Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 71

Patty’s Gamble is Now Available!

Patty’s Gamble is Now Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Smashwords.  It should be up on Apple iBooks soon.  I’ll be checking Apple iBooks to see when it’s up and let you know when I see it.

This is the third book in the Montana Collection.  If you don’t have the others in the series, Mitch’s Win is Book 1 and Boaz’s Wager is Book 2.  I am planning to write Shane’s Deal (which is Book 4) soon.

For now, you can go to these links to get it:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Kobo

Smashwords

Special note to Debbie McCreary (a giveaway winner from the Facebook party Janet Syas Nitsick and I ran a couple months back): I will be sending you a paperback version of this book when it’s available.  At the moment, it is only in ebook.

Special note to Glenda Harvey, Anusha S, Debra MacArthur, Bridget Frederiksen, Carrie Fisher (ebook winners from the Facebook party Janet Syas Nitsick and I ran a couple months back), I’ll be gifting you ebooks tonight so check your inbox.

Sorting Through The Series I Have (And Trying to Get a Look At Where I’m Going in Them and New Ones)

Marriage By Arrangement Series is Getting Changed to Marriage By Deceit Series

The first thing I want to get out of the way is a name change in the Regency series I’m currently working on.  After feedback from my awesome beta reader, I realized “Marriage by Arrangement” isn’t going to best fit for the title of the series.  I’ll use that for another series in the Regency Collection.

By the way, I want all of the Regencies to take place in the same world where characters from past books can emerge here and there in minor roles, but they won’t be dominant ones who share the spotlight.  For example, I might bring in Nate (Lord Roderick) in one book but then bring Christopher (Mister Robinson) into another.

I really enjoy seeing the same characters pop up here and there if I can give them a valid reason to be there.  Every character needs to add to the plot.

Series I Am One Book Away From Finishing
1. Omaha Contemporary Romances

This is Book 1

This is Book 2

This is Book 3

I’m currently writing Just Good Friends, so once I’m finished, I will be done with the series.  Then I can finally put it off the “To Write” list.  Currently, I am at chapter 9.   I expect to be done with the first draft by the end of July/early August.  But I won’t publish it until close to October or in October because it’s a holiday romance.

2.  Montana Collection

Book 1

Book 2

Book 3 – will be out around July 15

Book 4

 I haven’t started it yet because I sense it’ll do a lot better if it’s released at the beginning to middle of next year.

Series I am Two Books Away From Finishing
1.  Enchanted Galaxy Series

Book 1

Book 2

Book 3

I was surprised, but this is the only series I have two more books to do to finish it up.

Series I am Three Books Away From Finishing
1.  Marriage by Deceit Series

Book 1

Book 2

Book 3

The Earl’s Stolen Bride

Book 4

Not Yet Titled
2.  Florida Contemporary Romances

Book 1

Book 2

Not Titled Yet

Book 3

Not Titled Yet

Book 4

Not Titled Yet

I’m not touching this one anytime soon.  My contemporaries don’t sell well anyway.  I write them to get a break from historicals to keep my mind fresh and creative, not because I expect anyone to actually be interested in them.

So while I have an interest in writing these books, they are very low on the priority list, and I’m going to spend my focus on other series I need to complete and series I want to start instead.

Series I Want to Start
1.  The one that Richard Larson’s book will start

Book 1

This book will launch a series of other books.  I expect Richard and Amanda to meet people who will be featured in other books.  So while Richard Larson is the oldest son in the Larson family which is a big part of the Nebraska Historical Romance Series, his book doesn’t belong there.  It belongs in a different series.  I haven’t worked any details of this yet.

2.  The one Vivian and Hugh’s book will start 

From time to time, I get questions about Vivian and Hugh from His Heart’s Desire.  Yes, I do plan to write their book, and their book would start a new series.  I haven’t decided what the details should be.  This is why I won’t start it until I do.

3.  The one for Sep (who was April’s brother) in Shotgun Groom

This book will launch a new series all its own, too.  And like Vivian’s book, I have no real plot for it.  All I know is that Sep saves a woman from having to marry the wrong man.  That’s it.  And I can’t get a book going with such little information.

