C. Margery Kempe's Blog: Lady Smut, page 213

What I Have Learned About Writing

When I first moved back to Connecticut after living in California for seven years, I took a job that required a 4-hour per day train commute. I have always been an avid reader and after spending about a year and a half reading at least one book per week, I decided to write a book. I had no idea how to begin or if I even possessed the talent, but I was determined to try. One night I had a vivid dream about a dream catcher and it inspired me to write my first novel. At that time I did not have a laptop so I would sit on the train with a small notebook and pencil and write. I happened to discover a writing group called Connecticut Romance Writers of America (CTRWA), who was having an event called Fiction Fest, and I decided to attend.

Of course, being new, I was quite overwhelmed, but found everyone there to be quite friendly and helpful, so I joined the group. This group has quite a set-up. Their goal is to help new authors get published. They have critique groups and a mentor program which will point you in the right direction. I was assigned a mentor and started to fine tune my novel.

That's when the writing gremlins started to attack. You know, those little voices in your head that say, "What makes you think you can write?" or "What do you think you're doing … you're not a writer and you'll never get this published!" So, I started to question myself. What happened next? Well, my mentors and friends encouraged me. They told me I had talent and to never stop believing in myself or my story. I try to surround myself with positive energy, generated by positive people.

I continue to write, and although not yet published, I have come a long way. I still have my moments where the gremlin voices try to sneak into my thoughts, but I quickly silence them by reminding myself that my mentors and friends believe in me. I remind myself that I do have writing talent and I believe in my manuscripts. I continue to learn about my craft and at every possible opportunity seek to promote my work to agents and editors.

Even though I am a relatively new writer and I have taken away a lot from my experience, the most important things I have learned are when the gremlin voices start yelping at me as I write, I quickly shut them off; I keep working because writing inspires inspiration; I give myself permission to write badly … I can always fix it later, and above all, to believe in myself and to never give up;. I hope these words find their way to those who need to hear them. Cast out the gremlins, believe …. and most of all, keep writing.

Gerri Brousseau

Filed under: Gerri Brousseau, romance, Writer's Life, Writers Conferences, Writing Topics

Mason's Reflection on time…

One of the things I'm not getting more of is time. Between the day job, being an evil mastermind, writing, being a mother, helping others and so on… And this annoying requirement of my human body to sleep there aren't any minutes left in a day.

I've got a new evil lair. It was supposed to be great. Some of it is, like how I've got more space. An office just for me. No one told me I'd need time to get furniture for it. Duh?

I've got a fireplace. I can make s'mores, but that sucks up time. Building a fire roasting marshmallows who's got time for that.

Now I have to drive to work more than five minutes it's earlier an entire fifteen minutes. That's ten more minutes I'm not spending writing.

Then there is the new blog, the promoting. Trying to get word out that Surrendering to the Right Man is the read for a cure for the month of May at Decadent. After all, I'm trying to raise money for a cure. Who hasn't been effected by cancer ins some way? My mom and grandmother to name some from my own life. I hope you'll check it out.

I turn around and that annoying human body is asking for sleep again. It's like why won't it get over it. Some nerve I tell you… Then I've got edits, emails…

I think you get I'm in need of more time. If anyone has figured out how to get more time please contact me at ac@acmason.com. No joke!

Another week has slipped away on us. Get back to writing.

Mason

a.c. Mason

Darkness ♀♂ Desires

www.acmason.com

Filed under: a.c. Mason, Mason Friday, SOUL FOOD DINER, SURRENDERING TO THE RIGHT MAN

Wild Winds of Change

I don't know about you, but I've been glued to news about the tornadoes mowing down parts of the country, death and destruction in its path.  It breaks my heart to see the pictures and hear the stories of loss.  I watched a relief worker this morning talk about the efforts underway in Joplin, Missouri.  She worked for an organization called AmeriCares.  http://www.americares.org/     I've posted the link in case you want to help. 

