Michelle Gagnon | Thrillerfest 2008

Sadly, I missed the inaugural Thrillerfest, which was held in Phoenix. I had recently given birth to my first child, and the thought of Arizona in July with a newborn was not terribly appealing. Which is a shame, because from what I understand it was one for the ages.

I made up for it by attending the past few Thrillerfests in New York, and I’m happy to report that despite the fact that everyone always says, “You shoulda been at the first one,” I’ve had an amazing experience each time.

My week kicked off with a joint reading at the Park Avenue Borders. Tim Maleeny, Laura Caldwell, J.T. Ellison, Mario Acevedo, Laura Benedict, Shane Gericke, Alexandra Sokoloff, and I participated in “Quick Thrills from Out-of-Towners.” Lee Child graciously served as our MC, and in completely disregarding our prepared bios introduced us with anecdotes a hundred times wittier than anything we could have come up with. Everyone read for five minutes to an incredibly receptive crowd. The store was quick to add rows of seats as the place filled, we auctioned off Borders gift certificates and stuffed snakes (which were more of a hit than the $100 certificates, go figure). A good time was had by all.

I don’t know of many other conferences where you can rub elbows with Jeffery Deaver, Carla Neggers, Barry Eisler, and Heather Graham in the hotel bar, or where nearly forty top agents show up to hear pitches from aspiring authors. The organizers also made a serious effort to host panels outside the norm, and it showed. The “Lethal Weapons, Bombs, and Terrorism Hands-on Weapons Demonstration” by the ATF was definitely something I haven’t seen before, and perfect for thriller writers looking to expand their knowledge base. Other high points for me included the reviewers’ panel with David Montgomery, Bob Gussin, and Bookreporter representatives Joe Hartlaub and Carol Fitzgerald dishing on how and why books really get reviewed.

I am of course biased, but I loved the two panels I was on. I felt a little out of place on “Don’t Look Now: Paranormal Thrillers,” (my first novel, THE TUNNELS, has some paranormal elements but my latest is a straight serial killer thriller). However it was so amazing listening to Vicki Pettersson, Heather, Mario Acevedo, and Cathy Clamp discuss their work. The downside is that it added another stack of books to my already towering TBR pile, and nearly forced me to check my carry-on bag thanks to the added weight (you should see my biceps after hauling that thing into the overhead compartment!) Then on Saturday bestselling author Michael Palmer led our discussion of “The Art of the Thriller,” complete with berets and a lively discussion of Macguffins.

Thrillerfest is slated to take place in New York for the next two years, a decision which has inspired some debate in terms of the cost of attending and the fact that in a city with so many other attractions, people tend to disperse. I straddle the fence on this one. Part of me hoped that next year it would be moved somewhere less expensive (you should have seen my hotel bill!), preferably a place like New Orleans that I haven’t yet had the opportunity to visit. On the other hand, if it was moved it’s less likely that so many amazing authors would attend, or that I’d have the chance to meet with my editor and agent in the same fell swoop. I’m also not certain they would be able to attract as many participants in Agentfest were it held outside the city. But at least for 2009 and 2010, the deal is sealed and we’ll see what happens. I for one will be there, $16 glass of house chardonnay in hand. After hearing all the stories from the first one, I don’t want to risk missing out.

I’m running a series of contests this month to promote the release of BONEYARD. Go to http://www.michellegagnon.com/, click on “win,” and I’ll toss your name in the hat for an Amazon Kindle, iPod Shuffle, digital picture frame, Starbucks gift certificates, and other fabulous prizes.

Michelle Gagnon is a former modern dancer, bartender, dog walker, model, personal trainer, and Russian supper club performer. Her debut thriller The Tunnels was an IMBA bestseller. Her next book, Boneyard, depicts a cat and mouse game between dueling serial killers. In her spare time she runs errands and puts money in her piggybank to cover the cost of conventions .

