Lynn Raye Harris

Pride of Aloha (Photo from CruiseLines.us)

I’m off to cruise the islands, so probably won’t be posting all week! I’ll try, but who knows. The inlaws are here, the suitcase is packed, and boarding commences later today. This is my first cruise, so I’m looking forward to it. I’ve got books and a bathing suit. What else do I need?

See you next week! Aloha nui loa!!

I am a pack rat. This is a terrible thing to be whilst married to a military man, let me tell you. I know why I’m a pack rat; it has to do with childhood, moving, military, and loss issues. I have a hard time letting go of things, but I’ve gotten much, much better at it.

Today, however, while preparing for the inlaws and realizing to what monstrous proportions my book collection has grown, I ran across some old RWRs. Yes, they’ve moved to Germany and Hawaii with me. Why? Hell if I know, but I can’t quite bring myself to throw them out yet.

I can’t remember when I joined RWA, but it was either late in 93 or the beginning of 94. The RWR I found today is the Jan-Feb 1994 issue (Vol. 14, No. 1). It might be my first copy, or not. I just can’t recall.

Robin Lee Hatcher was president. Jo Ann Ferguson was VP. The issue is 72 pages long. What was RWA interested in then?

The lead article is “1994: The Year of Ethnic Romance.” Ethan Ellenberg wrote the Agent’s Corner article. Bantam was still publishing Loveswept and Ballantine was asking for 100 pages, a synopsis and SASE. Leisure was “especially looking for paranormal romance (ghosts, supernatural, etc.) of about 90,000 words.” NAL was buying for Topaz (whatever happened to that, btw?), especially ghost stories and time travels. Hmmm.

In 1994, the bylaws were amended to read that only authors who’d published at least five book length romances could run for president. “Persons seeking to run for other national offices need not have published.” And, LOL, the dues for 1994 were $45.

There used to be a Janet Dailey award. “This year ALL romantic novels entered in the RITA competition will be considered for the Janet Dailey award. [...] [Each book] must deal with a specific social issue as a major, integral part of the story and/or conflict.” Does plagiarism count? (Okay, perhaps that’s an inappropriate comment, and yes I do feel sympathy for Ms. Dailey. But, like Nora, I’d be pretty pissed if someone did that to me.)

The conference was in New York that year. The member price was $260 cash, $275 credit (early registration).

In the ads, Connie Brockway’s first novel, Promise Me Heaven, was a February 94 release. Connie, of course, went on to win RITAs and write bestselling novels. My favorite Brockway of ALL TIME is As You Desire. Keeper. KEEPER. When the hero compares the heroine to Egypt–OMG! Beautiful writing.

And, yep, there was an article on Voice. Karen Harper tries to define voice and quotes JAK and Cathie Linz among others.

In Letters to the Editor, Diana Gabaldon takes issue with calling heroines feisty. Apparently, feisty is derived from a Scots word which refers to either a small yapping dog of questionable parentage or to “an (ahem) escape of flatulence from the lower bowel.” LOL. So please don’t call Claire feisty, okay?

Okay, so now I’ve admitted I’ve been in RWA a loooong time. If only I’d been seriously pursuing my career all that time, I might be farther along. Or maybe not, ha! Many of the names I read in this issue seem to have disappeared from the landscape. In fact, I remember one gal who won the GH, sold the mss, and never published another book. I wonder what happened to her.

I love romantic action/adventure novels, especially when there’s a hot military guy involved. Alison Kent’s Deep Breath is right up my alley. Harry van Zandt is an ex-military commando, and he’s incredibly hot. When Georgia McLain first sees Harry, her thoughts are delicious:

Georgia looked down from her window at the boat-sized convertible, noticing little about the car because her attention was all for the driver sitting back and soaking up the sun. His hair was dark and cut short in a near military buzz. He had just enough of a shadow on his face to bring to mind a bad boy or two she’d known.

Mmm-hmm, I can picture it. Somebody get me a cool drink.

Georgia needs a certain document to learn the truth about her late father’s involvement in a defense procurement scandal that sent him to prison for life. Harry wants the same document for his employer, the Smithson Group, and he’s not above a little mattress mambo to get it. Naturally, complications ensue: someone else wants the document too, and Georgia’s brother will pay with his life if she doesn’t retrieve it and turn it over to the man holding him hostage. Harry plans to help Georgia get the document, but no way is he allowing her to turn it over as ransom.

