Lynn Raye Harris's Blog, page 19

Romance Novel Trading Cards

Have you heard of the romance novel trading cards that will be available at RT and RWA? See this site for details. Basically, authors are making character trading cards for their novels — and readers can collect them all! I thought this was such a cool idea that I had two cards designed.

Here's the card for The Devil's Heart:

And here's the one for Behind the Palace Walls:

These are side by side views. The cover will be the front, and the hero will be the back. If you're at RT in a few weeks, come and visit me at the booksigning and pick up your trading cards! When I get them in, I may offer to mail some out to readers who can't attend. Stay tuned for details!

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Gotta Love a Bad Boy!

I have a new cover to share with y'all! This is from the UK release of The Heartless Rebel, which will hit North America in November of this year.

Jack…Red-Hot. Renegade. Restless.

Notorious gambler Jack no longer gets a buzz from the risks he takes at the card table. In fact it bores him. Until one night he wins more than he ever bargained for… His prize is stunning Cara Taylor – she might be down on her luck but she certainly doesn't need rescuing by a card-shark like Jack! Now she's stuck with him she doesn't know whether to love him or loathe him.

This story is part of an eight book continuity series. In the UK, it's called Bad Blood. In North America, I think it will be called The Notorious Wolfes. I totally love this cover! It completely captures Jack Wolfe. This story takes place in the French Riviera, Paris, London, New Orleans, and Las Vegas. I had a great time writing it — and I hope you'll enjoy this story when it comes your way!

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This ain't brain surgery and no one's gonna die

Writing as a career is amazing. It's awesome and wonderful and a dream come true. And yet, there will be bad days. Days when you worry and sweat and fear that you aren't getting it right or that people don't love your books and you're doomed to fail. Yes, it's true, even published authors are insecure.

So the next time you're staring at crappy contest scores or feeling gutted because you got a rejection letter, I want you to remember something. Remember that no one is gonna die over this. No one's life hangs in the balance as you type away, as you sweat and work and fear. It's only you and your fears sitting at the computer.

Maybe that's a small comfort. Or maybe it's no comfort.

I know this means everything to you. I really do. But some days you just have to tell yourself it's not brain surgery. Back away from the keyboard. Read; take time for yourself. Live life.

The words will come again. And they may come better than before. The pie is not finite, y'all. If someone else sells before you do, it doesn't mean you won't. It doesn't mean your chances are gone, or slimmer.

Just write. The rest will sort itself out. No one's gonna die if you get rejected. And that's really kind of a good thing, right? (And believe me, there are days when I need to take my own advice! Days when I worry I'm truly the worst writer on the planet.)

And now I want to move on to happier things and tell you that The Devil's Heart is available a month early from eHarlequin! You can order it for your e-reader or a paperback copy. You can read an excerpt on this site, or a different one here.

This book was rewritten massively between the first time I turned it in and when it was accepted. I'm sure I was an insecure mess as I worked on it, but it's out there now and it's your turn to tell me if I got it right. I hope you enjoy!







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In the mailbag

Today comes a lovely review over at Enduring Romance for Spanish Magnate, Red-Hot Revenge. Rebecca says, and I love this part:

Lynn Raye Harris has a great voice. I have a feeling I'm always going to enjoy her books. I'm looking forward to reading the one that's out that I still haven't read. But I'm MORE excited for her to have a new release, because based on what I've seen so far, her writing just keeps getting better and better!!

That's what every writer hopes to hear! I want to get better with each book. I want to make better story choices, and I want to write the kinds of stories that resonate with readers each and every time. I know I won't please everyone, and I'm fine with that.**

Reviews are a mixed bag, no matter who you are. I try not to read the negative ones, though sometimes they slip through the radar. I always read the glowing ones, and yes, they make me feel good. I don't let them go to my head, but I do love that happy feeling they give me for a while. It's always wonderful to know that something you sweated over, something that you wrote, found its way into a reader's heart and made them happy. Those kinds of reviews trump the bad ones and make it all worth it.

Thanks, Rebecca! You've made me happy today.