Now for a musical downbeat and upbeat.  Mason is leaving, her last day being June 3rd.  She  is creating a blog for multiracial and interracial books.  Mason will undoubtedly visit from time to time.  She will definitely be outrageous fun at Authors After Dark 2011 in Philiadelphia in August. 

Gerri Brousseau guest blogged last week and will again on Saturday.  Then on the second Saturday in June, Gerri will be joining Nights of Passion as a regular contributor.  I'm excited.  She's going to be doing interviews with some exciting guests.

What am I doing besides planning interviews, working on a novel, preparing for Authors After Dark, and taking care of a family and a day job?  I'm holding a contest right now on my website  http://www.susanhannifordcrowley.com   To enter, visit the website and follow the directions. The contest ends on May 29th at 11:59 pm EST.

So the wild winds of change are upon us.  Hold on for the ride of a lifetime.  And as it's said in "Dream On" by Steven Tyler, "Dream until your dreams comes true."

–Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley

Filed under: a.c. Mason, Authors After Dark, Gerri Brousseau, romance, romance novels, Susan Hanniford Crowley, Writer's Life, Writers Conferences

Terminator or Indiana Jones

Last week I focused on villains which was a lot of fun, but for these next couple weeks, I'm going back to life as a reader and I'd like to talk about heroes and heroines. Today, I'll focus on the heroes, hence mytitle.

As a reader, I always thought I had a type. I tended to gravitate toward the alpha males with soft hearts for the right woman.  I've combed through countless books by Christine Feehan, Sherrilynn Kenyon, Gena Showalter, Judith McNaught, Nora

Roberts and the list goes on and on. And hero after hero, I've fallen in love with them over and over again.

Buy why? How do they pull us into these worlds painted with words and what about heroes endears us to them. Like real life, every reader is different and every reader has their preferences, but I believe there are some characteristics that universally we can't resist.

We'll start with the most obvious…

1)     Brawn: Whether your hero is a muscle-flexing gym buff or a nicely toned music composer, we readers usually like some kind of eye candy. We may range on the degree of our sweet tooth but most times there has to be the thought that he could physically dominate our heroine if he wanted to.

2)     Brains: I don't care what the hero's profession in the novel is, but a clever and/or quick mind is a must. Kind of common sense

huh? I mean how many times have you wished for a dumb hero?

3)     Sensitivity: It's an unusual trait and many times it is not displayed so obviously, but at some point in a romance novel, your

hero (even those alpha males) needs to crack and show how he feels for the heroine.

4)     Passion: Whether it is for a cause, for his friends or simply for the heroine, a hero must have passion and drive. There is a strength found in that passion which endears the readers to the hero.

5)     Courage: Let's face it, in real-life and in the novels, the heroes vary widely. But no matter what, we readers expect them to

have some degree of courage, either external or internal or both.

There may be other qualities that I've missed or that you believe are important. Please feel free to share; otherwise, enjoy your heroes!

Filed under: Characters, romance, Toni Kelly, Writing Topics

Authors and Adoption

My husband and I have made a very personal decision to begin the process to adopt children. We would like a boy and a girl, hopefully a sibling set, and hopefully at least 2 years old. That is the basics of what we want.

Now, this private decision comes with some very real and public thought. WHat does this mean for Cara North and Cali Kent? Does it mean anything?

I don't know.

Our worry is the same as any worry, that once someone determines that I write erotic romance they will not want to place children in our home. I know that sounds crazy, but I have had friends who are authors who have said parents have "visited" to ensure their house was not riddled with adult toys and such.

I know any parent, and when I become a parent,  will be concerned about (and want to meet) all of my children's friends and their parents, etc. I just hope that people are aware that Steven King has raised children and he hasn't murdered any of them though he writes horror. Other authors of all genres also have successfully been parents.

But I don't know how many of them have adopted children or what impact, if any their writing and the content of their writing had on that process.

