Lynn Raye Harris

This has been one of those weeks! And I do believe I have ‘more’ of those weeks coming. Finally got my contracts, signed them, and slipped them in the mail to my agent. Seeing those dates in black ink is a great motivator, especially when surrounded by legal language. I have to finish a book and write a proposal before conference. Eeek! Better get busy, right?

It’s funny, but before I sold a book, I really wanted to be just like my favorite authors — writing books in my jammies, hobnobbing with agents and editors, chatting with my best writer friends about our books and which lists we were on, etc. And though it’s seriously cool to have a book coming out, and to have books that someone is waiting to publish, it’s also a JOB. More of a job than it was when I wasn’t published. Because if I got stuck then, I could just nip out to the mall and engage in some retail therapy. Or drop everything and go to lunch with a friend. Or garden, rearrange my furniture, read blogs all day, etc.

I’ve realized that though I LOVE my job, it’s not just fun and games. There will be good days and bad, there will be pressure, and sometimes you have to sit at that keyboard no matter how sunny it is outside and how much you want to frolic through the grass. Life does not magically change the instant someone wants to buy your book. No, it’s cool, and you will be very happy — but it’s still work. My favorite authors are sitting at their desks, doing the same things I’m doing. They aren’t indulging in margarita lunches everyday, or flitting through Neiman-Marcus looking at designer clothes.

Darn. Something else to add to the misconceptions list, right? If you aren’t a writer, what’s your dream job? And if you are a writer, what’s your dream writing life like?

(If I wasn’t a writer, I’d want to be an interior designer. You would laugh if you saw my home’s interior, but hey, it’s a DREAM.)

Monday’s winner: M.V. Freeman! M.V. wins a copy of Jessica Anderson’s Nightkeepers for her very own. Yay!

I had a busy day yesterday — not writing, unfortunately — and by the time I got settled in and ready to write a blog post for today, I had nothing left in the brain. Total blank.

So I asked Hubby for a topic.

“Why don’t you write about where you get your ideas?”

Um, I did that already. It’s somewhere on this blog, in fact. (Not sure where at the moment.) Even though I can’t remember where it is, I hate to be repetitive. *g*

Then he said I should write about the cat.

The cat?

See, one of our cats is a bathroom cat. You go in there, she’s with you. So when Hubby goes in for a shower in the morning, she’s there, rolling on the floor and meowing. And he, knowing I can hear, tells her silly things. Like “Are you gonna help Mommy write today?” Lots of meowing, lots of silliness. It’s hilarious, but you’d have to be here.

His next idea was something about why he could never write a romance novel. How am I supposed to know why he could never write a romance novel?! Next!

Then he got serious. Several more ideas, none of which I can remember, flowed forth. He was trying to help, bless his heart, but I was starting to suffer from idea ADD — I couldn’t take another one.

And that’s how today’s post happened. I had no ideas, Hubby had plenty, and I didn’t like any of them. Marriage is like that sometimes.

How’s your day? (Tuesday is supposed to be a giveaway day, but due to the overwhelming response yesterday – snort – and my lack of preparation today, the giveaway is postponed until my brain returns.) How about something hilarious instead?

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Friday, I mentioned doing some things this weekend that included shopping and the Farmer’s Market. I also said something about relaxing.

Huh.

Apparently, I failed to realize that all these things I wanted to do entailed going places, walking, lugging, doing things, etc. The upshot is that there was very little relaxing involved.

Though it WAS fun.

Weekend itinerary went something like this:

1. Meet friends and family at winebar Friday night. Laugh, talk, drink wine for a couple of hours.

2. Sat: wake up early, go to Starbucks for coffee and a breakfast sandwich.

3. Farmer’s Market. Where Hubby proceeded to gag on goat cheese while I explained to the artisan that though his cheese was indeed excellent, my Darling Hubby just can’t stand goat cheese — no matter how many herbs and spices are mixed in. I bought some, of course, and not just out of sympathy. I thought it was excellent.

4. Yard sale. It was impromptu, and no one was more surprised than I when Hubby pulled over. Unfortunately, there was nothing interesting. Except a typewriter. An actual typewriter! (Kids, see Google.)

5. Costco. Where Hubby proceeded to look grouchier and grouchier as I piled stuff into the cart. Apparently, “we need a few things” and “I haven’t been shopping in a while” mean something different to him than to me. Although he perked up when we bought two whole chickens for him to put in the smoker.

6. Drop Hubby and groceries at home. Go to mall. Walk around for 3 hours, looking for things for my readers’ luncheon giveaways, but only find stuff for me. Spend a very long time trying on clothes and shoes. Leave with a big shopping bag or two (in my defense, it was a SALE).

7. Back home. Grill out with Hubby.

8. Watch Blade Runner — never saw it before, very good, but I had weird dreams afterward.

10. We’re up to Sunday now. (Exhausted yet?) Wake up, have breakfast and coffee at home. Play on computer for a bit.

11. We’ve invited my parents over for smoked chicken. This means the house, otherwise known as an official disaster area, must be cleaned and tidied. This takes a very long time, entails scrubbing and decluttering, and makes my back hurt.