4.  Another Regency series

After I finish with the Marriage by Deceit Series, I’ll want to start in on another 3-4 book series of Regencies that take place in the same world as other two series I have.  So then I can have even more characters to bring back.   But this isn’t even close to being worked on.

 

Updates on What I’m Doing

Patty’s Gamble is still expected to be published around July 15

If I hear otherwise from my publisher, I’ll let you know.  But for the time being, this date is still the anticipated release date.

Still Planning a July Release for The Earl’s Secret Bargain

I got this book back from my awesome beta reader and equally awesome editor.  Now I’m waiting for my other awesome editor. :) I’m also going through it on my end for a final time.  But this book will be out this month.

A Royal Engagement Will Be Out Next Month

After my kids go back to school around August 13, I’ll be getting this one published.  Since I don’t talk about this one a whole lot, I just want to remind everyone it’s a contemporary romance about an ordinary Earth woman attending college who discovers she’s going to be the Queen on another planet.  Technically, it’s a fantasy romance.  It’s not exactly like the Across the Stars Series, but it has the same fantasy feel that Book 3 (His Abducted Bride) had, so if you enjoyed His Abducted Bride, I think this will be equally enjoyable.

Working on a Holiday Romance

I am finally (at long last) actually writing this one.  I’ve had the hardest time figuring out how to work through the idea to make a full length book, and now I know what to do.  I actually did an outline before I wrote it.  So far, the outline has expanded to a couple more scenes I didn’t see coming, but everything is going according to plan.  This is a holiday romance.  It starts around Thanksgiving and continues on through New Year’s.  So I have to publish this in October to best fit the season it’s written for.

This is a contemporary romance about two best friends who pretend to be dating when the heroine has to go to her sister’s wedding.  This is the third and final book in the Omaha Contemporary Romance Series.  Book 1 is With This Ring I Thee Dread and Book 2 is What Nathan Wants.  I am bringing in all characters from the previous two books.

I haven’t decided whether to keep the cover as it is or change it.

I’m Getting Back His Convenient Wife

Now that I got the three main books (Patty’s Gamble, The Earl’s Secret Bargain, and A Royal Engagement) out of the way, I can get back to working on this one.  I’d like to get this out this fall.  I was thinking October, but we’ll see.

The Rancher’s Wife

Stephannie and I are back to working on this one.  The plan is to publish it in February.

This marks the third book I’m working on at one time, and since three books is my limit, all other writing projects are on hold.

Update on His Brother’s Wife – Putting It Aside Indefinitely

Stephannie and I are putting this on hold.  She has control over The Rancher’s Wife, so I’ve decided to focus on that.  I have control over this one.  I don’t know what I want to do with it, so I’m putting a temporary stop on it.  Since this isn’t a part of a series, I can safely do that.  No one is invested in any of the characters because they haven’t met them.

However, there are other books I need to go through and finish the series for, like Shane’s Deal (book 4 of the Montana Collection), Wagon Trail Bride (which I am going to start over and do a complete rewrite), Love Lessons With The Duke (a Regency that follows The Earl’s Secret Bargain), and Royal Hearts (book 2 in the Enchanted Galaxy Series).

My goal is to clean up as many series or books that lead to other books as possible.  And the book mentioned in the paragraph above are the ones that are in the priority slot.

****

I learned that I can’t sprint a book at the beginning.  

I can from the middle moving to the end, but when I’m at the beginning, I don’t know the book enough to be able to type 5,000 words a day in it.  And since I have pretty much used that method to finish up Patty’s Gamble, The Earl’s Secret Bargain, and A Royal Engagement, I am reverting back to my “work on a couple books at a time method”.  I am trying to outline (aka plan) ahead in the current works in progress, but it’s not as easy to make a certain word count when I’m anything less than 25,000 to 30,000 words into a book.

So it’s back to multiple books at a time and pacing myself every day.

iBooks Store First in a Series: Romance Books

For those of you who buy iBooks, I wanted to pass along a promotion that is taking place in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK and Ireland.

It features romance books that are the first book in a series.  Not all authors are on it.  I recognized a couple of authors but not all of them.

Here’s the direct link to the site.  (I also put a link on the image above.)

One of my books, Her Heart’s Desire, is up there.

