Some of us are lucky enough to have a special bond with a biological sister, or maybe our mom is our best friend. Some of us find friends along our journeys who become sisters of the heart, people in whom we confide our hopes and worries. These sisters share in the joy of us falling in love, in the ups and downs of parenting our children, and they hug us through our losses. Please join us this month as we explore the many facets of sisterhood, from vacationing with friends to substitute sisters.
Speaking of sisters, take a peak at all these Noodler New Releases for May. There’s something for everyone— contemporary series romance, erotic romance, historical romance, paranormal romance, romantic suspense, and YA. Yeah, my noodler sisters have been busy!
COLLETTE GALE Bound by Honor: An Erotic Novel of Maid Marion
Maid Marian, now Lady of Leaford, is sent to the court of Prince John—not to take part in the debauchery of his Court of Pleasure, but to spy on him for his mother. Little does she know that her secret mission will thrust her into a whirlwind of intrigue, terror, and carnal temptations.At court, Marian is torn between her duty to the queen and her desire for two men: one, the mysterious highwayman the peasants call Robin Hood, and the other, the dark, cold Sheriff of Nottingham. Given an impossible choice, she must submit to the carnality of Prince John’s court in order to fulfill her duty and maintain her honor. But in the end, there is only one man for whom she will risk her life and give her heart.
DIANE GASTON Justine and the Noble Viscount in The Diamonds of Wellbourne Manor Guardian to the unconventional and newly orphaned Fitzmannings is not a role that brooding Gerald Brenner relishes. But Justine, the illegitimate daughter who strives to hide her shame, calls powerfully to something deep within him.
DELLE JACOBS Sins of the Heart
One lord. One lady. One scandalous mistake. Can it all add up to love? The icy Lord Edenstorm is the very man Lady Juliette hoped never to see again, for only he knows her true identity. One word from him to her brother and she will be locked away, hidden forever in an asylum. All for one foolish, scandalous mistake. Still stinging from her deceitful betrayal years before and wounded by the horrors of war, Edenstorm offers to keep her secret, if she helps him catch the traitors who smuggle English gold to Napoleon. Juliette is incensed. Her Cornish friends may be smugglers, but never traitors, and his snooping and accusations could destroy them. Furious at his blackmail, Juliette vows to risk her own life and freedom to protect the friends she trusts by leading his search astray. But Edenstorm is not the unfeeling man she thought she knew. Nor is Juliette the faithless woman he believed her to be. As passion flares, deceit gives way to truth, and truth unleashes dangers they never suspected. Only by turning truth into trust-and trust into love-can they hope to survive.
DIANNA LOVE (with Sherrilyn Kenyon) Whispered Lies Bureau of American Defense operative Carlos Delgado has spent the past sixteen years watching over his shoulder, waiting for death to catch up to him. His luck runs out when BAD intercepts an unexpected tip on the number one threat to United States security: the Fratelli de il Sovrano. Their best hope for uncovering a deadly plan that risks countless lives and threatens economic chaos just days before the presidential election is to capture a mysterious informant known as Mirage. But when Carlos takes her into custody, Mirage is not at all what he expected -- and neither is the threat she poses to the secrets he would die to protect. Gabrielle Saxe has hidden from a killer for the past decade, sending anonymous tips on international criminals to intelligence agencies around the world. When a postcard arrives from a friend who is supposed to be dead, she takes a risk that catapults her into the midst of dangerous operatives on a treacherous mission -- and into the arms of a man who is duty-bound to surrender her to Interpol as an international felon. Carlos is the last person Gabrielle should trust and the only one standing between her and death. But little does she know, she holds the key to his survival as well . . . . Phantom in the Night (released as paperback) After losing her mother to a vigilante killer, Terri Mitchell has dedicated her life to justice. Working covertly as a new agent for the Bureau of American Defense agency, she's consulting with the New Orleans Police Department to bust an organized crime ring suspected of funding terrorism. But when rumors surface of a phantom ghost terrorizing and killing the very people she's investigating, she's suspicious. Nathan Drake has spent his life protecting his family, the only thing that matters to him...until the most feared drug lord in the southeast takes everything Nathan holds dear. Now he's a man on a mission with nothing to lose. He figures he only needs to stay alive long enough to protect the innocent lives the killers are out to destroy. As the two of them seek a similar goal by different means, Terri and Nathan are drawn deep into an evil underbelly that cuts through all levels of society. Now two people who have no reason to trust must trust in each other or die. And if they die, a deadly attack will be unleashed on thousands of innocent people
TRISH MILBURN Her Very Own Family
Audrey York isn't letting the scandal in her past stop her from making a fresh start in Willow Glen, Tennessee. And now, with the help of a kindhearted neighbor, she's getting the chance to build her dream café. Then she meets her neighbor's son—sexy, single carpenter Brady Witt—who makes it clear he doesn't trust her one bit. Someone has to protect Brady's father from women out to hook a lonely widower. Only, the beautiful blond restaurateur doesn't fit the profile. In fact, she isn't like any woman Brady knows. Just when Brady's starting to believe in her, Audrey's past comes barreling back. Can she trust Brady with the truth? Or will she lose the family she's found at last when he discovers who she is—and what she's running from?