12. Prepare side dishes while Hubby smokes chicken.

13. Did I mention laundry?

14. Crap, have to go to the store and get a couple of things. Most important: some live flowers to replace the dying ones on the mantel.

15. I. Am. So. Tired.

16. Dinner is practically done, parents arrive, we eat and talk and have a good time.

17. More laundry. Some wine. Bed.

Apparently, having fun is a lot of work! I’m exhausted from this weekend. Did you relax this weekend? Or did you find out, like me, that weekends can be a workout? What’s your favorite thing to do to relax, or your favorite activity, during the weekend?

Monday Giveaway: Leave a comment to be entered for a copy of Jessica Anderson’s Nightkeepers!

Okay, so how silly is it to celebrate the one week anniversary of my new site launch? I can’t believe it’s been a week, in fact. One week ago today, I was sitting here at my computer doing a Yahoo chat with my web designer while she instructed me how to do some basic things (like blog posts). And then the moment came when she told me to click a particular button — and voila, the whole site went live. It was a champagne moment for me.

See, I built my first website myself, using some freebie tools that Yahoo had. I wanted to know how it worked, and of course it was very rudimentary. I had Front Page, but couldn’t figure out how to use it. Dreamweaver was way out of the question. Nope, I used what is commonly called WYSIWYG — what you see is what you get. I could drag elements around the page and hotlink like crazy.

But it was still homemade and still didn’t look the way I envisioned my website would look. So I made a promise to myself that when I sold a book, I was hiring a professional to design my site. And I couldn’t be happier.

So what are you up to this weekend? I think I’m dragging Hubby to the Farmer’s Market. He will protest, but it’s better to do it now, in April, because the summer months are so hot I can’t get his Yankee butt out of the house. And there might be some shopping. Next weekend is the Heart of Dixie 12th Annual Readers’ Luncheon and I want to look fabulous. There will also be writing, because June is approaching and I have a book to finish before the craziness that comes with preparing for RWA Nationals in July begins. There might also be some time outdoors, grilling on the patio, and relaxing with my favorite man.

Wow, think my weekend is full already! How about yours? Any favorite weekend activities when Spring arrives and the warm weather decides to stick around?

Now that I’m a published romance author, with two books accepted and hard at work on the third, there seem to be a few misconceptions I need to clear up. Mostly, these are misconceptions of acquaintances, neighbors, and various assorted other folk. List style because it’s easier:

1. No, I am not rich. No, my husband won’t be retiring from his job. No, we aren’t moving to a mansion. I know Castle (on ABC) is fun, and that he’s a wealthy writer type following the PI around, and I know that Stephanie Meyer and J.K. Rowling probably never have to lift a hand to do dishes again a day in their lives. My reality is a bit different.

2. Okay, now go to the bookstore and tell me what you see. I’ll wait……..yes, TONS of books. Do you know who any of those authors are, or do you just know Meyer, Rowling, and Stephen King? Most writers are not wealthy. Please drop this misconception NOW.

3. Yes, I write romance. No, this does not mean I wear a feather boa, or crank up the whips and chains when I want to do a little research. I have written romantic suspense too — do you think I researched murders by committing them?

4. I love my husband. I am not thinking about trading him in on a cabana boy, no matter how much I might joke about it.

5. I am not famous.

6. Yes, I have a literary agent. No, I can’t ask her to read your work just because you know my second cousin.

7. Same goes for my editor. I’ll tell you what I know, I’ll tell you how I got to this point, but I can’t give you the secret handshake because there isn’t one. Or, if there is, nobody bothered to tell me.

Why do people believe these things? Wish I knew. And I’m sure I’ll have to deal with a few more misconceptions as time goes by…..

What misconceptions have you encountered as a writer? Or even as a reader of romance novels? You know the ones — those books are fluff, that’s not literature, how can you read that junk, etc… And what would YOU tell those clueless folks if you could?

I’m feeling the pressure to have something interesting and fun on the blog! It’s so pretty now, and there’s that snippet which appears on the home page, set off in a lovely pale gold, that just begs you to read. But what if I don’t write something interesting?

Alas, I can’t be interesting all the time. (Or maybe not ever, depending on your outlook.) Instead, I’ll tell you what I did yesterday. My writerly schedule, as it were. Let’s do this list style, because it’s easier.

1. Made coffee.
2. Ate cereal.
3. Went to office with coffee.
4. Opened up Firefox.
5. Wasted entirely too much time doing online things.
6. Finally realized nothing was getting done in the WIP unless I left the house, and therefore my internet.
7. Starbucks. Ah, what is this orange mango smoothie thing they have now? Yum!
8. Write.
9. Curse.
10. Check email on iPhone.
11. Twitter.
12. Write some more.
13. Curse.
14. Peek at iPhone.
15. Curse.
16. Reluctantly cut some stuff from the WIP. Realize it’s better without all that mess. Feel happier.
17. Write some more, think maybe I can do it after all.
18. Eventually, leave and pick up a sub for dinner. Stop at grocery store.
19. Eat dinner, send rotten chapters to lovely friend.
20. Work out.
21. Crash.

Yep, the glamorous day of a writer. What’s on your schedule today?