Her Heart's Desire - Ruth Ann Nordin">USA | Her Heart's Desire - Ruth Ann Nordin">Canada | Her Heart's Desire - Ruth Ann Nordin">Australia | Her Heart's Desire - Ruth Ann Nordin">New Zealand | Her Heart's Desire - Ruth Ann Nordin">UK | Her Heart's Desire - Ruth Ann Nordin">Ireland

I know a lot of you enjoy Rose Gordon’s books, so I’ll post the links to Intentions of the Earl, too.

Intentions of the Earl - Rose Gordon">USA | Intentions of the Earl - Rose Gordon">Canada | Intentions of the Earl - Rose Gordon">Australia | Intentions of the Earl - Rose Gordon">New Zealand | Intentions of the Earl - Rose Gordon">UK | Intentions of the Earl - Rose Gordon">Ireland

Patty’s Gamble Will Be Out Around July 15

I didn’t want this to get lost under an “updates” post because it’s important everyone is aware that the date has been pushed back to July 15.  I apologize.  I thought it was going to be out before the end of June, but I misunderstood what the publisher and I had agreed on.  My contract does say July 15.  This is an error on my part.

~~*~~*~~

In the meantime, I am working on the initial edits for The Earl’s Secret Bargain and A Royal Engagement.  I can guarantee that The Earl’s Secret Bargain will be out in July, though I don’t have a publishing date set up yet.

A Royal Engagement will be pushed back to August.  I can see having two books out in the same month but three is overkill.

A Royal Engagement is Done!

I just finished the first draft tonight!  It wasn’t much to it, really.  Remember, I was rewriting the original story so the plot stayed the same.  But with the help of the sprinting method which really helps me focus in on one book at a time, I was able to get about 17,000 words in in less than a week.

I’d say that I ended up adding 30,000 words total to this book, though I probably deleted about 10,000.  (This equates to four more chapters than I had before.) The biggest change was in the hero and heroine who changed in the course of the rewrite.  While the plot stayed the same, extra scenes were added to enhance the development of the romance between the main characters.

I am very happy with the way this book turned out and am very glad I took the time to rewrite it instead of doing a light edit and putting it up.

I already “warned” my editing team this book will be coming right after I send them The Earl’s Secret Bargain.  Now I can safely say this book will be out by August.  I’m aiming for late July, but if it’s early August, then that’s fine.

Updates on What I’m Doing (Organizing Some Thoughts for My Series)

Montana Collection

Patty’s Gamble is Still Scheduled for a Late June Release

Patty’s Gamble is book 3 in the Montana Collection.

So far, everything is going according to plan.  The book is with the last editor, and I am giving it a final read through (something I do with every book).  I usually end up changing a couple words around, but this time I’ll be changing just a small part of the end.  It’s not anything that changes something to Patty’s Gamble, but it will play a key part in Shane’s Deal.

I can’t really say what it is because it spoils part of this book.  Sorry to be incredibly vague, but I did hint at it in Boaz’s Wager when Boaz went to buy sheet music for his friend Herb and wanted to make sure he had money on hand.  The character involved is going to play a key role in Shane’s Deal so I have to let him “go” in Patty’s Gamble.

Shane’s Deal is in the Initial Outlining Stage

Shane’s Deal is book 4 in the Montana Collection.

I haven’t started this book yet.  This is Madeline Thompson’s story.  I made brief mention of her in Boaz’s Wager and again in Patty’s Gamble.  I’m still working on the details of the plot.  I need to figure out who is looking for her and why.  I thought I had it figured out but decided the hero won’t be one of the outlaws who are looking for her.  But I think he might be the one who helps her.  Right now, all I know is that one of the secondary characters in Boaz’s Wager and Patty’s Gamble is involved in her kidnapping.

I had started an initial outline of this book, and I already have to toss it out and start over.

*I plan to write this book this year.  But I do not have a publishing month. 

Marriage by Arrangement Series

The Earl’s Secret Bargain is Currently in the Initial Editing Stage

The Earl’s Secret Bargain is book 1 in the Marriage by Arrangement Series.

In this book, I gave some minor parts of Lord Roderick (aka Nate), Lord Edon (aka Ethan), and Lord Clement (aka Perry).  They were all there when the wager was made at White’s (which Christopher Robinson mentions to Agatha in His Reluctant Lady), so I wanted to get them involved in this book as well.  They aren’t major players in this book, but it was fun to bring them back since they are in the same world.