If you know anyone who is a published author in any genre ans has adopted children, please give them my e-mail I would love to pick his or her brain about the experience.

If I have to choose right now between putting Cara North and Cali Kent away until after we have a family, I will. I just hope I don't have to make that choice.

Cara

Filed under: romance

Mason's weekly Paranormal-Scope

As you know, I'm not qualified in any way to read neither stars nor planets. But, I'm linked into the paranormal in the world.

The week ahead for:

Aries

It's fine to be top on dead in the land but don't treat loved ones like subjects.

Taurus

It's time for a ride on a magic carpet.

Gemini

Brush those fangs and dust off your velvet suit, your appearance matters.

Cancer

It's hard to know if you should dust the vamp or behead the zombie first. It's imperative be malleable in your choice.

Leo

So you are Bram Stoker's Dracula, do you need to brag about it?

Virgo

It doesn't matter what the other demon has up his sleeve make sure you've out thought his moves.

Libra

Don't let prey provoke a move from you too soon!

Scorpio

Sometimes it's better to be like Frankenstein's monster and be a fend of few words.

Sagittarius

The world is one big magical oyster.

Capricorn

Birds are dancing and singing around you. How can you stand all the racket?

Aquarius

As usual obligations to the monster in your basement interferes with doing what you want.

Pisces

It's time you show'em what's really in the mirror. If it breaks it ain't your bad luck.

Mason

a.c.Mason

Darkness ♀♂ Desires

www.acmason.com

Filed under: a.c. Mason, Mason's Paranormal-Scope

What makes sexy writing?

Over at the Spectator Arts blog, I have a post on some of the classics of erotic writing. Near the end, I offer the advice,

The 21st Century and the e-book revolution have led to a real explosion of erotic fiction. With the discretion online purchasing and tablet readers offer, women especially have felt free to indulge in erotic fiction without puritanical censure. The market for erotic romance has burgeoned – so much so that even Harlequin and Mills & Boon now offer romances with explicit sexual content. Many publishers including Kensington, Noble Romance, Freya's Bower, Xcite Books, Circlet in erotic and erotic romance.

Naturally I'm happy to share the news about the publishers who are helping to bring about the ebook revolution (especially when they publish me!) but I think it's also helpful to work to normalise women's writing at every opportunity because it tends to be so much relegated to the sidelines. While I won't go on about the broader context of that here (because I've done it elsewhere), I do think it important to keep fighting the stigma against romance writing as either frivolous or prurient.

That's one of the annoying things: we're either sneered at for being too "lady-like" or gasped at for being too explicit. There's no middle ground. Never mind that we romance writers are leading the ebook revolution. Never mind that reviewers shrink from evaluating our books because of our icky girl germs or else their horror at our unbridled passions (it amounts to the same thing).

They say living well is the best revenge. That's just what we'll do. What makes for a sexy person? Many put confidence at the head of the list. Let's be confident about our writing and our genre(s). Let's own our success — because that will be the most sexy writing of all.

Filed under: C. Margery Kempe, contemporary romance, erotic romance, inspiration, Kit Marlowe, Noble Romance, Promotion, romance, What inspires you?, Writer's Life, Writing Topics

Author Gerri Brousseau Talks About CTRWA's Fiction Fest

Thank you, Susan, for inviting me to guest blog on your wonderful site. I'm so excited to be given the opportunity to share my thoughts with your readers. After attending CTRWA's Fiction Fest event last Saturday, May 14, 2011, I felt compelled to write about it. If any of your readers were lucky enough to have attended, they will agree with me when I say it was FANTASTIC!

Beginning at 8:00 a.m. and running until 6:00 p.m., it was a day jam packed with great workshops from "Pimp This Book" to "No More Rejections: Manuscript Tune-up." Not to mention 13 agents/editors to pitch to and the fabulous keynote speaker, New York Times best-selling author, Eloise James.

