Robyn DeHart's Blog, page 6

New look & new feature and the shrunken manuscript

By now I hope y’all have had a time to poke around the new digs. Isn’t it so pretty and fun? There are share buttons on every page if you are so inclined to share any material with your buddies. I’m so excited about my upcoming books that I just wanted a fresh, new look to celebrate.

I’ll also be making more use of this blog. As most you know I blog regularly at the Sisterhood of the Jaunty Quills as well as Peanut Butter on the Keyboard, but this, being my personal blog, will be a place I can feature some behind the scenes info, hot off the press info and a brand new feature I’m very excited about. So many of you have contacted me about my articles on the craft of writing, I’m touched that you have found them so helpful. From now on I’ll be doing a (hopefully) weekly feature on Wednesdays called Writerly Wednesday where I’ll be posting a blog on something writer related.

This week, to launch our first Writerly Wednesday, I’m actually going to recycle an old blog, but there is a good reason for it. I blogged on this revision tool back in 2009 when I was writing Desire Me. This weekend I received revision notes from my editor and it became clear to me that this particular tool would be a perfect way to identify spots to weave in the much-needed expanded subplot. So without further ado, here is my post on on the shrunken manuscript.

(originally posted on the Jaunty Quills, Sept 16, 2009)

About a year ago I stumbled upon a blog that mentioned a revision technique I found very intriguing. It was something I wanted to try then, but wasn’t conducive to the book I was working on so I shelved the idea. But recently when it came time to do revisions for my next book I read up on the process again. It’s my understanding that the concept was developed by a children’s book author and is presented mostly to workshops for other children’s authors. And while the books I write are a tad longer than a picture book I figured the process was worth a try.

Here’s what I did:

Basically you take your manuscript and you shrink it down so that it can be laid out on the floor and all examined at once. I managed to get my 300+ pg manuscript down to 44 shrunken pages. All the text is sort of smushed together so that you can read it enough to see what scene that is, but clearly you wouldn’t want to sit down and read the whole book this way – you’d go blind!

So I sat at the table with my 44pgs of tiny text and got out my highlighters and post-it flags. First I came up with a list of things I wanted to track – like point of view scenes (whose head I’m in in any given scene), action-driven scenes, major plot points, romantic plot points and then I wanted to track where I could add a new subplot I wanted to include. I assigned each of these items either a colored flag or a highlighter and then I went through and marked the entire 44 pgs. It didn’t take more than an hour, I don’t think.

Next I placed all the pages on the floor, 4 rows of paper and I sat back and examined what I saw. Right away I could see areas where I needed to add a more action-driven scene, places where my villain had simply disappeared and long stretches between my romantic plot points. I got out my post-it notes and began tagging the areas with instructions on what to add.

I found places to add that secondary plot line. And as an added bonus, seeing the manuscript shrunk up like that really highlighted the areas where I had too much white space. I’m a dialogue-heavy writer anyways, but seeing all the white space clearly revealed scenes that could benefit from another layer of detail and texture.

Frankly the whole process was pretty darn amazing. And I think if time allows I’ll use this technique on future books as well.

So how about you? Do you have any special tools in your writer’s toolkit that you use on occasion? Do you like to color-coordinate things?

More new books!

I have been waiting so long to tell you about this new series I’ve been working on, and now I finally can. I’ve accepted a 2-book deal with NAL to publish the series I’ve called Dangerous Liaisons (not sure if that will be used in any official capacity). Here’s a brief blurb (again not official) to whet your appetites. As soon as I have more details as far as release dates, etc. I’ll let everyone know.

THE SECRETS OF MIA DANVERS

In the fall of 1888 a murderer terrorized the Whitechapel area in London, horribly mutilating prostitutes and leaving their blood-drenched bodies out to be found, taunting the police and paralyzing the poverty-stricken people with fear. In taunting letters to the police and the newspapers, he called himself Jack the Ripper. Then as quickly as he appeared, he vanished from the news, his reign of terror apparently at an end. A few months later another girl’s body was found, but this time in prestigious Mayfair, and this time there was a witness.

Mia Danvers is a blind girl fallen from Society and living at the property edge of the arrogant and proper Alexander Foster, the Duke of Carrington. Though they live on the same land, their paths never cross, until they must work together to stop London’s must infamous villain. Though blind, Mia is determined to help track down the culprit in the murder she witnessed, even though the only person willing to accept her help is the arrogant Duke of Carrington. However, as they work together, a passion will spark between them that cannot be ignored.

So woot-woot! I’m so excited to share these books with you.