*I have already given my editing team a heads up that this book will be coming to them in July.  I’m aiming for the first week in July to have it to them.  I’d like to have this out by late July or early August.

There have been some developments in this series as well.  I was originally going to keep it to three books, but a side character popped up in The Earl’s Secret Bargain, and I like him enough to do a fourth book.  I have already introduced the main characters in the two books in the series in The Earl’s Secret Bargain, but I was starting the outline for Love Lessons With the Duke today and realized I will be introducing the heroine who’ll be in book 4.  The hero is introduced in The Earl’s Secret Bargain.  I’ll get to more information below on where I’m headed.

Love Lessons With the Duke is in the Outlining Stage

Love Lessons With the Duke is Book 2 in the Marriage by Arrangement Series.

I’m currently outlining this book.  I realize outlining won’t mean I’ll stick with it, but I do want an idea of where I want to go in order to start the book.  I already have the basic plot. The heroine is Lady Seyton (aka Helena) and she is a widow who is known for her expertise in helping ladies secure a betrothal by the end of the Season.  Up to now, she’s only given her advice to ladies.  But in this book, the Duke of Ashbourne (aka Camden) will be asking for her help in getting a wealthy lady.

It is in this book that I will also have her helping the heroine in book 4 of this series.  I have not given this heroine a name yet.

*I do not have a publishing month for this book yet, but I plan to write it this year. 

The Earl’s Stolen Bride Will be Book 3 in the Marriage by Arrangement Series.  I have not given this an outline yet.

(I have no cover yet,  but I have already hired Stephannie Beman to do it for me.)

You know how I was going to write Madeline Thompson’s story and call it “Stolen”?  Since I decided to make her story book 4 in the Montana Collection, I needed a title for her book that went with a poker theme like I’ve been doing with the other titles in the series.  So I came up with Shane’s Deal.

So I figured I’d go with the original title idea for this book which was The Earl’s Stolen Bride.  The basic rundown of this plot is that Lord Emmett (aka Orlando who is the best friend of the hero in The Earl’s Secret Bargain) finally sees the opportunity to marry the lady he’s been pining for in that book.  The lady in question happened to end up marrying someone else by the end of The Earl’s Secret Bargain.  But…her husband dies, and she’s available again.  When he finds out she’s been promised to someone else again, he takes measures to make sure he marries her instead.  That’s all I got right now.  The details will have to work themselves out later.

*I do not know when I’ll write or publish this book.  I’m just letting you know I plan to write it.

Book 4 in the Marriage by Arrangement Series has no title, cover, or plot yet.

I just realized today I was going to write it.  All I know is that the hero is Lord Toplyn (who is one of the gentlemen who bets on the wager between Lord Davenport and Lord Pennella in The Earl’s Secret Bargain).  He has enough of a role in book 1 that I wanted to write his story, too.  I just thought I’d be writing his book in a different series.  But…since I will introduce the heroine in this book in Love Lessons With the Duke, it makes the most sense to do four books instead of three in this series.

*I do not know when I’ll write or publish this book.  I’m just letting you know I plan to write it.

The Enchanted Galaxy Series

A Royal Engagement is book 1 in The Enchanted Galaxy Series.

I have not forgotten this one.  I did put it on hold while I was working on Patty’s Gamble and The Earl’s Secret Bargain.  I am currently working on this, but I can’t sprint this book because I’m rewriting the original version of this.  I’m also going slower than I usually would because this is a rewrite.  As funny as it sounds, I’m finding that rewriting a book is harder than writing it the first time, probably because I am boxed into the plot that’s already been established and need to make sure my characters still do the same things, even if their personalities have changed.

The other two books in this series (Royal Hearts and The Royal Pursuit) will also be rewritten, and I expect them to take longer than what I usually do for the same reason.

*I will have this book out in either August or September.  

Other Works In Progress 

These book have been on hold due to Patty’s Gamble and The Earl’s Secret Bargain.  I’m taking it for granted that sprinting will mean I’ll be focusing on one book at a time (with the possibly exception of The Enchanted Galaxy Series).  So far the sprinting method has been working great, and I want to keep doing it as long as it’s working for me.  If I ever get tired of it and need to slow down, I’ll go back to working on multiple books at one time.

