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Red’s Hot Honky-Tonk Bar by Pamela Morsi

Reviewed by Playground Monitor

Historical writer Pamela Morsi has taken a walk on the contemporary side with this engaging story of Red Cullen, a woman in her mid-forties who owns a honky-tonk bar in a section of San Antonio that is scheduled to be revitalized.  She has a musician boyfriend who is fifteen years younger and she lives for today and today only.  As far as Red’s concerned, life is just fine the way it is. 

Her world turns upside down though when her daughter, who is divorced and deployed to the Middle East, calls and says her children’s other grandmother has suffered a stroke and their father doesn’t want to interrupt his bachelor lifestyle to take care of them.  If Red doesn’t take Olivia and Daniel, they will end up in foster care.

Red reluctantly agrees, and her just-fine life begins to change.  She had never told her boyfriend Cam she was a parent, much less that she had two grandchildren, but she’s forced to call on him for help.  And to make the situation more uncomfortable, the children clearly dislike her, and nine-year-old Olivia is in many ways more mature than Red. 

At first glance, this book appears to be a fun read about a footloose woman and her boytoy, but quickly develops into something quite emotional and poignant.  The characters are real and complex, and I quickly fell in love with them all.  Roles were reversed and characters had to change to meet new expectations and live down the past.  Watching Red and Cam’s relationship change over the course of the book was heartwarming and I found myself sitting in their cheering section, hoping for the best.  This isn’t a traditional happily-ever-after-walking-down-the-aisle romance, but falls into the women’s fiction category and was a Rita nominee this year for novel with romantic elements.

I give it a definite thumbs-up and will be looking for more of Morsi’s contemporary books.

Craft Article

It's A Small Conference - Orlando 2010 Recap

This year, Romancelandia converged in the southern, sweaty town of Orlando, Florida. Smack in the heart of Walt Disney World, writers attended workshops, parties, and a few even snuck off for a little kiddie-free theme park fun. But, in Playground tradition, we're bringing a bit of conference home with us for those of you who couldn't make it - or couldn't cram enough workshops into your schedule.

"Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know" with Kristi Astor and Tracy Wolff

by Angel

This workshop about the Gothic Villain hero was right up my new writing alley and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the speakers, even if there wasn’t nearly enough time to take all the notes.

Tracy’s definition of a gothic hero is an idealized but flawed character trapped in gloom, unable to see the light of day, who is an outsider but leader of “family”, and able to undergo change at the hands of a good woman. Part of what we love about these dark heroes is seeing them be re-humanized through the love of the heroine.

Characteristics of Gothic Heroes can include:
* A troubled past
* World weary, jaded
* An exile or outcast (by choice or circumstance)
* Burdened by secret guilt or sorrow
* Wise beyond his years
* Mysterious, magnetic, charismatic
* Power of seduction and sexual attraction
* Social and sexual dominance
* Proud, sardonic, reckless
* High level of intelligence and perception
* Cunning, able to adapt
* Alienated, unconventional, a law unto himself
* Backs away from praise

Gothic heroes exists in murky places, caught between good and evil. He wants to be good, but does not know how to get there. He often has dark attributes not normally associated with heroic characters, like suffering, sexual depravity, sometimes arrogance, extreme moodiness, and/or distaste for social norms. Think Batman, Angel, Rhett Butler, Highlander, Edward Cullen, Anakin Skywalker, Lestat, or Fox Mulder.

There are 3 types of gothic heroes:
* Promethean: an overachiever who unsettles traditional moral categories, has his own moral code, did something good but only through performing a rebellious act, based on Prometheus
* Byronic: Bad boy, aristocratic, suave, moody, solitary, secretive, arrogant, very conflicted, has a secret wound, is the villain of his own story, based on Byron
* Satanic: Fascinating, obsessive, egotistical, extremely arrogant, sometimes petty, often self-destructive, dark, brooding, has own twisted moral code

For each of these men, the act of falling in love is about losing their alienation from those around them and embracing others. In order to meet these strong men where they stand, heroines need some special qualities of their own:
* Strength
* Feminine
* Intelligent and cunning
* Strong, unambiguous moral compass (often in contrast to hero)
* Secure
* Defiant
* Soft where he is hard (physically and emotionally)
* She has to be willing to give on some things or the relationship won’t start, she knows how to choose her battles.

Harlequin Spotlight

by Problem Child

This year’s spotlight was slightly different than the years before.  While it’s always nice to see the editors talk about their lines, the basics of each line – word counts, editorial offices, basic editorial guidelines – are all available on the eHarlequin website.

This year, the editors talked more about the acquisition process and how they’re finding their new authors.  Did you know that the editors have to acquire four manuscripts every day in order to keep up with the publication schedule?  Harlequin also bought more than 50 first-time authors last year.  Harlequin launches more careers than any other publisher.

