Victoria Janssen's Blog, page 89

RWA Nationals Tomorrow!

I'm leaving for RWA Nationals in Orlando tomorrow.I'm bringing:1. Business cards;2. Bookmarks and postcards for The Duke and The Pirate Queen;3. A list of cell phone numbers, and dates and times of parties and rendezvous;4. A book to read (yes, really!); and 5. Fuchsia lipstick.Also some clothing and toiletries, if you were worried.Here are some a couple of events where you might be able to

Five Blogging Inspirations

Never run out of things to blog about! Order inspiration by phone for only $19.95!1. Blog about My Five Favorite.... This could be your five favorite romance novel plots, or your five favorite movies of all time, or your five favorite reviews of your work, or anything really. I'm doing that right now. *cue Twilight Zone theme* ...I suppose you could also do "My Six Favorite..." or "My

Love & Mysteries

"Love interest nearly always weakens a mystery because it introduces a type of suspense that is antagonistic to the detective's struggle to solve the problem. It stacks the cards, and in nine cases out of ten, it eliminates at least two useful suspects. The only effective love interest is that which creates a personal hazard for the detective - but which, at the same time, you instinctively feel

Charles Sorley, "When you see millions of the mouthless dead"

When you see millions of the mouthless dead Across your dreams in pale battalions go, Say not soft things as other men have said, That you'll remember. For you need not so. Give them not praise. For, deaf, how should they know It is not curses heaped on each gashed head? Nor tears. Their blind eyes see not your tears flow. Nor honour. It is easy to be dead. Say only this, 'They are dead.' Then

Bearded Heroes

I'm a guest today at the Novelists, Inc. blog on "Five Ways of Thinking About a Writer's Conference."As for my own personal blog, I've been wondering something. Where are all the romance heroes with beards? Or even moustaches?I'm thinking about this because Maxime, hero of The Duke & the Pirate Queen, has a beard. The man on the book's cover does not have a beard; I've rarely seen moustaches,

When to Submit.

How do you know if you're ready to submit a story or novel to an editor?When's the deadline? Have you proofread? Have you put "the end" at the end? Then it's time. Go for it.Okay, so I'm being a little facetious. But not entirely. More than once I have used a deadline (perhaps adjusted to account for mailing time) to inspire me to finish a story. Or I've used a deadline as a goal. After

Eroticism in To Have and To Hold by Patricia Gaffney

I recently read Patricia Gaffney's To Have and To Hold for the first time. If I'd only read the first section of the book (a bit less than half), I could easily interpret it as an erotic novel, though one without much explicit sex. To explain why I think that, first I have to talk about the book as a whole.There's a lot of discussion of this novel mostly because of its hero, aristocrat

Women in WWI Picspam

Women served in many capacities during World War One.Nurses.VADs.Drivers.Radio Corps.Fundraisers.Factory Workers.

Readercon Linkgasm

For those who are interested, I've been collecting some links to reports on Readercon, which took place July 8-11, 2010. These are in no particular order, but grouped by topic. There are lots more than this. I recommend checking out Icerocket's Blog Search if you want more and have a few days to read.General Reports and CommentsFirst, My summary report.Rose Fox's report. Gwynne Garfinkle on

Readercon Linkgasm, Novelists, Inc. Guest Post

For those who are interested, I've been collecting some links to reports on Readercon, which took place July 8-11, 2010. These are in no particular order, but grouped by topic. There are lots more than this. I recommend checking out Icerocket's Blog Search if you want more and have a few days to read.General Reports and CommentsFirst, My summary report.Rose Fox's report. Gwynne Garfinkle on