Christa Tomlinson's Blog, page 11

What Is A Romance Novel?

Hello there! Thanks for joining me as I continue to talk about writing. Today’s post is aimed at answering a few common questions on what makes a romance novel a romance novel. As I stated before, I’m not an expert. But I am a giant nerd. I will research things until the cows come home. If I had cows. I don’t, so I research until my brain feels appropriately full of knowledge. I know the world of publishing is always a-changing, but these are fairly basic guidelines to follow when writing romance.
Question 1 - What is a romance?
A romance is a story that predominately focuses on the growing relationship between the main characters, or MCs. It HAS TO END WITH EITHER A HEA - HAPPILY EVER AFTER OR HFN – HAPPY FOR NOW. Yes, I wrote that in all caps. Yes, I bolded it. If the characters aren’t together at the end because one of them dies or they decide to go off on separate paths or whatever, it isn’t a romance. It’s fiction with romantic elements. If you would like more official wording, the below descriptions are from the Romance Writers of America - the professional organization for the romance genre:
A Central Love Story: The main plot centers around individuals falling in love and struggling to make the relationship work. A writer can include as many subplots as he/she wants as long as the love story is the main focus of the novel.
An Emotionally Satisfying and Optimistic Ending: In a romance, the lovers who risk and struggle for each other and their relationship are rewarded with emotional justice and unconditional love.

Readers purchase a romance because they want assurance that they are buying a love story with a happy ending. That’s not to say you can’t write a story that doesn’t have that happy ending. You can, but you will have some dissatisfied and possibly pissed off readers if you write that story and list it as romance. A romance reader isn’t looking for the bittersweet ending. They want the fluff and happiness. They’ll be confused if they go into a book expecting a happy ending and don’t get it.

The HEA/HFN rule is important. Don't get special snowflake syndrome. You can't sidestep this rule because your story is amazing and you think readers will appreciate your new twist on the genre. If you’ve written a story where the characters do not end up together, that’s great and I’m sure it’s lovely. But please, market it correctly as fiction and not romance.

Question 2 - What’s the difference between a HEA and a HFN?
With a happily ever after, the couple is together for the long haul. They either get married or the writer makes it clear that there will be a wedding or commitment ceremony of some sort. With a happy for now, the couple (or throuple) is committed, but there may not be any talk of marriage. They are happy and monogamous.

Question 3 - What’s the difference between erotic romance and erotica?
Hey, you can make your characters super-duper nasty who boink on every damn page if you want. But if the story focuses on the sexual journey and it doesn’t end with a HEA or HFN it’s erotica. If the characters have lots of graphic sex but also an emotional story arc and are committed to each other at the end, it’s an erotic romance.
Question 4 - How long should a book be?
This one is a little trickier and there’s lots of wiggle room. And of course, it varies by genre. You wouldn’t expect a children’s book to have the same word count as an adult romance.500-5000 words / 2-20 pages - As a fanfiction writer, I’d call this a one-shot. Others call them a ficlet. Probably one scene only. Basically, it’s a bite-sized baby story someone can read on their lunch break.5000-15000 words / 20-60 pages - Short story. Has a hyper focused plot. These are most often published in a collection or in magazines or e-zines.15000-50000 words / 60-200 pages - Novella. These are nice, slim reads. There’s room for a little more plot and character development, but the reader will probably be done in an hour or two.50000-100000 words / 200-400 pages - Novel. All those colorful, thick paperbacks you see on the shelves at your local bookstore? The ones that late at night fall onto a reader’s face because they’re trying to stay up for one more chapter? They’re pretty much in this range.100000+ words - Epic novel or saga. Pack a lunch and a change of clothes because it’s gonna be awhile before you finish this baby. Most publishers won’t take anything this big. And a lot of readers will complain that it’s too long. (side-eyes myself for publishing The Sergeant at 140,000 words) A book this big is probably bloated, so you can trim it way down or break it up into a series. Yikes! Nearly an inch and a half thick. Don't drop this on your foot. Question 5 - What’s the difference between a serial and a series?
A book in a series has a complete ending. A real THE END. In romance, the lovers are together. There may or may not be a cliff hanger for other plot points. A serial is an ongoing story. The characters may not be in love and committed until the final book in the serial. Dear god in book heaven, please let your readers know if your story is a serial. I can grudgingly deal with a cliff hanger on non-major plot points, but starting a story only to realize I’ve gotta wait for and read multiple other books to get to the end of the main story? I will jump through my Nook to come after you if you swerve me like that. Me, finding out a book is a serial after I've started reading. An angry mob coming after you for writing your MC cheating on his love interest. Question 6 – Can I write cheating in my romance novel?
Oh, boy. Well, you can. *ducks barrage of flaming arrows from readers* But it’s not appreciated as a plot point. The general rule is that the MCs do not share intimacy with anyone else once they have met and established a connection with one another. I may have broken this rule in Bad Boys Need Love Too. But he’s a bad boy! He’s supposed to break the rules! *ducks another barrage of flaming arrows from readers* Romance readers DO NOT like cheating in their novels. It’s one of the few things they are unlikely to forgive a hero for, so think hard before you decide to write any kind of cheating scene. And be ready for those flaming arrows to come your way if you do.

