest on http://www.annacampbell.info/

Anna Campbell

Sasah White | What makes you feel sexy?

What is it about the tease that’s so hot?

You know what I’m talking about. That tingle you get between your thighs when someone exciting catches your eye, or when you catch his. The lingering looks, the hair toss, the silent communication. That time when your blood heats up and your body awakens as you feel the magic of “what if?”

It’s almost … intoxicating.

I used to flirt a lot. Men used to flirt with me. Then I got married. I haven’t gained weight or let myself go, but somehow, I’ve changed. I know it, and they know it. I think it’s because the chase is over. The magic of flirting, the heightened awareness that arcs between two people, the building of anticipation… it’s gone.

And I don’t know exactly when, or how, it disappeared.
The sad thing is, it also seems to have disappeared between my husband and me.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love my husband. Grant is still very attractive in every way, and leaving him has never occurred to me. I’d never cheat on him, either.

Yet, I can’t deny that a certain restlessness has been building in me for some time.


That was the prologue to my story WATCH ME, in last years KINK anthology.

I’m the first to admit that the heroines in my stories all have pieces of me in them, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to know that often, the prologues of my stories start out as something I’ve written for myself. Then I tweak, alter, and shift them to fit characters or stories. (I’m not married, and I uhmm… have let myself go a bit. LOL )

So this particular prologue did start as a bit about flirting. I LOVE to flirt. It makes me feel wonderfully sexy and attractive. Strangely enough, working out so hard my sweat drenches my shirt also makes me feel sexy. It reminds me of more adventurous way to work up a good sweat. *wink*

Lipstick makes me feel sexy. I always wear something on my lips, even if it’s a clear gloss or chap stick. I think that goes back to my first infatuation telling me I had a sexy mouth. LOL

In WICKED, my latest release form Berkley, the heroine has a very bold and sassy sexuality. She grew up knowing she was pretty, and that her looks could be used to get what she wanted. Tough and independent after running away from home at a young age…She uses her sexuality to get what she wants (No, she’s not a prostitute, just a big flirt).

She feels sexy when she wears short skirts and tight tops. Until she meets a man who teaches her the power of her sexuality is not in how she looks, but in who she is.

Who doesn’t want that? Who doesn’t want to feel sexy just by being who she is? *sigh* I swear, I fall in love with the hero’s in my stores every time…but I think that’s good right? I mean, if I can’t love them, how can I expect readers too?
Anyway, back to the original topic… I spend a lot of time thinking about what makes a woman feel sexy. What makes them feel attractive, and what makes them want to strip naked and work up a sweat with a man between her thighs. But what makes ME feel that way, might not work for someone else…so tell me…what makes YOU feel sexy? And is it an alluring, sultry sexy? Or a “Let’s get down and dirty” sexy?

Enter my blog contest and "Tell me what makes you feel sexy?" to win a signed copy of WICKED, or SEXY DEVIL. The winner will be notified tomorrow and listed on Fresh Fiction’s contest winner page.

Sasha White

http://www.sashawhite.net/