**For a hilarious look at just how I didn't please someone, go check out my Amazon UK reviews for Prince Voronov's Virgin: one reader thinks the book must have been written by a man or a computer. I admit to being upset at first; now I just find it funny. Important Note: if you are related to me in any way, you are forbidden from commenting on that review or from writing a glowing review to counteract it. I mean it. You won't be doing me any favors. Readers have a way of finding out that authors are enlisting family to say nice things. They don't like it, and I understand that. If you are not related to me, feel free to glow away.

Copyright © 2011 Lynn Raye Harris . This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact legal@www.lynnrayeharris.com so we can take legal action immediately.
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Writing even when you don't really feel like it

That's what being a professional writer is all about. Did you know that? It's not about waking up each morning with birds singing, wonderful emails from fans the world over, and breakfast in bed prepared by the household staff and served on real china with real silver and a real teapot, etc.

No, being a professional writer is about dragging your sorry butt out of the bed even though your dreams seem more interesting than the book you're working on. It's about brushing your teeth, wrapping your hair in a scrunchie, and turning on the coffee or the kettle. It's about getting that hot cup of motivation (mine happens to be decaf these days) and going to your writing place. Mine is an office upstairs in my house.

It's about opening the document and staring at the words, thinking they are probably the worst words ever written and that your career is most certainly over, and then clicking over to email, Facebook, and Twitter to waste time rather than face the task.

And then you might get the lovely surprise of a nasty review, or the news that your book is the only one not in the top whatever of Amazon while all the rest of the books in your line that month are. You might want to go back to bed and cry, or turn off the computer and swear you're giving up because this is too hard.

But you can't. Because you're a professional and you signed on the dotted line and someone is expecting delivery of this monstrous piece of junk in a few weeks (if you're lucky) or a few days (if you aren't). You. Must. Deliver.

And because you are a professional, you will. You will tackle that manuscript like it's you or it (which it is) and you will somehow, eventually, win the battle. You may even like it when you're done. You may be pleasantly surprised, and you may cry and laugh and tell the cat what a genius you are. (The cat doesn't care, but say it anyway.)

And then, if your editor thinks it's not as good as you think it is, you may get it back with a letter that tells you what you need to do. The process of crying and foot dragging will start all over again, but you'll wrestle the beast once more and you will, eventually, win.

If you really are a professional, you will do this even if you didn't sign on the dotted line. Because you want to sign on that line and you better get used to the pain now. You have to write even when you don't really feel like it. Some days, you won't feel like it. Other days, you can imagine nothing more fun in this world that sitting at the computer in your jammies and making stuff up.

But the truth, dear friends, that I've learned after nearly 3 years in the published trenches is this: it doesn't get easier. It usually gets harder. Better prepare for it now.

And with that piece of hard fought wisdom, I'm back to the trenches to battle these revisions. I will definitely win–but I'll probably get a bit bloodied in the process.







Copyright © 2011 Lynn Raye Harris. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact legal@www.lynnrayeharris.com so we can take legal action immediately.
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May UK cover

There's another new cover in the house! Woot, woot! This is for my May book in the UK, STRANGERS IN THE DESERT. I don't have a page here on the site yet, I don't even have a cover blurb — no idea what Mills & Boon have come up with to describe this story!

But the cover is *perfect*! The heroine has been living a Bohemian life at the beach, and she has wild blonde hair streaked with natural highlights. I think they got the hair on this model absolutely right.

And what can I say about the hero? Does he not just look delicious and sheiky?

I really, really love what Mills & Boon have done with the UK covers. I was hesitant at first, because I do kind of hate change and I liked the clinch just fine — but these, when they are right, are so VERY right. I'm a happy author right now. (Oh, except for those revisions I'm still working on…..)

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New cover

I'm so excited to share the North American cover of Prince Voronov's Virgin with you! This book will be available June 7, 2011 — you'll notice a different title for the NA market: Behind the Palace Walls. Same book, fancy new title.

I *totally* love this cover! What about you?

This book, as Prince Voronov's Virgin, has spent 5 weeks on the Mills & Boon bestseller list in the UK! Three of those weeks were at #1. I hope my North American readers will love it as much as my British readers seem to.