Award-winning series

This week I got word that Treasure Me was a finalist in another contest. It’s so lovely to be recognized that way. Every book in the Legend Hunters series was honored in a contest.

Here is a complete list of all the honors, awards and nominations for the books. A big hearty thank you for all the reviews, readers, booksellers and librarians for their generosity and kindness.

SEDUCE ME

RT Top Pick
RT Reviewer’s Choice Award WINNER, Best Historical Romantic Adventure
RomCon Reader’s Crown WINNER, Best Short Historical

DESIRE ME

RomCon Reader’s Crown Nominee, Best Long Historical
The Romance Reviews Nominee, Best Book of 2010

TREASURE ME

RT Top Pick
RT Reviewer’s Choice Award Nominee, Best Historical Romantic Adventure
RomCon Reader’s Crown Nominee, Best Historical
Bookseller’s Best Nominee, Best Short Historical

Yeah for my Legend Hunters!

New series announcement!

I’m so super excited to finally be able to tell y’all about some new books from me. First of all I know in previous interviews and whatnot I’ve mentioned an historical romantic suspense series I’ve been working on and this isn’t that, but I do hope to have news of that in the not too distant future. No, this is something a little different. I’ve accepted a three-book contract with Entangled Publishing for their upcoming short historical line, Scandalous.

I’m thrilled about this new series for a variety of reasons. First, I’m really looking forward to being apart of the Entangled family, I’ve heard such lovely things about everyone there. Secondly, I really love this series – I can’t say too much about the books themselves just yet, but suffice it to say they match up intelligent heroines with sexy heroes and the chemistry is smoking up my computer! They’re also a little bit shorter than my bigger historicals which means I can write them faster which will ultimately get them into your hands much sooner.

The first book, A LITTLE BIT WICKED, is such fun and I know y’all will love Vivian and Marcus as much as I do. I’ll share excerpts and more details as soon as I can.

ATTN: Aspiring writers….I’m teaching a class

I’ve got a class coming up this next week and it’s probably my most popular class as far as requests for me to teach it. It’s called Making GMC Work for You though it really is an intense study on characters and how they should be driving the action of your books. Here’s the class blurb, the info and even an excerpt from one of the lectures. I hope to see many of you there. Remember in all of my classes I give lots of hands-on feedback specific to your manuscript.

Making GMC Work For You:

You’re familiar with all the basics, but how do you really apply all those acronyms? This workshop will go deep with hands-on assistance to show you how to build your story out of your character’s emotional journeys. We’ll pay special attention to the character growth and how it relates to theme and the developing romance. We’ll break down those the three elements, the goal, the motivation and the conflict, to create 3-dimensional characters with believable character arcs and page-turning plots.

WHEN: Jun 18, 2012 – Jul 1, 2012

COST: $15 for Premium Members/$20 for Basic Members

WHERE: SavvyAuthors

Lecture excerpt…

Now onto goals. Every character needs them. And in romance they generally need both internal and external goals. But asking the question, “what does your character want?” can be like asking a six year old what they want to be when they grow up – a fireman, a veterinarian, a dancer, a teacher, etc. The options are limitless especially when you’re thinking of the large scope of your entire story. There will always be exceptions to the “rules” but let’s, for argument’s sake, say that both your hero and heroine need one main external goal each. Keep in mind that external goals need to be three things: concrete, specific and they must require action in order to be obtained. Subsequently internal goals tend to be more subconscious and less concrete since they are emotional in nature. However, they too require action to obtain them, but action of a different sort. But we’ll get to more detailed explanation of the internal elements later.

One thing I’ve seen over and over again in teaching classes or judging contests is having a character’s goal be to maintain the status quo – I won’t say that this is wrong because there will always be a successful book out there to prove me wrong, but this sort of random goal isn’t concrete and doesn’t require any action. In addition, won’t it be a futile goal when our heroine learns in chapter one that the status quo is gone? This is a popular goal for heroines in historicals where she is expected to marry yet she wants to remain the rebellious girl she’s always been. Riding her horses with her hair whipping in the wind and tending her garden or writing her novels or whatever it is she wants to maintain. But wanting the status quo or to remain independent doesn’t really work, neither are tactile and for our external goal we should strive for something more concrete.