They’re also finding more of their authors through contests—both RWA chapter contests and the ones run by the editors.  They’re still happy to receive slush submissions --  and they do read each one – but they also encourage aspiring authors to try the contests as well.  They’re very excited about the next contest called New Voices.  It’s an online contest with Idol-style voting.  Details are available at www.romanceisnotdead.com.

Each line spotlighted an author – some were new, some were not. Each author was chosen because they bring something unique to the line.  More than ever, it’s important to read the line you’re targeting to see the possibilities within the line. Check out the newer and debut authors in the line – not just the big names.

So, yes, Harlequin is acquiring. Yes, they’re looking for new authors and new voices.  Yes, they want to see your book.

"We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Muse" with Elizabeth Hoyt

by Playground Monitor

Just the title of this workshop by historical author Elizabeth Hoyt (who also writes contemporary romance as Julia Harper) reached out to me because my stinkin’ muse has been affected by my personal life crisis over the past year.  I don’t have deadlines to meet like a published author, so I’ve been able to let the stinkin’ muse have her way to a degree.  But I’d like to be published and wanted a published author’s take on dealing with the situation.  Ms. Hoyt didn’t disappoint and offered suggestions from the practical to the woo-woo.

Practical:  set a regular time and place to write, consider writing as your daily job and treat it just as you would the job that brings in the paycheck, have an accountability partner and set realistic goals and deadlines and reward yourself for meeting them.

Woo-woo:  meditate, visualize success, burn candles, have a special pen to write with, listen to certain songs, wear a tiara or special shirt or a strand of beads – whatever sparks that muse.  Many of these, like the candle, may trigger a Pavlovian response so that when you smell peony candle, your mind thinks, “Write!”  A writing get-away may help; going to a coffee shop or café or even checking into a motel for a weekend may give the muse a kick.

She even delved into what to do when you’ve just plain lost your mojo.  At that point, you should find outside support, refill the well (reading, attending a conference, meeting over coffee with other writers) and distance yourself from naysayers.  However, DO NOT announce to anyone that you’ve lost your mojo because then they’ll start making it the subject of conversation and aggravate the situation.

Other helpful tips that don’t fall into a particular category include modeling yourself after another writer (if XYZ author writes 1000 words a day, then so will I), journaling to get the other parts of life out of the way before you begin to work on your book, sprint writing, learning what type of learner you are (auditory, visual or kinesthetic) and playing to that strength, eating something different when you write (apparently oral motor stimulation has a positive effect on the brain) and changing the font for your WIP (especially helpful during the revision phase).

I’ve already put some of these suggestions into use with success. 

"Selling the Hard Sell" with Jeannie Lin

by Smarty Pants

For those headed into Jeannie Lin's workshop hoping for a magic key to the universe, they were disappointed. The first words out of her mouth were: "The key is to have talent, work hard... and get lucky!" Everyone should keep in mind that every book is a hard sell. Its either too different or everyone is doing it. There's no easy sales. What's important is not to quit. You're closer than you think. The important thing is to write the book of your heart. If that book is different from everything else, that means its unique, fresh and the market isn't saturated. At the same time, its risky for the publisher and not always easy for them to visualize marketing.

To get your book out there, she recommends keeping in touch with the business side of writing. Have a marketing strategy. Know whose work is comparable and in what genres you can cross over. Identify agents and cast a wide net. You may fit into a category like women's fiction that you'd never considered. The imporant thing is to stand out in the slush pile. To do this:

• be professional
• focus on your marketable elements that aren't so different (strong heroine, adventurous settings)
• nail the hook
• send unsolicited sample pages (risky, but if the writing is good, it can make the difference)
• know your market
• read debut books to know what's selling

She says it comes down to those first five pages and maybe sixty seconds. In those pages, let your voice shine. Know the difference between an active opening and an action opening - there's an important difference. If you world build, do it in a familiar way to make the reader comfortable. Make your characters immediately sympathetic, likeable, funny or powerful. Good writing alone will not sell your book. Voice, character and distinctivess sells books.

"The Fire in Fiction II " with Donald Maas

by Instigator

The standing room only crowd was definitely evidence of the reputation Donald Maass has as a knowledgeable industry professional.  I really enjoyed this workshop but I honestly can’t tell you why.  Mr. Maass is definitely charismatic and has a way of entertaining a crowd while also imparting sound advice both about the craft of writing and the business of writing.  I think I probably would have gotten more out of the workshop if I’d been able to do the exercises along with him but being in the middle of two projects I just couldn’t wrap my head around it during the timeframe I needed.

Most of his workshop centered on a technique for taking a sagging or dragging scene and making it come to life.  His criteria is that every scene should be necessary, transformative and profound.  There should be a point to each and every scene.  Things at the end of the scene are difference.  The character is different at the end of the scene in either thought or belief.  If you have a flat scene you should see if you can pinpoint the emotional change that should take place during that scene. 

I won’t go into the actual exercises he discussed in the workshop – to do that here would take up too much time – but I do highly recommend listening to him speak.  If you have the chance to attend his workshop or can get your hands on a copy - do it!