What Harry and Georgia don’t anticipate, however, is blazing hot sexual attraction that turns into something more. How can they each attain their goals without hurting the other? Can they possibly have a future together, especially when Harry’s aim is to take away the one thing Georgia has been searching for most of her adult life? Will Harry’s secret mission cost Finn McLain his life?

Alison Kent writes hot sex and action adventure in such a way that makes the story sizzle and hum. Georgia is no swooning heroine, and Harry is alpha without being a jerk. If you want a fast-paced story that singes the page and engages your emotions, look no further.

This was my first Kensington Brava and my first Alison Kent novel. I’ve since sought out Ms. Kent’s Harlequin Blaze novels, and I’ve been pleased to see she keeps the adventure and heat turned up to high. If you like dangerous men and adventurous women, look no further. Buy Deep Breath today and enjoy the ride.

I sure did.

I have in-laws arriving in 72 hours, my guest room looks like a hurricane blew threw it, my refrigerator contains the cure for cancer in one of those fuzzy green containers, I have to make sure I go get the requisite Cheerios for paternal consumption, stock the pretty basket with tropical fruit, locate my Hawaii driving tour CDs, and pack for a cruise that commences in less than a week. (And a million other things, you can bet.)

So why am I paying attention to the PRO debate raging throughout blogland?

Because, as usual, it brings out the romance bashers, usually anonymous and usually in the comments trails.

Anna Genoese first discussed PRO here. I don’t necessarily disagree with her. She’s an editor and, as such, she gets to say what she wants to see in a query. If she doesn’t care about PRO status, then don’t give it to her. If she wants to know that you enjoy doing yoga naked while writing love scenes, then by golly tell her that.

Unfortunately, I think I detect from her post that some idiot (or a group of idiots) got carried away with the PRO thing in queries. For the record, I do have my PRO status. I didn’t apply for it for a long time because I didn’t think it mattered a hill of beans. I thought it was just another salve to soothe the unpublished soul.

But I finally decided to join when I wanted to know what went on in the PRO loops. And, by gum, there’s a lot of good stuff there! A lot of talented, smart people who discuss things that matter. No questions about font or how to move a character from room A to room B without narrating every single step.

OTOH, PRO is ridiculously easy to join. Finish a manuscript, mail it to an editor or agent, show proof of completion and mailing, and you’re in. I’m going to guess that most people are conscientious enough to try to send out their best work, but I’m sure there are those who dash off a mss, mail it, and get the pin so they can get preferential treatment at National.

PRO is great in that it’s meant to encourage writers to finish a manuscript. Many people want to write, many write partials, not everyone finishes a mss. Kudos to those who do. I believe PRO is a good program.

But you know, I don’t think it matters what RWA does or says. We are open to ridicule simply because the word “romance” is contained in our name. If you had to have an agent, three books under consideration, and your RWA number tattooed on the inside of your lip to be a PRO, you’d still find folks who’d ridicule it.

And perhaps PRO is the wrong name anyway, as the connotation suggests (to me) someone with several books in print. But what the hell else are they going to call it? RWA-Almost There? RWA-I Did It? RWA-Done One?

Miss Snark also weighs in. Again, she isn’t wrong, but see the comments trail for RWA bashing (and some darn fine defenses of the program). It’s always interesting how writers in other genres, published or not, love to heap scorn on RWA. Then again, if the unpubs could join their respective organizations, they might not be so snide toward us. Yeah, we got our problems, that’s for sure. But RWA took me in when I didn’t know diddly and taught me a lot. It will always have my undying gratitude and respect for that.

So be proud you’re a PRO. But don’t think it means more than it does. It’s simply a step on the ladder.

Today, I had a million things to do, as seems usual lately. I got my hair cut, which really isn’t a big deal and never takes long. I have very long hair, I get about 4 inches lopped off once a year, end of story.

Then I went shopping for thank you cards. I’m out and need new ones. I have to send one to the editor who read my work for the Great Expectations contest. That’s when the trouble began.

Who knew this would be so hard?