I don’t see getting to completing this one with the sprinting method until after August.

*My plan is to have this book out before the end of the year.  

The books below are not going to be sprinted because they’re with Stephannie and I can’t sprint with another person, but I do have publishing months available.

*Stephannie and I are planning to have this one out in January.  We’re currently halfway into it.

* Stephannie and I are planning to have this one out in February.  We’re also currently halfway into this one.

Janet Syas Nitsick and I Will Work on a Second Anthology

(There is no cover yet but Stephannie Beman will work on it.)

The title: A Groom’s Promise

I can sprint my story in the anthology.  Depending on when Janet will start her story will help me determine when I start mine since in this one, we’re going to have two brothers.  One brother will be in Janet’s story and the other will be in mine.

In Janet’s story, there will be a man who has agreed to marry a woman waiting for him in Nebraska, but he meets another one and feels torn between keeping his promise and following his heart.

In my story, my hero is going with his brother to Nebraska because his brother is the only friend he has.  Because of his stutter, others tend to make fun of him, so he tries to avoid people whenever he can.  But then he stumbles upon a situation where he either has to marry a woman or she’ll lose her land and everything changes.

*There is no publishing month for this one yet.

The Earl’s Secret Bargain: First Draft Done!

I just finished the first draft of this book!

I always feel like celebrating when I finish a book.  This is my 42nd romance, and the thrill of finishing another book is as fresh as it was when I finished my very first one (Falling In Love With Her Husband back in 2007).

Here are some things I learned in the course of sprinting this book (for anyone who’s interested):

Epilogues are good in romances.

I added an epilogue to this one, which isn’t something I normally do, but after learning that some of you really love them, I decided to add it.  I found this out on Facebook. (I also added one to Patty’s Gamble.)  So all of my books from this point forward will have one.  I didn’t realize how popular they are, but now that I know, I’m going to do them.  One of my goals in writing these books is to provide the best reading experience as possible, and that does mean I listen to what you like.  So yes, authors do care about what people who read (and like) their books think.  The reason I said “and like” is because our goal is to write books for people who like the kind of books we write.  People’s tastes vary so much that we can’t listen to everyone.  We have to pick what advice we’ll take, and our first loyalty is always to those who enjoy our work.

You can sprint if you are a  panster. (In other words, this isn’t only for plotters.)

I am very pleased with the way this book turned out.  I have to be honest, since I sprinted this book, I wasn’t sure how power writing it was going to work.  I already knew where I was going in Patty’s Gamble, so that was easy.  But with this one, I started it at the 25,000-word mark.  That leaves a lot of plot to develop, and though I made five outlines, none of them worked out as I planned.  I’d started writing a scene, and it’d veer off into a totally different direction that changed the scenes I had planned after it.  I kept going back and adjusting my outline, but those changes were quickly altered as well.

So can a panster plot?  I guess it depends on how the characters feel about it.  These characters ended up telling me what to do up until the epilogue.  I honest had no idea how things were going to work out with this book until I typed the last line.  Patty’s Gamble was not like that.  I was able to plot out with that one.

You can write fast and produce a good story.

Can someone write super fast and produce a book worth reading?  I believe so.  I know a lot of writers will disagree with me, but those are usually writers who don’t write fast anyway.  Some of us are just born with the ability to write faster than others.  Why?  I don’t know.  It’s probably why some people pick up foreign languages quicker than others or why math is easy for some but not others.  (I suck at foreign language and math, so it’s good I at least have a fast pace with words in my favor. :) )

I can’t explain how I can write fast, but for people who are naturally bent to writing fast, the sprinting method will be that much more awesome.  Can it work equally well for writers who don’t write as fast?  I don’t know.  I’d need someone who writes slow to tell me.

Is sprinting for everyone?

Of course not.  That’s just like saying that the color blue is for everyone or that we must all like fried chicken.  We’re all different.  But if you can put aside the internal editor and naturally write fast, I believe the odds are more in your favor.

