Frances Pauli's Blog, page 27

Heading out...

Between us and the con....a whole lot of nothing.

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So, this will be my first ever, roving blog report. Stay ...

So, this will be my first ever, roving blog report. Stay tuned for pics and scoop on: Norwescon, 2011

On the road again.... Instead of another session of &quot...

On the road again.... Instead of another session of "what I learned at the con" I figured we'd try something a little different this time.

A second chance to Con...

So, despite all my whining last year, I am heading out this week to attend Norwescon again. I am dubious, but I have disposable shoes this year, even more chocolate, and a thermos for coffee that doesn't cost five dollars and take forty five minutes to obtain....

With those minor corrections in place, I'm hoping for a good time.

Cross your fingers for me, and I'll report on the results when I get back.

~Frances

Supers Trailer: Friend or Foe

Here's the book trailer for my new release:




If you're on Youtube, come by and friend me, I'm addicted. I think I need a trailer for each book too. . . If anyone has ideas for scripts or has suggestions for a particular book, let me know. ;-)

Frances

Is this a Kissing Book?

I started out this whole writing venture still denying the fact that I wrote romance. Oh, I'd admit it to a degree--if you caught me in a good mood. I'd say I wrote "romantic" stories, but primarily speculative fiction. It took me a good long while to fess up. Yes, they are romances. Yes, on purpose.
Yes, I like them that way.

About the time I got adjusted to the idea, the reviews started rolling in. Not bad reviews, but all pretty much in agreement on one thing. It's not romance, they said. Not really.

Well, I'll be damned.

We know that labels are important, right? Without genre labels, the bookstores would be in chaos. The readers would be lost. The shelving alone would give any average obsessive/compulsive librarian a case of the hives.

So this "romance or not" issue has to be decided. Doesn't it? I mean, if I continued on my merry way just writing almost romance speculative fiction willy nilly, whole cataloguing systems might crash. We could be looking at another Y2---mmm'kay.
Or maybe not.
Still, readers would be happier, I suspect, knowing what it was they were buying. Grudgingly, I must admit that the labels do have a purpose. . . . I suppose.

Now what?

There are a few of my books that fall quite neatly into the romance category, and no review is going to convince me otherwise. But, there are those others too, those that just aren't..not quite, not really.
I could put them on the straight science fiction shelf, I imagine, but I suspect that would give a wrong impression as well. I suspect a great many readers will have the same reaction that my husband does, when reading my rough drafts.

You see, the same thing happens every time. I'm not sure why. You'd think he'd expect it by now, but still he reads them. He gets half way through, sets the manuscript in his lap and gives me "that look."

"What?" I ask. (also not sure why. I know what's coming.)

He sighs and shakes his head. "Is this," he says. "Is this a kissing book?"

"Why yes, honey. Yes it is."

But not quite a romance. Or is it? I'm still stumped. I know there are rules with romance, like any genre. They too, serve a purpose. But I like to break them. I like to break them a great deal. Not the Happily-ever-After, mind you. I keep that one. But pretty much the rest of it, for the most part, I tend to chuck out the window. If I looked at my work as science fiction, it would probably be a similar story.
"romantic science fiction."
"science fiction romance."

Does it make as much of a difference to the reader as it does to the shelving system? I wonder. I read everything from Herbert to Harlequin. Maybe I'm just not that discriminating. I mean, I have different moods, why not different tastes to suit them?

What about you? If your picked something up expecting one thing, and it turned out to be a little different, would it matter so much if the story really rocked?
Or if you wanted a harlequin and you got a hitchhikers guide, would you turn off and close the book? Even if it was good? Would it have to be extra good?

I know what the experts say, but I'm curious if readers are really that cut and dry... If they are, heaven help me. I never could pick a horse. Not one. Not when I could have two.

Genre greedy,

~Frances

Goings On...

Today, I have an interview up over at Sarah-Jane Lehoux's Work in Progress Come on by and comment.

I've also put up another book video... I can't seem to stop.
Anyway, that one, I'll share here:

Moth Trailer

Friend or Foe

Well, it happened, I finished the work in progress and returned to the real world. Imagine my surprise when I discovered it's release day!!!
Friend or Foe, my take on Super Hero romance, is now available from Devine Destines.