It was easy to eliminate the cards that had chunky cartoon animals in bright colors. (Thank you for the baby shower gift, though the card just said “Thank You.”) The wedding ones, with champagne flutes and silver bows. The ones with big polka dots. The neon striped cards.

Ah, but then it got hard. I went over to the Hawaiian section and fell in love with the muted tropical print cards that had a very tasteful “Mahalo” in gold lettering on the front. It’s me because I live here, it’s different, it’s so pretty, I love it.

And then I started to think.

Um, who knows what the hell mahalo means if they don’t live in or have never been to Hawaii? Would I look stupid sending this card? Would she think I’m an idiot? Would it be the equivalent of the neon pink paper submission designed to stand out from the rest?

Oh, the agony!

I put the mahalo cards back, much as I coveted the darn things, and returned to the Hallmark section. I picked up a shiny one that could almost be tropical with the pink flower on the front.

Oh dear God, is that glitter?

(There she is, seated at her desk, opening her mail, when out of the envelope comes a pretty pink flower card with a nice thank you on it. It’s shiny, glittery, but no big deal. Until she goes to lunch and her coworker tells her she has a piece of glitter on her nose. No matter how hard she tries to wipe it away, the damn thing just stays there, glowing and blinking. Back to the office she goes, takes out the card to read the name again, and vows to remember forever the idiot who sent her glitter.)

Back went the cards.

I swear I spent half an hour staring at those damn cards before I finally settled on an understated black card with gold lettering. It’s simple, it doesn’t glow, and all it says is “Thank You.”

Now why in the hell is that so hard? I swear my career (the one I hope to have) flashed before my eyes. And it’s just a thank you card. Jeez, this is going to be a long road….

Oh wow, this is a good post by J. Steven York about writer’s delusions. I love this part:

Rule ala Seven – The Easy Genre

Rule ala Seven: There is no easy genre.

Romance is not easy. Science fiction is not easy. Fantasy is not easy. Writing children’s books is not only not easy, it is very, very hard. People looking for an “easy” genre don’t want to write, they want to have written. They are pretenders. If you are the real deal, don’t worry about what is easy, or what is hot. Write the stories you want to write, and the stories you want to tell. Practice. Develop your skills. You can worry about marketing later.

Found via Lee Goldberg.

My big news isn’t all that big, but it’s big enough to me. SEDUCING EVANGELINE got second place in the Great Expectations contest! And the editor asked to see the manuscript if I made a couple of revisions. Yay!

I haven’t seen the score sheet with her comments yet, but the coordinator basically told me that she wanted me to tone down the vernacular (military-ese, I’m guessing), adjust the relationship, and that she loved the idea and felt the plot and conflicts were strong enough. I am happy dancing because this is a personal step forward for me. I don’t know how to explain it, other than to say that getting an editor to say the plot is strong without seeing more than 25 pages and a query is good because it means I didn’t infodump those pages and I gave her enough to make her want to go forward.

And I do know that this could only be the beginning of bigger disappointment, i.e. she gets the full and doesn’t like it, but that’s okay. That’s how we grow and move forward in this business.

My other news is that STRONG CURRENTS 2 is available! We have the book in our hands just in time for the Hawaii Book and Music Festival April 22-23. The chapter publishes the book, which is an anthology of short stories, and donates a portion of the proceeds to Hawaii Literacy, Inc. The first anthology was very popular here in the islands. We’re hoping the second will be as well.

Whew, what a couple of weeks it’s been! And the rest of the month won’t be any better. Next week, my inlaws arrive. On Easter, we start our week-long cruise through the islands. So much to do and so little time to get it done!

I’ve barely been able to keep up with my blog reading this week, and it’s driving me crazy. So if I usually visit you and haven’t been there commenting, it’s not on purpose. I’ve just been busy. I’m not dissing you! I swear I’m coming back, just as soon as life settles down to normal again.

One very interesting blog entry I read today is over at Running With Quills. Agent Steve Axelrod posts on Why (Smart) Agents Don’t Blog.

If your boss (or your client) is paying you to do something else—representing stars, representing writers or working in any other profession—they expect (demand, actually) that you put the interests of your firm or clients first. That means that, in addition to performing your professional activities, you exercise discretion about what you do and who you do it for.

And blogging, whether you do it anonymously or not, whether your intention is to provoke or merely inform, shows you’re not always putting your firm or your clients’ interests first.