Pictures from the Conference in Arizona

I’m finally getting around to posting these. It was my first time in Arizona, and having lived in Ohio, Florida (along the panhandle), Alabama, North Dakota, Alaska, Minnesota, and Nebraska, it was so different from anywhere I’ve been that I had to keep looking out the window to make sure there wasn’t as much grass outside the window as I’m used to seeing. People’s yards seemed mostly made up of rocks, and the golf course (while green) wasn’t like I’m used to seeing. But it is still a pretty place to visit. I’ve also never seen a cactus except in the zoo, so it was neat to see those around the area, and there were a couple of pretty bushes (but don’t ask me what kind they are because I am not a plant person and couldn’t tell you).

I’m glad I never wrote a book in Arizona because I would have gotten a ton of things wrong about how it looks and how it feels when you’re outside. This is why I try to stick with places I’ve either visited or lived. So if I ever write a book about a Nebraska couple and the temperature is 80 degrees one day and 60 degrees the next, that is actually possible. We’ve been having those crazy temperatures all spring and even now, it’s a seesaw in temperatures as we get into summer. And yes, this kind of thing does lead to a lot of head cold and sinus issues.  But I do love Nebraska.  Unlike Alaska, it doesn’t get so cold in winter where the snow is there all winter long, and I can still go outside and go for walks.  But unlike Florida, I can step outside in the summer and now immediately get drenched in sweat.  It’s more like Ohio, and Ohio is where I grew up, so it’s more comfortable for me.  I get my four seasons, and I like that.

That all aside, here are the pictures of some of the great people I got to meet in person while there:

From left to right: Janet Syas Nitsick, me, Judy DeVries, and Rose Gordon.  (Judy was designated to hold the sign.  She was also dancing and talking to a lot of people, but you don’t get to see that in the picture.  And if anyone is wondering, Rose’s purse really could be used as a phone.)

 

Janet Syas Nitsick and Rose Gordon

Me and Rose Gordon (Sorry it’s not as clear as it could be)

Me and Judy

Me and Lauralynn Elliott

 I had a great time.  The best part of conferences are getting a chance to meet people in person you’ve met online.  I know there’s the debate over whether being online has hindered building meaningful relationships with other people, but I think it depends on the people you connect with.  Being online has led to me finding my husband, and we’ll be married for 14 years next month.  Being online has introduced me to Stephannie Beman who has become a friend and co-author.  Being online has also led me to meeting Rose Gordon, Judy DeVries and Lauralynn Elliott, and it was so much fun to finally meet them. (Though I will add I had officially met Rose last year, so this was the second time we met in person.)

The point is, you never know possibilities are out there until you give it a chance.  People are still people.  Don’t close yourself off to the many possibilities that are out there, but also use common sense.  Even online, you can get an idea if someone is “weird” in some way.  Enough of the soap box.  I need to get back to sprinting The Earl’s Secret Bargain.  I hope to hit the 60,000-word mark tonight.

Poor Patty Is About to Learn that Some People Won’t Like Her (An Interview with Patty Dixon: Heroine in Patty’s Gamble)

Poor Patty is about to learn that heroines who drag a reluctant hero into marriage is usually one of the most unlikable heroines in romance novels.

Patty Dixon: What’s this about me not being likable?

Ruth: It’s true, Patty.  Since you are forcing Greg Wilson into marriage, there’s going to be some people who will be very upset with you.

Patty Dixon: The One Who Inspired the Montana Collection

Patty: I’m not forcing him into it.

Ruth: You’re placing him into a position where he doesn’t have a choice.

Patty: Nonsense.  He could have said no at any time.

Ruth: And have you end up in the hands of someone like John Meyer?

Patty: Well, that is what he would believe, but I was never in any danger of anything from John, unless you consider those sloppy wet kisses he insisted on giving me to “show” Greg how serious he was about marrying me to get my pa’s land.  At all you had to do was write it.  I had to live through it.  *shivers* My poor tongue will never be the same.

Ruth: But see, that’s the point.  You never actually were going to be forced to marry John.  A lot of people will argue that your lie is going to make you unlikable.

Patty: I’m totally likable.  And despite what people think, Greg thought so to when we were younger.  It’s not my fault they don’t know the backstory right away.

Ruth: Putting the character’s backstory at the very beginning of a novel is a horrible storytelling technique.  People aren’t interested in a character’s past until they get attached to the character.

Patty: But if people knew there was a time when Greg did want to be with me, then what I do at the beginning of the book makes sense.