A letter to readers about that missing book

A few years ago, my Ladies Amateur Sleuth Society series came to an abrupt end leaving one lady without her happy ending. And you readers haven’t forgotten, nor let me forget. I still get reader mail, weekly, well, in all honesty I receive multiple queries about this every week. I love that y’all loved my lady sleuths as much as I did. Right now I’m working on ways to get that 4th book to you. It will, most likely, be in digital form only, but I hope to have it to you very soon. In the meantime, please enjoy an excerpt…

A Marriage Most Convenient tells the story of Charlotte Reed who will finally unmask the Jack of Hearts. Hope you enjoy it!

There are four ladies in London who have a most unladylike hobby: solving mysteries. No conundrum is too great for these young women. Until they stumble across the Jack of Hearts, a scandalous rogue who steals jewels from the rich and may well steal the heart of one of their own.

A MARRIAGE MOST CONVENIENT

London, 1893

It was beginning to bore him. It being stealing. Pilfering, burglary, thievery, as it were. Initially, he’d had a task at hand. Stealing something quite specific. But the thrill of the charade had been enthralling, a challenge, and a rather daring one at that.

But now he had become a novelty. The Jack of Hearts.

If the Jack of Hearts made an appearance at your ball or soiree, then it was instantly considered a smashing success. He’d been intent on hanging up his mask, even though he’d failed to acquire all of the family heirlooms his mother had sold. The Viscountess who’d purchased one of the pieces—a brooch—rarely appeared in public. When he’d heard she would be at tonight’s soirée, he’d known the Jack of Hearts would make one final appearance. The brooch was just too tempting. And now here he was — his bag full of useless bobbles, half of them not even authentic stones — crouched in the shadows outside of Mayfair Hall. Jack sighed and turned to go.

“I said, no thank you, Winthrop,” a familiar female voice said firmly. “I do not take kindly to unwanted advances.”

Jack stopped and listened intently to the exchange on the balcony above him. He peered between the bushes and watched Winthrop Cowell grip Charlotte Reed’s arm.

“Don’t be so demure, Miss Reed, I merely wanted a kiss,” the man’s words were badly slurred. Clearly he was well into his cups. “Now, hold still.”

Jack stepped forward, primed to make a move, to stop the man from taking advantage of Charlotte, but before he could step out of the shadows, she shoved against Winthrop’s bulky chest knocking the man off balance. He stumbled backwards and knocked over a potted topiary, the ceramic base shattered against the stone balcony.

“Go back inside before I find your intended and tell her of your outrageous behavior,” Charlotte said, her voice sharp with authority. “I have absolutely no desire to kiss you tonight or any other night.”

Winthrop turned and skulked back into the ballroom, leaving her alone in the darkness.

Jack took a moment to watch her. He, the real him, had known Charlotte Reed for years. He’d watched her grow into the stunning beauty she was today. The legendary Charlotte Reed who’d turned down more proposals than any woman ought to receive let alone reject. He’d be a liar if he said he hadn’t wanted her too once upon a time until he’d seen Charlotte’s true character, seen her vanity. And he knew that Charlotte Reed was not interested in him, at least not the real him. Jack waited a moment longer to ensure Winthrop didn’t return before turning to leave.

“Who’s there?” Charlotte called out. She took the steps from the balcony to the yard and peered into the darkness. Her dark brown hair was piled atop her head coupled with the low cut neckline of her gown and it made her neck seem impossibly, seductively long. The graceful curve called to him, immobilizing him. He loathed his own weakness and that he couldn’t make himself walk away.

“How did you know I was here?” Jack asked, but he kept himself hidden in the shrubbery.

“I heard you rustling in the bushes. What are you doing out there?” Her eyes squinted, still trying to make out who stood in the shadows. Then she smiled broadly. “Are you alone out there or am I interrupting you tryst?” Curiosity shimmered in her eyes. She took the stairs down from the balcony and looked out into the yard, directly at the clump of shrubs that shrouded him.

He cleared his throat. “I am alone and I was planning to come to your rescue, to save you from your unwanted suitor, but you managed matters on your own quite nicely,” he said, intentionally deepening his voice. It was on his tongue to remind her she should not have put herself in such a position, that she should be more careful with her safety. But tonight he was Jack and Jack cared for no one’s safety, not even his own.

Charlotte took several steps towards him, twigs cracked beneath her slippers as she approached him. He stepped around a bush, revealing himself as he knew he’d never leave without her seeing him.

Surprise etched her features as a smile slid into place. He had heard rumor that she, in particular, fancied the Jack of Hearts. Many women in London did. Many of the fashionable young ladies did, those with nothing in their heads but gossip and scandal. “Have a lovely evening, Miss Reed,” Jack said as he turned to go.

“Wait,” she said. “Don’t go yet.” She shook her head. “How do you know my name?”