Here's a excerpt:

"Hello, Simon."

Her voice pulled him into step beside her, but she turned back to Mayor Lee almost immediately. The spell held just the same and Simon continued along at her right shoulder, rapt and watching the highlights shimmer in her hair while she listened to the mayor go on about something or another.

"I'm thrilled that you're here," the mayor said.

Simon nodded agreement, but the woman continued to watch Lee instead of him.

"A chance to show our gratitude," Lee continued. "For all that you've done for the town."

"There's no need." She shook her head, protesting the attention. Simon approved wholeheartedly.

"Surely there is, my dear." Mayor Lee waved an arm toward the library across the street. As he did so, he caught site of Simon alongside of them. "Oh good, Maxwell. Thought I'd lost you there for a moment. The new library." He continued his argument. "Your generous check for the parks foundation."

"Anonymous check," the woman corrected. "If you please, Mayor Lee."

Simon swooned inside. He managed to keep walking, resisted the temptation to run a hand through the mysterious town benefactor's silky hair. He tuned out the mayor and focused on imagining what their children would look like. He'd almost chosen a name for their firstborn by the time they reached the platform.

Spaulding's voice, whiny and trembling with anger, broke through his trance. "It's about damn time you got here!"

Simon started up the stairs, intent on defending the mayor and the future Mrs. Maxwell, but a strong feminine hand wrapped around his forearm. The contact sent enough electricity through him to stop his feet. He turned and found a pair of brown eyes appraising him. She stepped closer and the hand on his arm tightened. Her lovely face turned to either side in a gentle reproof. Of course, Simon thought, restraint.

Mayor Lee passed them, took the stairs to the podium with nothing more than a scowl of disapproval for Spaulding. Simon frowned, but resisted the urge to throttle Rutherford for his insolence.

"Now," Mayor Lee waved for them to join him. "Since we're all here, we can get this year's competition started."

"No." Simon found his voice, remembered his predicament in a rush of clarity. He hadn't had a chance to run the plan by Lee, but there'd be no help for it now. He shook his head. "I don't intend to compete against Agnes. I suggest we postpone."

"Simon, Simon," the woman at his elbow whispered. She stepped away from him and laughed softly. "It's cute, really, but there's no need."

The mayor nodded agreement from the podium. Behind him, Spaulding sneered and rubbed his hands together. Simon looked from one to the other. He looked at the woman beside him and then back to Spaulding. He squinted and looked at her again. His bride-to-be had Spaulding's high cheekbones. She had a strong, Rutherford jaw. The satisfied smile, however, was all hers.

"As for intentions," she said. "I fully intend to leave you in the dust."

Coming Up....

I have a few new releases on the horizon, and being up to my eyeballs in the current work in progress, I'm flat out empty of blog topics. SO, I'll share some pretty covers, teasers and my hopes that soon, very soon, I'll be able to pull my head out of a finished rough draft and surface for air.

Enjoy
~ Frances

Friend or Foe
supers romance
from Devine Destinies

"Can they save the town without losing each other?"

When Simon Maxwell's arch enemy backs out of the annual competition, he thinks the prize is in the bag. But a surprise appearance from The Spartan's long-lost sister leaves Simon scrambling for a foot hold. He's sworn to protect the town, but the girl from his past has him spinning in circles from the start. Is she here to help her brother, or are her motives pure? When every turn hides another trap, and each twist holds a new secret, Simon risks more than just his honor. Can he win the girl before the finish line? And how can he save the town, when winning the race means losing his heart?


Aspect Ratio
Romantic Science Fiction
sequel to The Dimensional Shift
from Awe-Struck Publishing

Chloe Watson has finally adjusted to her inter-dimensional career, her covert relationship with the boss and her life as a cross-dimensional traveler. But a last minute promotion, a galaxy wide tournament and an unauthorized stow away manage to throw a serious monkey wrench in her status quo. Now she's left to sort out a string of parallel abductions, deal with an infestation of Lemurian bedbugs and get her local pet store employee back home before the woman blows the whistle on everything Chloe has going for her. In between juggling her new duties, accidently joining an alien abductee chapter and trying to track down a nuclear insect the size of a bowling ball, Chloe discovers her boyfriend/boss is keeping secrets that could cost them both a lot more than just their salaries.