Ruth: I hate to say it, but even then, some people won’t like you.

Patty: I don’t understand why.  It’s not like I go around killing people or sleeping with other women’s husbands.

Ruth: Because Greg didn’t want to get married.  You see, there’s this double standard you need to be aware of.  The hero is given way more grace and forgiveness than the heroine ever is.  If the situation was reversed and Greg concocted some scheme to trick you into marriage, people would still like him.  But that’s because he’s a man.

Patty: That makes no sense to me.  Since when does someone’s gender affect whether or not their actions are held against them?  Shouldn’t it be equal?

Ruth: Ideally, it would be, but the sad fact is, it’s lops over into the real world.  I mean, men can sleep around and they’re called “studs” while women sleep around and they’re called “sluts”.  If a man is assertive and stands up for himself, he’s self-assured.  If a woman does it, she’s a you-know-what.  If a man has gray hair, he’s distinguished.  If a woman has gray hair, she’s old.  The two people can be doing the exact same thing but if the person is a woman, people won’t be as accepting of it.  But, on the flip side, if a woman slaps a man, it’s forgiven because he must have been a jerk to deserve that slap.  If a man slaps a woman, he’s considered an abuser.  If a woman stays at home to take care of the kids, that’s her right.  If a man stays at home to take care of the kids, he’s a lazy slob who refuses to work.  If a man is portrayed as being stupid on TV or in the movies, that’s considered funny.  If a woman is portrayed as being stupid in the same venues, that’s considered insensitive and rude.

Patty: None of that is fair.

Ruth: I didn’t say it was.  It just is what it is, so when the 1-star reviews roll in because you tricked Greg to marry you, insisted on staying in his house when he wanted you to go back to your father’s ranch, and lassoed him in front of others so he had to stay in the house with you…  Well, I’m afraid they’ll think you’re a you-know-what.

Patty: But I’m not a you-know-what.  Is it my fault that the love of my life didn’t magically land into my lap like they did for Heather in Mitch’s Win or Eva in Boaz’s Wager?  I tried the whole “doing it nice” thing in Mitch’s Win when I was at a supper with Greg.  But it didn’t work.  Nothing I’ve tried before that worked either.  I made things he liked, wore dresses, and smiled in the most charming way whenever he was around.  But did any of that work?  No.  For some reason when we were sixteen, he changed his mind and decided he didn’t want to get married anymore.  But he did want to be with me, and he still does at the beginning of my book.  I’m as sure of that as I am of my own name.  It’s not my fault that you gave me a hero who is so stubborn that none of the traditional methods worked.  If I didn’t trick him into it, I would have had to tie him up, gagged him, and had the preacher marry us that way.

Ruth: Patty, that last statement will only enforce the reason why a lot of people won’t like you.

Patty: But didn’t tie him up and gag him so I could marry him.  That ought to be noted.  I did still give him a choice.  He could have let me “marry” John Meyer.  He didn’t.  And you know why?  Because deep down, he wanted to marry me.  I didn’t do this to punish him.  I did it because it was the best thing for him.  I can’t help it if he let something in his past blind him to the truth.

Ruth: Well, Patty, for what it’s worth, I love you.  You got a lot of spunk.  You stand up for what you want.  You don’t sit by and let life happen to you.  You go out and make your own destiny.  You’re a happy person, overall.  And to be honest, there’s a lot of me in you.

Patty: Then am I to assume a lot of people don’t like you?

Ruth: Actually, this rule pretty much applies to romance novels, not real life, although I’m sure my own husband is up to receiving sympathy cards if anyone’s inclined to send them.

Patty: Well, I got Greg in the end.  By the end of the book, he is happy to be with me.

Ruth: And on some days, my husband is happy to be with me, too.

Patty: On some days?

Ruth: In romance novels, there’s a happily ever after.  In real life, the details of every day living filter in and couples have their moments where they think, “What did I ever see in this person?” But overall, yeah, my husband and I are happy.  And good news, Patty.  Your book will be out right before July 1.

Patty: Am I supposed to say “yay” when I know people won’t like me?

Ruth: Just go out horseback riding and spend time with Greg.  Do things that make you happy.

Patty: I can do that.

Ruth: Good because in the end, the only person you can do anything about is yourself. :D