ESRI ROSE Stolen Magic
Romance Can Be Tricky...In a world where humans are displacing elves in alarming numbers, Adlia spends her days working at elf headquarters. But with no artistic talent of her own, and orphaned too young to have known her parents, Adlia is an outsider even among her own elven kind. Only Mark, her human photography instructor, sees that beneath her sarcastic humour lies a vulnerable soul - and a desirable young woman...Especially When An Elf Is Involved. But while relationships with humans are pleasurable, they're also complicated, as Adlia is about to discover. For somewhere between her mind-blowing first human kiss and falling in love, a mysterious memory loss strikes the elf population. Now Adlia has to save her people and herself before she forgets everything. If she succeeds, she may also solve an important piece of her personal puzzle and find that Mark fits perfectly
CHARITY TAHMASEB (and Darcy Vance) Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading
When Bethany -- self-proclaimed geek girl -- makes the varsity cheerleading squad, she realizes that there's one thing worse than blending in with the lockers: getting noticed. She always felt comfortable as part of the nerd herd, but being a member of the most scrutinized group in her school is weighing her down like a ton of textbooks. Even her Varsity Cheerleading Guide can't answer the really tough questions, like: How do you maintain some semblance of dignity while wearing an insanely short skirt? What do you do when the head cheerleader spills her beer on you at your first in-crowd party? And how do you know if your crush likes you for your mind...or your pom-poms? One thing's for sure: It's going to take more than brains for this girl genius to cheer her way to the top of the pyramid.
I'm still out-of-town at an adult-only, mostly female family reunion. We talked a lot, ate and drank a little too much, and made over 90 dozen tamales. In case you're wondering, that's 1090 tamales!--Pris
This week we'll continue our month-long discussion of all things Golden Heart.
Monday, October 20th: Theresa Ragan "Nothing to Lose Except Money"
Tuesday, October 21st: Esri Rose "Making the Golden Heart a Priority"
Wednesday, October 22nd: Delle Jacobs "Shine on the First Page"
Thursday, October 23rd: Priscilla Kissinger "The Entry Deadline Is Looming; Are You Still on the Fence?"
Friday, October 24th: Q& A (Readers Ask Questions; Noodlers Answer)
If you want to see how an elf-writing chick spends her day in Boulder, Colorado, here's yesterday's blog post, with a ton of photos and even some video.
I get a lot of questions about making book videos.
Most people want to know if it's hard work. Yes. No, if you're clever enough. You'll hate me, hate WMM, hate that you ever thought you could do this thing– until you get the hang of it.
Do they take a lot of time? They can. Or not. Depending on how fanatical you are. You don't have to be like me and do some immensely complicated piece of "art". My friend Heather Hiestand, in fact, did one in just a few hours (her second one, that is.) But her philosophy is to do short ones that don't lose the viewer's interest.
http://www.youtube.com/user/hahiestand
In her first one, Heather didn't even use music. She just narrated. On the other hand, I figure my first one cost me about 60-80 hours, mostly because I didn't know what I was doing and didn't SAVE often enough. But here it is:
And does it cost a lot of money? No. But yes if you want to pay out the dough. You can get expensive music, pay actor, buy expensive photos or even videos to insert. Or not. Get creative. Get your guitar-playing cousin to do some background music for you. Hunt through family photos. Browse the royalty free sites for good bargains. Jill Monroe and Esri Rose have done some really funny things with interviews. And if you want to see funny, go look at this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_n5L3S9Jmk&feature=related Not bad, huh?