The tempo of his heart picked up. He was risking much by standing here, holding a bag full of stolen jewels and wearing a mask. Attracting the attention of a girl like Charlotte was one thing, but if anyone else stumbled out onto the terrace and discovered them, he’d be in serious trouble. Jack would be quickly apprehended and unmasked. The scandal that ensued would ruin his life and likely Charlotte’s as well. He should leave, yet he made no move to walk away.

“I won’t call for help,” she said. “I merely want to converse. For a moment.”

He turned back to face her. Her rich blue dress molded tightly to her full breasts, leaving little to his imagination. The color of the fabric was dark enough to enhance the alabaster of her skin. Even though he doubted the dress was new, the Reeds did not have deep pockets, she had taken great care with her appearance. She was a vision. Quite easily the loveliest woman in all of London.

Her brilliant smile gave his breath pause and made his hands twitch. He concentrated on his tone as he spoke, “A lady, such as yourself, shouldn’t be out here alone.”

“Well, you won’t harm me,” she reached out as if to touch him, then thought better of it and brought her hand back to her side. So she did have some sense. “Will you, Jack?”

The sound of the name, his name on her lips sent a mixture of pride and anger coursing through him. He reached up to ensure his mask was firmly in place. She was flirting with him. He could see it in her face, and the way her mouth was set, the subtle batting of her lashes. So the rumors were true, Charlotte fancied him.

Well, not him, per se, but the him she believed him to be. He winced. For a moment he considered reaching up and ripped the mask from his face, but he kept his hands still. He had managed to keep his identity a secret for this long, it wouldn’t kill him to do it one more night. Revealing himself to Charlotte wouldn’t change anything. It certainly wouldn’t make her want him, the real him.

“You could escort me to the gardens,” she suggested. “Like any gentleman could with a lady.”

Well, if he had to play the part, he would do it right. “What makes you think I am a gentleman?” he took a step towards her.

Her head tilted down a little as if she were trying to see him more closely. “You don’t have a reputation for ravishing, only theft.”

“Are the two so different, then?” It was easy now. This role of Jack. He was in his skin, feeling every bit the rogue. And he knew he was playing a dangerous game, but no matter the warnings in his head, he couldn’t make himself turn from her.

“Touché.” Her voice was sultry and if he didn’t know any better, he’d assume she was far more worldly then he knew her to be.

“Tell me, Miss Reed, are you always so brazen with men?” Perhaps if he called her on her behavior, she’d cease her recklessness. What if she’d fancied some other rogue, a true cad would take advantage of her?

She shook her head, her blue eyes never leaving his face. He would have sworn she could see right through that mask. But if that were true, she would no longer be standing in front of him. If she could see him, the real him, she would have walked away moments ago, bored with their exchange.

“Only those I find intriguing,” she said. Her lips curved in a slight smile revealing the dimple in her left cheek.

It seemed a bit amusing, if not ironic, that the lovely Charlotte Reed was enamored with the Jack of Hearts. The untouchable, beauty who had turned down countless proposals. The woman he himself had once fancied. “Intriguing,” he repeated.

She took several steps towards him. “Utterly captivating.”

Her flirtations were dangerous and with another other man she would have been in serious danger of losing her virtue. She needed to be warned, but he knew words would not send the message. Without thought to the repercussions, Jack placed one hand on her elbow and pulled her to him.

“Captivated or not, you should be more careful where danger lurks.” And with that he leaned down and planted a firm kiss on her lips.

He was careful not to allow himself to indulge his own desires, just a quick kiss meant to warn her. A kiss intended to let her know how dangerous her behavior was, flirting with a rogue. But her lips were warm and pliant so maintaining control was a test of wills. And soon his only thought was his desire to coax her mouth open and explore precisely how far this fancy of hers went.

She was most assuredly a willing partner, being kissed in the moonlight by a masked stranger. Her willingness was intoxicating and he knew he would take more than he ought if he did not walk away from her now. In the next moment he forced himself to break away from the kiss, then he quickly turned and disappeared into the darkness.

Once seated inside the confines of his carriage, he pulled off his mask and tossed it to the other side. He swore loudly. He’d let his guard down with her and with it, his ability to make intelligent decisions. He hadn’t maintained his secret identity this long by being foolish and reckless. Yes, it had taken considerable nerve and risk, but equal to that was the extensive planning. And tonight he’d forgotten all of that. He’d told himself he was teaching her a lesson, but he knew that wasn’t completely true.