Oh dear. Bound to be some discussion on that one. I have seen some of the most amazing things being said from time to time, though it’s usually authors who say it and not agents (in my experience, that is). I sometimes sit there with my mouth hanging open and think, “Did she just say that?”

But that’s what makes blogging fun!

Oh, I have some news, btw, but I’m not sharing it yet because it’s late and I’m tired and I want to do it justice. Aloha.

I’m puttering around on the internet today, thinking about what I could possibly write for the blog since I’ve been on hiatus recently, when my discerning eye (ha!) notices a trend (maybe two isn’t a trend, but oh well). First, Harley Jane Kozak is discussing her process over at The Lipstick Chronicles:

My first draft, therefore, is not a fast-paced, nicely tied-together manuscript, with thematic unity and equal weight given to each important character and story element, plus conflict on every page and escalating tension. It’s a big, sloppy, all-over-the-map tale of . . . well, let’s just say it’s a long story, with threads that go nowhere, and characters that pop up once, with great significant things to do and say, never to be heard from again. That’s the bad news. The good news is, I like revising. I’m a futzer. I think I’m finally getting a handle on what this story’s about. Probably, instead of saying I’m about to finish the first draft of my book, I should just say I’m about to finish the outline of my book. A 463-page outline.

If only I could express how much this thought excites me! Because what I’m writing makes no damn sense lately. I thought it did, and now I can’t figure out where these two characters who showed up early on are supposed to go. Thought they were vital; turns out they may be superfluous.

The last book I wrote, still not fully revised, also featured characters who appeared and disappeared, and a goal that I never did get quite straight. The reason it has remained in the half-finalized version it’s in is because I am mature enough (I think that’s it) to admit to myself that what I thought was a great book isn’t going to sell. At least not yet. The potential is there and the two main characters are wonderful (mothers and their ugly babies, right?), but it’s a quiet book. No loud bangs. Nothing blowing up or under threat of annhilation. Not romantic suspense, not paranormal, not inspirational.

Another post, this time from Alesia Holliday over at Romancing the Blog:

Yes, I’m going to be bold and admit that it was one of the hardest books I’ve ever written. I will forevermore think of it as Seven Ways to Kill an Author. The subplots (I adore subplots) took over my book. I had my protagonist dancing rings on tables simply to try to fit all of those random subplot points into her story.

Except . . . except it was stupid. It was contrived. It was a wall banger. I had to rip that book apart three times, replot the entire middle, and rewrite the ending. Because I wanted a good book, not a “good enough” book. And definitely not a wall banger. By the time I was done, I was hopeful/happy/moderately convinced that I had fixed it and actually had a good book, thanks to the Muse and an astonishing number of chocolate-covered coffee beans.

I sometimes cringe when I’m writing because I think, “Gawd, this is so contrived. An editor will see right through this. I’ll never sell this book.” I hate it when that happens. Usually, that means it’s time to back away from the book for a while and think about something else.

It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one who goes through this. Logically, I know I’m not. But it helps to see others talking about the same issues. No writer is an island, right? Well, unless you’re Dan Brown, and he can pretty much afford his own island anyway. (Psst, gossip moment: speaking of islands and famous writers, I’ve been told, don’t know how true it is, that Johanna Lindsey moved back to the mainland recently. If so, it’s suprising because she’s been here for many years. One wonders what makes one of her resources leave Hawaii. Tis an expensive place for the rest of us, that’s for sure.)

How do you know when the book is contrived and it’s not just you obsessing? How do you find the courage necessary to slice and hack and reshape that beast into something better? When do you say enough is enough and start a different story?

The Movie Of Your Life Is An Indie Flick

You do things your own way – and it’s made for colorful times. Your life hasn’t turned out how anyone expected, thank goodness! Your best movie matches: Clerks, Garden State, Napoleon Dynamite

Found via Sierra Sage. And I so LOVE Napoleon Dynamite. Sitting in those briefings last week, surrounded by military people, and the speaker is talking about skills. So I say, sotto voce, “computer hacking skills.” The guy next to me says, “Bow hunting skills, nunchuk skills,” and Mike grins and says, “Girls just want boyfriends with skills.” LOL.

Seems like everywhere we go, we run into ND fans. Awesome. Sweeeeet.