Or they want to know if it pays off as far as promo dollars is concerned. Depends on what you want. If you think your video will go viral and suddenly your book will too, you're probably going to be disappointed. But if you want to reach a different audience, or get your name out there, good videos can really help to do that. The investment may be a longer term one than you want right now. Or maybe you want to look at both short term and long term. Personally, I love doing the frustrating artwork and assembly. It's a huge challenge. But I don't figure much of anyone will want to do my kind of video. Which is good. I get to be unique.
And some people want me to do theirs for them. Well maybe later when I know more. For now– I've still got too much to learn. Simplicity, for one thing...
Or if not, how about telling them how to do it. Well..... There's not a lot of point in taking up blog space to say what other people have already said. So to begin with, go look here to learn basic book video making:
I suggest you use Windows Movie Maker. It's clunky, let's face it. But it is probably still the most versatile and easiest to use video maker available to most of us. Chances are excellent if you use Windows, you have WMM on your computer too. Mac users have an equivalent, I think.
There's one thing to say about WMM, and don't forget this: SAVE YOUR WORK EVERY STEP YOU TAKE. I MEAN IT. If you don't, you'll get deeply involved, thinking it's going along so well, and it will pack up. You could get lucky- but likely you've lost everything.
Begin with deciding what you want to say. How can you be unique? Intriguing? Well, how about your book blurb? Do you have a short, exciting, pithy one? I think for SINS OF THE HEART, I'm going to use this:
The Cornish cliffs at dawn: Two ladies, one spyglass. Two naked men cavorting in the surf. One of them is the man Juliette hoped would never find her. If she pretends to help him catch the gold-smuggling traitors, she might not die. But what if she falls in love instead?
Then think about your visual images. Videos are all about visual and audio imagery. What says your story? I've chosen a few pictures I'm pasting here. Now remember, I do historicals, so not a lot of photos are going to do it for me. Guys just don't run around wearing cravats these days. That's why I choose to "paint" my images. But usually photos are my base.
And don't forget your cover. Use it as the foundation for your little story.
Here are some good places to look for photos. Doing searches for "sexy man" can pay off here like no other place:
Istock and some others also sell video clips. While a photo might cost you $1-3 (get the small or extra small ones), a video clip of rippling waves like this one will cost you 10 credits, or about $20. Here's one I'm thinking of using. My story is about smugglers and spies, so why not?
http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/locations-and-travel/beaches/5220379-night-and-moon-at-the-sea-or-ocean.php?id=5220379 Then there's the music. Do NOT use music that is copyrighted by someone else without permission. Buying your photos or music at royalty-free sites assures you the maker is being paid for his work. But make sure you use legitimate sites. There are frauds out there.
Some great music sites: http://www.royalty-free.tv/ http://www.shockwave-sound.com/index.html http://www.premiumbeat.com/ http://www.opuzz.com/ http://www.productiontrax.com/index.php http://stockmusic.net/index.cfm/page/main.home
What am I going to use for my SINS video? Don't know. There's one at Royalty-Free TV that makes me want to sing with it, and that means writing lyrics and persuading my brother to do the duet. Uhhhhh..... Maybe there's an easier one?
Where do you put videos? YouTube. MySpace. MetaCafe. TubeMogul will give you a list of places you can use, and then will keep track of them once you have them up. Be aware, though, their site is not the easiest to figure out. http://www.previewthebook.com/index.php This is a promotion site. There are others that want you to pay. This one you can use free, for now. And then there's The New Covey Awards. http://thenewcoveytrailerawards.blogspot.com/ If you love your new work, why not show it off and compete for the prize? And some blogs and review sites will also carry your video, along with your book cover. Just ask!