Ms. James opened the event with a witty and informational talk that

had everyone laughing and wanting more and more was what she gave us in the closing session where she spoke about today's trends in publishing. But as the day progressed, I couldn't help but think back to last year's Fiction Fest, which was the very first writer's event I ever attended. I walked in as green as could be, and as wide-eyed as a country bumpkin visiting the big city. I knew no one and had no idea what workshops to attend, simply filtering into any one I happened to come across.

After one year of writing, and being a member of CTRWA where I have learned from the published authors and mentors in that wonderful group, this year, I knew exactly what I wanted to get out of this event. Looking over the schedule carefully, I chose the workshops that would most benefit me at this point in my writing career, but there was something there for everyone, no matter their writing level. My only wish is that I could have attended each and every one of them.

It was a fabulous event, full of creative, energetic, like-minded people. Writers came from North Carolina, Ohio, and as far away as Nebraska. The excitement in the air was electric! As I stood there absorbing it all I thought, where else could you have the opportunity to rub elbows with New York Times best-selling authors, attend informative workshops where these authors imparted nuggets of wisdom AND get the chance to pitch your work to literary agents and editors? As a writer, I could not imagine anything better, except, of course, getting a book deal.

Being an author who is not yet published, it was most exciting for me to get the chance to pitch my work to agents and even more exciting to have them request my manuscripts. Hopefully I will have something positive to report to you soon.

Looking around the room at all those who attended this well put together event, I was proud to be part of CTRWA. They really put on a great event. All in all, I have to say if you missed this year's Fiction Fest, make sure you do not miss it next year! Start visiting the http://www.ctrwa.org to find out more about it, and keep your eye on the site in January 2012 to sign up early before it sells out.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Gerri Brousseau

Filed under: Gerri Brousseau, romance, Romance News, romance novels, RWA, Writer's Life, Writers Conferences, Writing Topics

Mason's Friday reflections

Change is never easy. Often we don't control what is happening around us and we fear what it will mean. I spent the largest part of my life in a state of change. In the last six years of my life I've grown to love comfort, stability, and routine. Not words most would put with me.

I liked my routine of doing my paranormal-scope and coming over on Friday's to chat with you. I joined Night of Passion early on and it will always be a very special place to me. Susan and I will continue to critique each other.

June 3rd will be my last post a regular contributing member. I didn't want to wait to tell you might last day as that would have given you no time to adjust to the news.

Where am I going?

I'm talking on a new venture. Myself and two other authors Ambrielle Kirk and Mahaila Lavey will be launching a blog. The blog and site is for Interracial and Multicultural books. The blog/site is going to be a hub for readers, authors (aspiring authors) and publishers. One of the most important things to me is giving back. I've had such a wonderful year I thought I could help create a place for others.

I got sick of wondering why a place for Interracial and Multicultural books didn't exist and decided to create one. My parents taught me to do something when I wanted change.

www.irmcbooks.com

I hope you'll join me from time to time.

Mason

a.c. Mason

Darkness ♀♂ Desires

www.acmason.com

Filed under: a.c. Mason, Mason Friday

Is Chocolate Necessary?

Sometimes chocolate is necessary.  What kind of chocolate do you enjoy?  I love Hersey Kisses, Milky Way Bars, and Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate.  Oooh.  Now mix that with a dark rainy night with the mist rolling in over the lake.  A real Red Riding Hood night.  If you haven't seen the newest 'Red Riding Hood' movies, you should.  Be prewarned that it's violent.   Throw in a couple of past episodes of  'True Blood', perferably ones with Eric in them.  Yum!

Mix well and enjoy the downpour of writing inspiration.  Chocolate, rainy gloom, and vampires.  What more could an author want?

So was the chocolate good for you too?

 

–Susan

Susan Hanniford Crowley

P.S.  Be sure to drop by on Saturday for a special surprise.

Filed under: romance novels, Susan Hanniford Crowley, True Blood, vampire books, vampire television, vampires, What are you watching?, What inspires you?, Writer's Life