Michelle Gagnon

Megan Kelly | Pursuing the Dream

Thanks to Fresh Fiction for having me today. I’ve had a terrific weekend with the release and signing of my second Harlequin American Romance, The Fake Fiancée. One question I’ve been asked at book signings that tickles me is, “Why did you keep writing?” (I hope the person asks this before they’ve read my work!) If you aren’t familiar with my story, I started writing when my kids were toddlers and didn’t get published until after they became teens. During this time, I finaled in several “prominent” Romance Writers of America chapter contests, had requests from editors to whom I pitched my work at conferences, and even landed on the senior editor’s desk. All to no avail. I guess it could be called a “lucky” thirteenth year when I sold.

So why did I stick with it? Stubbornness? Blind faith that someday I would sell? Well, maybe the first explanation. Because for six years, I’d lost the belief I’d ever see my work in print. Those were dark times. It wasn’t until one day when I had “people” in my head again that I realized the characters who usually inhabit my waking hours had been AWOL. Even my family commented how much happier I seemed. I made up stories for people I’d see on the street (bank robber, runaway bride, demon in disguise…) and realized I hadn’t been doing that either. My everyday creativity was back from its hiatus.

To paraphrase author Barbara Scott (Cast a Pale Shadow), when you have a block you just have to bulldoze through the wall, which in my case meant: keep writing. That’s what I had done. Without believing I’d sell, I wrote. Without characters or imagination, I wrote. (Gee, I wonder why nothing sold during that period!) Without creativity in my everyday life, I wrote. Eventually, I broke through the wall--which made the sell of my first book, Marrying the Boss, to Harlequin all the sweeter.

I doubt my story is unique. Think Man of La Mancha or The Little Engine That Could. I often say my most valuable writing advice came from Winston Churchill: “Never, never, never give up.” Please visit me at http://www.megankellybooks.com/or at the Harlequin American Romance authors blog, www.harauthors.blogspot.com/. And if you have something you really want, really NEED in your life, keep striving for it!

Megan Kelly

Nicola Marsh | Sheikhs and Desert Princes

What is it about sheikhs and desert princes that have readers buying these books in droves?

Is it the promise of being swept off our feet by an alpha hero?

Is it the exotic locations?

The mystery of delving into a new culture?

The guaranteed heat? (yes, I am talking about the weather!)

For me, it’s the fantasy element, the knowledge that this hero will take me to places I’ve never been before.

With that in mind, I absolutely had to write my own. It was a challenge considering I set most of my books in my fabulous home city, Melbourne, but one I thrived on and once I’d invented my very own desert kingdom of Adhara and Prince Samman al Wali as its ruler, I was swept away.

From a private desert oasis to a French-inspired palace, from the lush palace gardens to a bustling souk, Adhara intrigued me, almost as much as Sam.

(Once I saw this picture of actor Rodrigo Santaro, I knew I’d found my prince. Strong, commanding, powerful.)

Of course, every alpha hero needs an equally strong heroine and top architect Bria Green is more than a match for the headstrong prince.

THE DESERT PRINCE’S PROPOSAL (Harlequin Romance) is the result of a healthy imagination, a love of romance and that endless quest for happily ever after.

Want to know more?

Check out my website for an excerpt.

Or better yet, go grab your copy off the shelves right now!

Do you enjoy sheikh books? If so, what’s the attraction?

Happy reading,
Nicola
www.nicolamarsh.com/
www.nicolamarsh.blogspot.com/
myspace.com/nicola_marsh

What’s next for Nicola?

THE BOSS’S BEDROOM AGENDA (Harlequin Modern Heat) Oct 08 UK, Dec 08 Australia/NZ, Feb 09 (Harlequin Presents)

Jennifer Banash | Summer Lovin’

I had my first kiss at summer camp when I was twelve. 