If you want to join this madness with me, and need a little tutoring, just drop me a line. Or ask your questions now. There are a few things I can probably tell you about using WMM that will save you some headaches. For instance, how to change fonts. How to do transitions. How to adjust your photo frames to match better with the music. But that all takes time and space. If you want to know, though, I'm happy to share.
You might think this topic is geared toward published writers, but the best time to start marketing a locally set book is before you finish the manuscript.
Unless you live in a very small town, newspaper and other media are fairly disinterested in the release of another fiction book, even it’s set on the steps of city hall. Fiction is not news to them. On the other hand, many of the general populace are still pretty excited to be featured in a book. Not all of them, however, and some of them are still going to pooh-pooh romance – sad but true. And if your book has a lot of sex, well… The local marketing angle may or may not work for you.
All that said, here are some things you can do.
Feature local businesses and landmarks. Don’t pick the latest, trendy restaurant or the brand-new oxygen bar. Chances are, those will be long gone by the time your book is out. Go for longevity. More people will recognize local icons of business, too.
Feature well-attended, enthusiastic groups. Does your town have a greyhound rescue organization? Breed-dog lovers can be loyal readers if you feature their favorite pup in a book.
Market to gender when picking what groups to feature. Your town may be noted for its Civil War re-enactment group, but how many of those guys read romance?
Look for tie-ins. If you feature a woman-oriented business, they may be willing to promote your contest or host a book-release party. Now is the time to feel them out about it, but be diplomatic. “I was thinking of featuring your salon/jewelry store/chocolate shop in my book. Wouldn’t it be fun to have a joint party?” If you know the owner, are a good client, or have a good friend who is willing to pitch for you, you’re in better shape.
Look for communication vectors. The greyhound group that has an active Yahoo Group and a nationwide email list is better than the knitting store that puts a stack of newsletters out twice a year.
Get the idea? Great! Now get cracking on that book about the lingerie-shop owner who owns a lovable rescued greyhound and gets proposed to at your local fancy restaurant.
Esri Rose’s paranormal romance, Bound to Love Her, is available right now!
Bound to Love Her is the story of Erin, who owns a New Age shop but doesn't believe in the supernatural, and Galan, a supernatural creature who doesn't trust humans. When Erin accidentally saves Galan, the two are bound to each other in a mysterious way. Can they defeat the dark elf Fellseth, who wants to finish Galan off and turn Erin into a mindless slave? Probably they can, but you'll have to read the book to know for sure.
(Debut-author price on this book is $3.99.)
Check out Esri's blog (and contest) by visiting Elves Among Us
The amazing Colette Gale returns to form in:
MASTER: An Erotic Novel of the Count of Monte Cristo
In Unmasqued, Colette Gale led readers through a labyrinth of dark, extravagant eroticism* in her lush re-telling of Phantom of the Opera.
Now she revisits two of literatures most famous star-crossed lovers in a bold new tale of sensual revenge.
Edmond Dantes spent years imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. Now free, he has returned to Paris in the guise of the powerful Count of Monte Cristo seeking vengeance on those who sent him to jail. But his plan also includes a different kind of revenge on the woman he has never forgotten, the lover he has made it his mission to possess.
Mercedes Herrera was devastated when the man she loved disappeared. Trapped in a loveless marriage, her passions are reignited by Edmond's return. She alone sees through his disguise...but this harsh, angry man sends chills down her spine even as his very touch reminds her of the passion they once shared. She realizes soon enough that his plan to avenge himself on the men who incarcerated him also includes another sort of revenge...on her.
From the seaside town of Marseille, to the exotic caves of Monte Cristo Isle, unfolds an erotic battle of wills in the most electrifying game of love ever played between man and woman...between master and slave.
(*Pam Rosenthal, author of THE SLIGHTEST PROVOCATION)
Three nights of danger . . . When her brother was arrested for murder, the ton shut its doors to Marietta Winters. No one would help her save him from the gallows - no one but Gabriel Noble. In exchange for taking the case, Gabriel requests three favors from the desperate young beauty, and Marietta has no other choice but to make a deal with the sinfully handsome devil.
Three nights of pleasure . . . Searching for clues in the rough underbelly of London, Marietta must masquerade as a shamelessly wanton wench - much to Gabriel’s delight. But Marietta swears to herself that her passionate moans are just for show. She could never fall in love with such a maddening, arrogant, seductive stranger . . . could she?