Be sure to check out my guest blog over at Romance Magicians. It’s about behaving professionally as a writer.

Tuesday’s winner: Nicole S. Contact me with your address for your copy of Heaven, Texas!!

More giveaways next week! I hereby designate Monday and Tuesday as prize day. For now.

Yes they are! I promised a funny (not literally) story about the roses in my header and at the bottom of the page. See, when I contacted Croco Designs last winter (December, I think) and asked if they could build a site for me, Frauke said sure and sent me a questionnaire. One of the questions was about color. I said I wanted red. And I wanted dark words on a light background.

She asked if I wanted her to use photos or a graphic design. I said I was fine with photos. See, I’d done my homework and clicked over to many, many of her sites. And I loved the moody sensuality in each of them. Many of them had photos of hunky men. And I kind of assumed I would get something with a glamorous couple — maybe a ritzy car, a city background, champagne, diamonds. I had no idea, really!

So when Frauke revealed the design to me recently, I was surprised to see roses. And very pleased — because I hadn’t thought about that at all! But here’s the funny thing — in my office I have a framed poster. This poster:

What a coincidence, huh? I figured it was meant to be. And she’s ever so much smarter than I am, because the hunky men and gorgeous women are already on my book covers. They won’t ever compete with people in my header.

What’s your favorite flower? Favorite color? Did something ever work out in ways you didn’t expect, but turned out to be perfect?

Winner from Monday: Colleen. Email me through my contact page with your address and I’ll get the $5 Starbucks card and a book from my stash out to you ASAP!

Stay tuned for more prizes!!

Hopefully, you found your way here easily enough today. Things have changed a bit, as you can see. My website and blog went to the salon rather frumpy and out of date and came back sleek and gorgeous. Oh if only it were that easy to do the same for me!

Reminds me of another rather frumpy person who today, one week after she became a YouTube sensation, is a global star. Not that my website — or I — can claim to be mega-stars.

The web is abuzz, of course, with many many articles about Susan Boyle. About her appearance, our expectations, the hope and triumph, etc. I won’t bother adding links because unless you’ve been in a cave, you’ve seen this stuff out there. I do like the articles that take us to task as a society, however, for not expecting this kind of pure beauty in such a rather ordinary, even — alas — mockable, appearance.

With that in mind, I offer this song of Susan’s that is the only recorded song she’s ever done. Made for a charity CD, of which only 1000 copies were made. Click the link, close your eyes, and tell me this isn’t the voice of a sultry chanteuse. Gorgeous, gorgeous. I will most definitely be buying this woman’s first album when it comes out.

Sometimes, getting a makeover is about perception. In Susan’s case, it was the judges, the audience, and now the world who got the makeover.

And now back to MY makeover. Well, my site makeover. Leave a comment to win a copy of one of my absolute favorite makeover romances of all time: Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

Here I am posting to my new website for the first time. Hope I don’t screw it up! Thanks to Frauke Spanuth at Croco Designs for the gorgeous site!

Now, just as soon as I figure out my way around here, etc, I’ll be holding those celebratory giveaways I was talking about at the old blog. This has been a while in the making, but I’ve certainly learned that web design is no simple or quick matter. It takes time to build all this fabulosity — which makes my previous little homemade versions look like the small potatoes they were (because I know next to nothing about web design).

This site will grow over time, of course. There will be more content, more fun stuff as I think of things I want. For now, I have much to learn about this site.

I do hope you’ll have a look around. Let me know what you think! Leave a comment below and I’ll launch my first giveaway. Everyone who comments will be entered to win a $5 Starbucks card and a book from my stash. I’ll announce a winner next week.

More to come in the next few days….

This certainly isn’t news to die-hard romance readers, but it seems as if people like happy endings when times are bad. Duh.

At a time when booksellers are struggling to lure readers, sales of romance novels are outstripping most other categories of books and giving some buoyancy to an otherwise sluggish market.

Harlequin Enterprises, the queen of the romance world, reported that fourth-quarter earnings were up 32 percent over the same period a year earlier, and Donna Hayes, Harlequin’s chief executive, said that sales in the first quarter of this year remained very strong. While sales of adult fiction overall were basically flat last year, according to Nielsen Bookscan, which tracks about 70 percent of retail sales, the romance category was up 7 percent after holding fairly steady for the previous four years.

I’m not surprised. Are you? I pretty much always want a feel-good read, but maybe I was inoculated to human suffering and angst-ridden unhappy endings during my years spent getting first a BA and then an MA — years in which I read tons of “classic literature.” Been there, done that. I still like a good literary story, don’t get me wrong. Ann Patchett and Audrey Niffenegger amaze me, for instance. Wonderful writers.

By and large, give me that happy ending though. You can read the full article here. For once, the NYT wasn’t in the least snooty — unlike the LA Times columnist this week who reported on this phenomenon, put down romance, and then admitted she’d never read one. Ludicrous. Would you let someone tell you what your opinion should be, and then espouse it as your own? I wouldn’t, but she sure doesn’t have a problem with it. Someone told her romance was dumb at some point — so she jumped on the snotty bandwagon and starting beating the drums. Thank God for individuality, right?