He was tall, with amazing green eyes, deeply tanned, and had the kind of white blond hair you usually only see on toddlers and the body of a swimmer—lithe, sinewy, and ever so faintly muscled. His hair had a slightly green tinge from the excessive chlorine in the pool, which I now think is kind of gross, but back then I just thought it made him even sexier. I had drooled over him all summer long, looking away and staring at my feet whenever his green eyes moved in my direction, So when I noticed he was staring at me one night at dinner in the crowded mess hall, my heart jumped through my faded red polo shirt, and I thought I'd fall face first into the tasteless plate of mystery mush in front of me as he slowly smiled, then winked.

He showed up at my bunk a few nights later and suggested that we take a "walk"--which we all knew was code for lets-go-to-the-darkest-place-we-can-find-and-make-out-until-lights-out. I remember walking with him through the darkness behind my bunk, the smell of the freshly cut grass, the sound of laughter rippling through the air as my bunkmates nervously giggled in our wake, the scent of suntan oil rising up from my skin in the oppressive humidity, the fireflies that dotted the hillside like tiny Christmas lights glowing in the distance. I was excited—and scared. I didn't know if I was ready for my first kiss—I wasn't even exactly sure what making out really was. He was a whole year older than me, and therefore way more experienced in my eyes. Back then I was very much like Casey, one of the main characters in my new Young Adult series THE ELITE, and I wasn’t at all sure of myself. In fact, I was always worried that whatever I did, it would somehow be the wrong thing. What if I did it wrong? Could you kiss wrong? What if he thought I was a bad kisser? Why wouldn't my palms stop sweating? Thoughts raced through my head at a million miles per hour as he leaned toward me, time slowing down to a crawl as his lips brushed my own in the lightest of kisses—a sensation that immediately caused a swarm of butterflies to rise up in my chest, flapping their wings with happiness and relief as his hands grasped my own, and our lips parted.

In spite of the fact that many years have passed--or maybe because of it--this remains one of my favorite summer memories, even though I cannot, for the life of me, remember his name! (I know, I know. It's shameful :)

What are your favorite summer memories so far?

Samantha Hunter | Television is Good For You – At Least, it’s Been Good for Me

We find our inspiration in different places. Some of us sit on sidewalks and people watch, some listen to music, some do writing exercises and talk with friends. I think I’ve done all three from time to time, and one of the most fruitful sources of creative inspiration for me is television. It was one of my favorite things as a kid, and it still is.

I’m always amazed at the current idea that letting kids watch TV is bad for them. I grew up pretty much physically connected to the TV – my parents didn’t hover over me every moment of every day attending to my every need because they were working, and working hard. It was good – it was how I learned to be independent and develop my own work ethic. It never stopped me from reading, from achieving academically, and it remains a huge source of inspiration for me, as well as relaxation.

Movies and TV shows (though mainly TV – I rarely find movies I enjoy any more) are fertilizer for my imagination. The only thing better is travel, but I can’t do that as often as I’d like.

I can actually feel something creative in my mind being stroked when I hear a certain line from a favorite movie or watch a favorite character, and I think my love affair with the TV screen has always influenced my use of dialogue as a writer. Every time I come across a particularly twisty Buffy phrasing or listen to how Brenda Lee Johnson’s character in The Closer is created by how she talks, (“Thank you, thank you very much,” in those sugary sweet southern tones). It reminds me how powerful finely-crafted dialogue can be, and this can kick in my urge to write more than just about anything.

I nearly died during the writer’s strike this past year, but it pushed me to watch some shows that I might not have discovered otherwise, most notably Veronica Mars, which was timely as I have been working on my first mystery novel. I watched every detective show the 70s and 80s had to offer (and also read Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and Trixie Belden), so Veronica Mars really reminded me how much I love mystery. Monk is a show I have watched for years that does the same. These characters can’t help but inspire.

I just started catching up on Burn Notice so I can catch the new season (thank you, TiVo, you have changed my life…), and I’ve had a bit of a dry spell for new ideas lately, and a day after watching several Burn Notice epis back to back, I popped out a new 10 page synopsis in 2 hours. Doesn’t matter if it sells, that would be nice, but the important part is the ideas spun off… My idea had nothing to do directly with that show, but something about it just triggered the idea factory in my brain.