Three nights of sin . . . Night after night, she satisfies his wicked cravings. But soon Gabriel wants more from Marietta than just three nights of sin - and even a sordid secret in his past won’t prevent him from trying to possess her forever.
Mid-month, the always popular Terry McLaughlin has:
All work and no play would make Jack a very dull boy...
Charlie Keene has poured everything she's got into running her father's concrete company, and now her brother wants to sell. Worse, handsome acquisitions specialist Jack Maguire's arrived in town...and he wants to buy. Charlie's worked too hard to let the family firm go.
One delicious dance and an even more surprising dinner later, all bets are off, as Charlie draws Jack into her Carnelian Cove world. But what does he really want–her or her company? And can Charlie ever trust a man in love if she can't trust him in life?
Built to Last - Making dreams come true on California's Lost Coast.
This week we finish our discussion of conflict and start the topic of research. You can still increase your chance of winning a signed Jo Beverly novel by posting a comment by midnight April 30th.
Monday, April 28th: Guest blogger Tawny Weber "Sex and Conflict, Keeping It Real"
Tuesday, April 29th: Merrillee Whren "Using Personality Types to Find Conflict"
Wednesday, April 30th: Esri Rose (Topic TBA)
Thursday, May 1st: Janet Mullany "Introduction to month-long topic of Research"
Bad on Paper -- Writing Good Villains, by Esri Rose
I can’t count the number of times I’ve been reading a book, enjoying it reasonably well, when all of a sudden the villain enters and the story takes off with a jet-engine roar. Villains give the protagonist a clear obstacle and the readers something to root against, whether it’s a murderous loon or the corporate soul-grinding of Bill Lumbergh in Office Space. (“Riiiiight…”)
Of course, one of the scariest villains is the implacable psychopath. We don’t know what drives him. We can’t hope to reason with him or predict his behavior. But I think that for the seriously unbalanced villain to work well, he has to be the main focus of the book; always behind the door or on the other side of the page. I’m going to focus on the non-horror-genre villains in plots that don’t involve power tools.
An interesting villain avoids the following: clichéd dialogue, no clear motivation for his/her actions, and a character so unrelievedly black, it’s the shade of cartoonist’s ink. A villain can be funny, sympathetic, even sexy. So what makes him bad? The answer is absolute selfishness. A true villain does not put anyone before his own desires -- not his mother, or the fluffy dog, or the curly-haired child. You can reason, you can plead, but a villain acts solely in his own interest. The worst villains know they should take others into account, but (sigh), it’s just not handy. The rest of us depend on the fact that most folks have altruistic tendencies – it’s an evolutionary benefit for a social species. Take that trait away and the villain is as alien as something with tentacles and six eyes.
What has cut the villain loose from the rest of humanity? It should be something the reader can comprehend, maybe even relate to. Almost as scary as meeting a villain is wondering if we could become one. Lack of love during childhood, abuse, fanatical beliefs, brainwashing, and willful ignorance are all great fodder. I find the latter particularly terrifying. If you could just explain things, you might be able to stop the bad thing from happening... Bang, you’re dead. Either the villain knew his ignorance served his purposes, or your explanation was going to cut into his favorite show.
Your villain’s motivation and goal are as important as those of your protagonists. I have to confess that I don’t find revenge a powerful motivation, in and of itself. “You messed with my father, so now I’ll mess with you.” Meh…it’s too abstract. It’s not easy to kick over the traces and be bad; you run a lot of risks. Now, if the revenge is an excuse for concrete benefits – the will is changed to enrich the villain, the dead hero’s wife can now be had – then I’m on board. Only a real slimeball justifies selfish behavior by saying the victims deserved what they got. That’s what you’re shooting for – slime. And remember, a determined villain is a scary thing. Don’t make his badness a kind of hobby. Your villain should risk terrible retribution. If the stakes aren’t serious, your reader won’t take him seriously.