It was time. Time to make Jack disappear. Time to just be himself.

I am *still* here

Okay, it’s been a really long time since I’ve blogged, but I do have a good excuse. Two of them actually. Last year, The Professor and I became parents for the first time. We never do anything the simple way though, and becoming parents wasn’t any different. We first became licensed as foster-to-adopt parents and then the waiting began, but really we didn’t wait very long before we got that all important call. You can actually read all about that here.

The call came in and we have a week to get ready for our “bundles” of joy, which came in the form of a toddler and an infant, both girls. The next six months passed in a flurry of court dates and appointments and whoa boy, did our lives change. At the end of October the adoption was finalized which alleviated a lot of stress and, of course, made us all very happy.

But now you can see why I haven’t had any books out in a while. I’ve taken some time off to be a mom, maternity leave, if you will. I was still writing, though very slowly. Right now I’m shopping a new series, an historical romantic suspense that I think you’ll all love. I’ll keep you posted as things progress.

Suffice it to say, I shall endeavor to update more regularly to let y’all know what I’m working on. And you can always find me at my various other blogs and on-line hot spots.

Meet The Professor

For those of you who follow me on the Jaunty Quills or Twitter or Facebook know that I talk about my husband AKA The Professor a lot. He's a wonderful man and the love of my life and he also loves attention. And as you can tell from his picture he's a very serious scholar, no fun at all. Well, this week you'll get a sneak peek behind the scenes of our house and his life as the husband of a romance novelist. And he's not the only hubby you get to meet.

Come to the Ball! Romance Husbands gather at the A MIDNIGHT DANCE BLOG PARTY

Hosted by Lila DiPasqua's husband, Mr. DiPasqua. (Yes, he's back by popular demand!)

To celebrate Lila DiPasqua's upcoming release, a Cinderella retelling, A MIDNIGHT DANCE (Berkley Sensation), Mr. DiPasqua, Lila's husband will be hosting a blog party like no other!

Each day, from July 19th to Aug. 19th, he'll be interviewing the husbands of other romance authors!

Lots of Romance Husbands! Tons of giveaways! And the grand prize up for grabs is open WORLDWIDE!

Come meet the men behind the women who write the books you love. You just never know what you might learn when these men start to chat. This is a mere *sample* of some of the authors whose husbands and boyfriends will be interviewed:

Shana Galen,

Robyn DeHart

Vanessa Kelly

Nicola Cornick

Zoe Archer

Delilah Marvelle

Kieran Kramer

Stefanie Sloane

Kate Noble

Elisabeth Essex

Kris Kennedy

Ashley March

Monica Burns

Katharine Ashe

Sophie Jordan

Donna Grant

Elizabeth Hoyt

This event is going to be a blast with plenty of chances to win prizes—and a few surprises along the way. Don't miss out! Hope to see you there! http://liladipasqua.blogspot.com/

17 delectable nibbles

Have I got a lovely gift for you! Imagine if you will having 17 scrumptious excerpts for just as many authors. That's right, I've got the perfect romance sampler here for your downloading pleasure. And for your convenience, there are embedded links to buy the books when you get hooked.

You can also find the download on Goodreads connected to my book, Treasure Me, look for the download excerpt button.

Here's the list of fantastic authors with little nibbles to whet your appetites.

Zoe Archer

Katharine Ashe

Monica Burns

Robyn DeHart – that's me!

Lila DiPasqua

Elizabeth Essex

Shana Galen

Alexandra Hawkins

Sophie Jordan

Vanessa Kelly

Kris Kennedy

Mia Marlowe

Ashley March

Elisabeth Naughton

Miranda Neville

Heather Snow

Emma Wildes

ARomanceSampler

I'm in charge!

Okay so my webmaster asked me last year sometime if I was ready to switch to the WordPress format and for whatever reason I wasn't. But when she asked again this year I jumped at the chance. Now I can manage my blog from here, update more frequently and just be more present around here more often. The lack of updates has been my fault, not my lovely designers so now I should be more on the ball since I can do it whenever I think of something to put on the page.

So let's start with the most recent news, I have a new Regency short story available for download on Kindle and Nook for only $0.99! This story, Her Gentleman Thief, was originally part of the Mammoth Book of Regency Romance. The first day it was available on Amazon it cracked the Top 100 in Regency romance. I do hope you'll check it out. Readers are already saying how delightful and fun it is.

For any of you fans who are on Facebook, I have a new author fan page which has links to my Goodreads page and a cool author page gadget with excerpts and whatnot of my books. Check it out and like me, really like me.