So, do you have favorite TV shows? Do you think TV rots your brain, or is a great source of creative inspiration? Chat, and I’ll pick a winner to receive a signed copy of my summer Blaze anthology, What I Did on My Summer Vacation.

Jim Dale to Noir Fiction -- Busy Busy Weekend of authors, books and FANS!!!

Jim Dale re-creating his HP readings
Originally uploaded by freshfiction

From Friday night with two, yes, TWO signings to Saturday's PORTUS 2008 festivities, to a single signing on Sunday, this has been a FULL, crowded and EVENTFUL weekend in Dallas! I mean, it's not like the price of gas is cutting into our books budget! Uh huh, so I'm cutting out food...and being on the WW, it's hard, especially with all the good healthy and in season fruits and veggies. It just means less stops at the Cheesecake Factory next to the Lincoln Park Barnes and Noble! (SORRY, Ellen!!)

Rhys Bowen at Lincoln Park BN
Originally uploaded by freshfiction

First up our double hitter night: Rhys Bowen, author of the Lady Georgie mystery series set in England in the 1930s. Poor Georgie! She's been told by the Queen she's to put up the latest German princess they're trying to marry off in England and you can't say no to the Queen! So penniless Lady Georgie manages to round up a "butler" (her grandfather) and a "cook" (grandfather's lady friend) to set up a real house for a short stay. But all is not working as planned when the Princess shows up with a chaperone, a maid AND a mouth full of "American" English! A ROYAL PAIN is fun and the 1930s UK is great to visit! (Think Lord Peter Whimsey period!)

Vamps and Werewolves in Plano
Originally uploaded by freshfiction

Then we rushed to Plano to catch the book launch of ACCIDENTALLY DEAD by Dakota Cassidy and a visit to Texas by Michele Bardsley of the mom is a vampire fame! These two authors are hoot by themselves, so think of them together!!! And they have coffee, tea and luscious - not-on-weight-watchers treats as a reward! Gotta love signings like that! NO?

(I still miss Cheesecake Factory)

The line for autographs by Jim Dale
Originally uploaded by freshfiction

And Saturday I got to go all "fangirl" which is apparently very different from "fanboys" but since I married a trekkie guy it didn't seem too much different..Just the majority of these fans (HP variety) are my kids' ages! WHEEE!!! But the big draw for me was the FAMOUS Jim Dale!!!! I feel I should be shouting that! I put down $75 to go and see him at 8am on a Saturday morning. I am SO not a morning person any more! Especially if I'm up to 2am working the night before. Age, etc. But for Jim Dale, well, I not only went but also got three friends to go too! AND we ALL LOVE LOVES LOVED Jim Dale. HE was so good! And to see him do the "voices" we've listened to in all the HP books, well, just amazing! AND HE IS SO NICE. This part can NOT be emphasized enough! See him if you get the chance. And if not, just hang out listen to the CDs!

Also saw a Wrockumentary about Wizard Rock Bands. Did I mention I was old? Well, the documentary was well done, but the music isn't to my old tastes. And the scenes about the last HP book release party, well, I was very nostalgic! Then Gwen played some other Wrock (Wizard Rock) on the way home and it was very very good. The documentary starts with the very first musicians growing up with HP, now there are over 500 groups so chances are you can find some for your music tastes as well!

Two tables, two authors, one hour!
Originally uploaded by freshfiction

Sunday was an afternoon signing with mystery/noir authors Anthony Neil Smith and Victor Gischler. They were in the middle of a "Texas Book Tour" and enjoying a Sunday afternoon in Dallas!

Gwen will be reporting her PORTUS 2008 activities soon. If we don't see, we'll be sure to HOUND her! She's got stories to tell!

So much for our weekend... books and all ... and I found time to read THE DRAGON EARL. It's not out until September but it's very very good! And a different kind of historical romance but sexy which I really really love and needed after all that HP pandemonium *evil grin*

Take care and read...books!!!