Once you’ve developed the motivation of your villain, it’s time to jerk your reader around a little. We fear people who are absolutely selfish. We also fear not being able to tell who those people are. Make your protagonist question her judgment. “Is he as bad as people say? I find him kind of charming.” When the mask slips, the truth will be that much worse. It’s the creepy feeling you get while watching the neighbor scratch his head and say, “He seemed like such a nice guy.” The killer’s mom tearfully insisting, “My son would never do that.” This is also the reason traitors are so loathsome. They once believed what we believed – validated our life choices. Now they’re willing to betray us for something we can’t even comprehend. And we were fooled? Traitors make your protagonists powerfully angry – at themselves.
Finally, dialogue is key to keeping your villains real. Effective villains believe they are the good guys, and they do their best to come across that way -- otherwise, they’d have trouble doing what they do and not getting caught. If they can woo people to their point of view by sowing doubt or getting sympathy, they will. Here are three dialogue snippets from Fellseth, my villain in Bound to Love Her.
1:“Elves don’t just wither up like the Wicked Witch of the East, you know. When your people broke ground for luxury homes on my land, I knew it was going to be a long, drawn-out death.”
2: “The irony is, all the elves in existence could survive just fine off dark energy. It’s going to happen anyway. Humans can’t be denied. You could think of dark elves as a kind of evolutionary offshoot. In the end, we’ll be the only ones left.”
Sounds reasonable, even persuasive -- right up until he shows his true colors.
3: “One more outburst like that, and I’ll shoot her ear off as a friendly warning.”
One last word about villains. If you make them both selfish and sympathetic, the reader will feel conflicted about their necessary destruction. Your narrative tension will shoot through the roof, and everyone wins – except the bad guy.
Who are some of your favorite villains, either to read/view, or to write?
You know, I could talk about the fascinating links I'm putting in my new blog, or the real reason for my new blog (getting people to love me/ buy my book), but one thing and one thing only can compel you to visit the new blog.
Getting Book Ideas or, The Barbecue Revolt – Esri Rose
I have never been asked where I get my story ideas. I have had people say, “You’re a writer? I had this idea about a bear cub who bonds to a Cabbage Patch doll. You should write about that.” Yeah, thanks.
The trick isn’t coming up with ideas per se, it’s coming up with ideas that fit within your genre, have enough conflict to carry a whole book, and fall in the ideal spectrum between something fabulously unique but not so unique that it will baffle your publisher’s marketing department.
If you’re really on the ball, it should also feature some quirky product, animal, place or cause that will get you featured in an online newsletter with ten thousand rabid fans.
The best way I’ve found to get raw material is through conversations with friends and family. Once you hear a new anecdote, news item or last night’s wacko dream, you start to riff on what ifs. The result is usually something that’s at least a little unique, because these conversations involve speculation and pushing the envelope.
Ideally, friends bring the following idea-generators to your attention: current events (which you don’t have time to read because you are writing), horrible events (which you avoid listening to because you are a sensitive artist), or workplace events (because they have real lives and you don’t). Extra-special friends will also share weird events that they heard about because they belong to specialized clubs or organizations. Those friends are gold. Not only do they know about fascinating subcultures, but they often have access to the aforementioned rabid-fan lists.
Let’s look at a conversation I had with my husband recently. We had just seen a portable fire-pit at Target, and I wondered if it was legal in our city, since it had a screen over the top. Most open-fire devices are outlawed here, including BBQ grills for renters. You can only own a grill if you’re a homeowner.
“That would start a revolution in this country,” I said. “We let politicians get away with a lot, but if they took away our grills, people would take to the streets.”
Joe agreed. “Angry men in aprons, brandishing oversized forks and skewers."
“That’d be a good political-parody book,” I mused. “The Barbecue Revolt.”
That’s a decent book idea. It’s unusual, has plenty of scope for conflict, and you could pitch it to barbecue-lover newletters—maybe even get a product-placement deal. Unfortunately, I don’t write political or social satire. Carl Hiaasen, if you’re reading this, take that idea with my blessing—just don’t forget to put my name and website in your acknowledgements. Thanks, man. We’ll have lunch.
What I currently write is elf-based romantic suspense. Let’s see how we can change this idea from political satire to something I could potentially write and sell.