Copyright © 2011 Lynn Raye Harris. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact legal@www.lynnrayeharris.com so we can take legal action immediately.
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Guest blogging

Today, dear friends, I'm at Tote Bags 'n' Blogs, talking about foreign translations and the variety of covers I've gotten for the same book!







Copyright © 2011 Lynn Raye Harris. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact legal@www.lynnrayeharris.com so we can take legal action immediately.
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Bad, bad author — and revisions

Clearly, I have gotten very, very bad at writing blog posts. I used to really enjoy doing it! It was my outlet, my way to blather on about whatever was on my mind. This blog, long before I published, was alternately a "writer's journey" blog, a travel blog, and a "she talks way too much about inane every day crap" kind of blog.

I've realized that I miss blogging regularly, but I also have to acknowledge to myself that I get pretty stretched thin sometimes. I also tend to feel that if I'm blogging, I'm supposed to be inspiring or profound or whatever. I think that comes from having gone on this pretty amazing journey from unpublished to published, and feeling like I'm supposed to help others feel inspired or motivated where I can.

But I got an email from someone recently who thanked me for the posts I've done on this blog (she even went and read the old ones, which I found amazing!) because they showed her my progression as a writer. So, that's the answer really. That's why I'm supposed to blog more frequently. It's about progression and getting to know each other. I'll blather senselessly, sometimes it'll be really good take-that-to-the-bank info, but mostly it'll be whatever is on my mind at the time.

And if you get something out of it, great. If you don't, I hope you won't be too upset with me.

Today's blathering is about revisions and editors and the relief you feel when your editor explains the revision letter to you. Because I got a revision letter earlier this week, and I was confused. I always expect them, of course, because nothing is perfect when you first turn it in unless you're Nora maybe.

But this time the revisions seemed more extensive than they have for the last few books, and I was stumped. What did I do wrong? How did I get it so messed up? Was this a total rewrite?

My editor could sense the crisis brewing and helpfully called to chat. That's when she realized I was about to meltdown and I realized that she hadn't said the first thing about rewriting the whole book. No, what I'd done was short-changed some of the emotional stuff for the sake of plot. (But you're a pantser, I hear you cry! Yes, it's true, but I can let the plot get in the way as I make stuff up. Which is what I did.)

I have a bodyguard book, which is apparently a classic Presents trope. I did not realize that actually. But I'd gotten a bit caught up with the mechanics of the bodyguarding and the heroine's job (it's a cool job, believe me, and one my hero has to protect her for) and it seems as if I'd let those things get in the way of true emotional connection. I didn't think I'd done that, because there is emotion on the page — but it's not deep enough.

So my task now is to go back in and pull out the elements that are overshadowing the characters, and then to turn up the emotion to boil. I'm really looking forward to it — and so relieved it's not a total rewrite. I may be a pantser, but I usually get a pretty good story arc by the end that doesn't require major shifting. Thankfully, this isn't a major shift, but it's still work.

The lesson here, if you're looking for one, is something I've said before: your words aren't static. You have to be willing to change them. And it's not the words so much as the story. Spending hours and hours taking out all the 'was' words, or getting rid of 'was' + 'ing' constructions, is insane. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking STORY.

If you have any questions about what that is, go read this amazing post by Epic Black Car.

That is all.

Except for this: right now, The Prince's Royal Concubine is really cheap at Amazon! $2.17 on Kindle and $2.28 in paperback. No idea how long that will last, so go check it out if you want a copy!







Copyright © 2011 Lynn Raye Harris. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact legal@www.lynnrayeharris.com so we can take legal action immediately.
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Winner?

Dear friends, it's been three weeks since I held the contest for a $10 gift card and a signed backlist book. Tracey won, but I've yet to hear from her. I'm giving her one more week, exactly a month from when I announced the winner, and then I'm choosing a new winner. So Tracey, if you're out there, email me your details at lynn AT lynnrayeharris DOT com. I'd love to mail you your prize!







Copyright © 2011 Lynn Raye Harris. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact legal@www.lynnrayeharris.com so we can take legal action immediately.
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