Breaking the idea into its components, what do we have? First, there’s barbecue, a pastime with a history of humor and also gender division. Then there’s out-of-control fire, a natural disaster that lends itself to people with painful pasts, as well as legal problems and mysterious deaths. There’s the notion of outlawing something, which affects local politics and struggling businesses that will be hurt by the legislation. There’s revolution over an unpalatable law, and the safety of the group versus the rights of the individual.
The trick is to play with the idea. Don’t feel like you have to map to the original concept or use all the pieces.
Idea for a Paranormal Romantic-Suspense
Leeta is the only elf in four centuries to have fire-kindling powers. Unfortunately, she can’t control them. When she starts a wildfire that destroys two human houses, the fleeing owners see Leeta’s unharmed figure walking through the flames. Incidents like this put elves at risk of exposure, so Mikelor, the elves’ best tracker, is put in charge of capturing Leeta. His job? To bring her back for the ritual that will erase her gift and leave her a husk of herself. But when Mikelor meets Leeta, he begins to question his orders. Is the possibly increased safety of the group worth the sacrifice of this one elven female? When Mikelor himself is taken captive by humans, Leeta and her uncertain gift are all that can save him. Will Leeta risk herself to help the nemesis she has come to love?
Possible promotional tie-ins: You could have Leeta befriend a pet or wild animal that escaped the blaze. Put a fire pet-rescue decal in every press kit, or send a press kit/book to animal-rescue orgs like the IFAW. Hell, give ‘em some money.
You can see that it bears almost no resemblance to the original concept, but who cares? It’s an idea! Okay, I covered my genre. Let’s see how you do with your version of this idea (or give an example from scratch). And don’t worry if your tie-ins are the same or similar. Rabid-fan groups are always eager for reading material that resonates with them. There’s room for all of us.
(Word of warning: The above idea, while solid, is not so unique that I hesitated to share it. Don’t go public with a truly outstanding concept. Not that people will purposely poach it, but a published writer might think your idea is one of her own two years down the line, not remembering that she read something similar in cyberspace. Your great concept could hit the shelves in her book before you even get an agent. Ask about my embarrassing songwriting moment and I’ll share in the comments.)
Esri Rose’s first elfy book, Bound to Love Her, is available for pre-order through Amazon.com.
The Strong Romantic Elements category. Is it right for your book? -- Esri Rose
RWA introduced the Strong Romantic Elements (SRE) category in 2004. That first year, finaling titles (especially in the RITAs) suggested that the category was created for Women’s Fiction, where rugged yet understanding men were important subplots in women’s search to reunite with sisters, deal with life-threatening illnesses, or get their wayward daughters back on track. But subsequent years found the SRE awash in snarky Chick Lit and moody Paranormal, as well as moody Chick Lit and snarky Paranormal. The 2006 SRE RITA winner was a Silhouette Sensation, and the 2007 SRE RITA winner is a fictional account of young Anne Boleyn’s life. Confused? Welcome to publishing! Once again, the Golden Heart is great practice for the real-world book business.
First of all, you should be aware that RWA’s judging guidelines have changed for the SRE. Here’s the previous version:
Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements (previous) A work of fiction not belonging in another category that contains a strong romantic element, such that one or more romances contained in the story form an integral part of the story’s structure, but in which other themes or stories may also be significantly developed. The word count for these novels is a minimum of 80,000 words.
Judging guidelines: Any kind of fiction, of any tone or style and set in any place or time, is eligible for this category. The romantic elements, while not the primary focus of the story, should be an integral and dynamic part of the plot or subplot.
Now the length of the SRE, along with all the other categories, is defined as over 40,000 words, and the definition is trickier.
Novel with Strong Romantic Elements (current) Definition: A work of fiction in which a romance plays a significant part in the story, but other themes or elements take the plot beyond the traditional romance boundaries.
Judging guidelines: Novels of any tone or style and set in any place or time are eligible for this category. A romance must be an integral part of the plot or subplot, and the resolution of the romance is emotionally satisfying and optimistic.
So the question becomes, What are the “traditional romance boundaries”? The answer to that is in all the other GH categories. Your job is to figure it out by process of elimination, but here’s my take on it.
Within the traditional boundaries of romance, your heroine has one love interest throughout the book. If your gal can’t decide between the hot-blooded werewolf and the coolly sensual vampire until page 368, you’d better put it in SRE.
In a traditional romance, your heroine and hero live happily ever after. Commonly referred to as the HEA ending, your romance had better have it, but now it looks as though the SRE needs to have something very close. Take a look at this text: “…the resolution of the romance is emotionally satisfying and optimistic.” I added those italics, and I think they’re key. They may also be a direct response to the 2007 RITA winner, because we all know what happened to Anne Boleyn eventually.
Let’s say you’ve written the first book in a Regency mystery series where your pretty sleuth needs the help of a certain man to solve the crime. Your heroine and Mr. Tight Trousers bicker and waltz through the plot with the sexual heat turned to stew, but the question of whether they wind up together isn’t absolutely answered. Now, if the final scene reads like this…
“Eleanora…be my wife. Never have I found a woman who is so intellectually stimulating whilst at the same time so very responsive in a careening carriage.”
“Oh, Lord Musk, I would love to be your wife…someday. But let us first have two more adventures. The ongoing mystery of my father’s will (and the demands of my author’s contract) demand it.”
…I’m guessing that would have a chance in SRE. It’s romantically satisfying and optimistic, as far as the two principals are concerned. But look at this other possibility:
“Eleanora…be my wife. My carriage awaits to take you from your vile cousin’s house.”
“Lord Musk, while it is true that I have spent most of the book exploring my love for you, the last few pages have shown that my vile cousin is vile due to circumstances beyond his control, and also isn’t my cousin. Not only that -- the babe in my womb may not be yours, but his!”
I don't think you can call a cliff-hanger like that satisfying, and Lord Musk isn’t feeling optimistic. He’s in a world of hurt. The idea that there may not be a place for this kind of book in the Golden Heart may make your blood boil, but hey, they have to draw the line somewhere. It is the Romance Writers of America, after all.
Let’s look at one more piece of the definition puzzle: “The romantic elements, while not the primary focus of the story, should be an integral and dynamic part of the plot or subplot.”
A suspenseful SRE is not the same as a Romantic Suspense. In the latter, the spying, shooting and running are tools to bring the heroine and hero together. If the thieves were stopped but the couple didn't end up together, the story wouldn't work.
My 2006 SRE GH finalist, Telling Lies, was not the same as a contemporary romance. My heroine’s primary focus was finding out why she developed a split personality during her job as a Tarot-card reader. There were two love interests in the book, but if she had had to forgo both men to regain her sanity, the book would still have worked. The reason I could still enter it in SRE, however, was because the romance was integral to the main plot. Her choice of man was part of why she developed a split personality. And since she did get her HEA with one of the guys, it had a satisfying and optimistic ending.
The RWA definition also specifies that the romance, though secondary, is dynamic. Your heroine can’t start out engaged, have a lovely, trouble-free relationship where her man helps her kill the bad guys, and then marry him at the end. In that scenario, your main plot may be riveting, but the romantic subplot is not dynamic. Take it out of the book and it is bo-ring.
To sum up, the SRE is the place to enter a novel with a primary plot that is something other than a romance. Part of that primary plot (“or subplot”?!) had better feature a conflict-ridden romance with one or more hot guys, and your heroine had better end the book with a relationship that is both satisfying and optimistic. Now, as far as I know, whether she can be satisfied and optimistic with two guys at once and still final in the GH remains to be seen.
I'll be interested to hear what the other Noodlers think. The "satisfying and optimistic" romantic resolution is probably the trickiest bit for those writing a series with the same heroine throughout.
Hi! Esri Rose here (aka Kiki Clark). I finaled in the Golden Heart's Paranormal category in 2003 and in Strong Romantic Elements (SRE) in 2006.
Last year, Kensington read my SRE manuscript and liked it, but they weren't sure how to market it. So they asked if I had anything else, and I offered my 2003 GH paranormal. Bound to Love Her will be published in May of 2008. The debut-author price is $3.99.
"A delightful fantasy sure to appeal to anyone who loves wit, mystery and magic!" -- Kathy Love, USA Today bestselling author, Fangs for the Memories.
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