That's the romance novel in a nutshell! If you'd like to know more about what makes up a romance or how to write one, I recommend reading On Writing Romance by Leigh Michaels. It's a great how-to book for the genre. If you have any questions for me or blog post topic suggestions, please let me know in the comments. Next week I'll be back to talk about drafts and editing.

Thanks for reading!
Christa
www.ChristaTomlinson.com
Follow me around the internet! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads
View my titles on Amazon

How To Be A Writer

To be a writer, you have to learn how to write. I’m not saying you have to go out and get an MFA – although that is a wonderful thing to have. But if you want to write stories for other eyes to read and enjoy, you must learn the craft of writing. Now, I’m not an expert. But I have learned a few things that I’m happy to share with you. So, here’s my top ten list of things you can do to become a writer.
1) Read. Read everything. Read both in your genre and outside of it. Above all, this will help you to internalize the methods of telling a story. Reading in your genre will help you to understand the expectations of that genre and to discover what you do and do not like. It will not mean that you copy other writers’ work. Your first attempts might be heavily influenced, but as you learn and grow, you’ll develop your own voice.
Reading outside your genre is important as well. Think of the athlete who does cross training to improve their overall fitness. The same is true for writers. Cross train in your reading so you can build up your writing muscles. For example, if you write science fiction, reading romance can help you understand how to develop a love story arc for your characters.
2) Read. Read craft books. Many people are natural storytellers. But if you want to go to the next level and are considering writing for publication, you’ll need to learn the mechanics of telling a story. You’ll learn pacing so you don’t bog down your first pages with a giant information dump, have a soggy meandering middle and then a hectic end. You’ll learn how to create characters as people, rather than cardboard cut outs of people. You’ll learn conflict and setting and so much more. Some of my favorite Writing How-To books. 3) Pay attention to various forms of storytelling. When you’re watching a movie, take note of the little things. Did they make a point of showing a character’s red sweater tossed in the back seat of a car? If so, that sweater might mean something later on. This is foreshadowing and is a great device to use in writing. You should also go and see a play. It’s one of the best ways to see the three-act structure of storytelling (set up, confrontation, resolution) in action.

4) Pay attention to the world around you. This is a great way to come up with story ideas, settings and characters. For example, you don’t want all your characters to sound the same on the page, so listen to the way people talk. You’ll develop an ear for different rhythms and vocabularies and can use that to give your characters a unique voice. 5) Write. A lot. Unless you’re S.E. Hinton, you’re probably not going to sit down and write a best-seller with your first offering. You’ll need to write a lot of stories to find your author voice and style and learn what works and what doesn’t. Rhonda Rousey, Viola Davis and Joss Whedon had to practice to become some of the best in their fields, and so will you. Each story you complete is another step to becoming the best writer you can be.
Just like Rhonda Rousey, writers need to practice. 6) Finish what you start. This is a tough one! It’s common for a writer to start a story with lots of enthusiasm and then get bored with it half-way through. Once that happens, it’s easy to be tempted away by the shiny allure of a new plot idea. But don’t do it! You’ll never complete a book if you jump from story to story. To avoid this, have a designated area where you can write down future story ideas so you don’t forget them. Do a quick free write of whatever plot bunnies are bouncing around in your head, then put it away and get back to your Work In Progress. This is important. You must finish a story. Otherwise you’ll end up with multiple half-finished WIPs and you’ll never have anything completed to share with the world.
This is the system I use to help organize and keep track of all the plot ideas in my head. I have notebooks set up where I can write an idea down. Then I use that notebook later when I'm ready to move on to that story and it's all ready to go. They're color coordinated. And glittery. 7) Put your writing out there. Put it on Watt Pad, publish fanfiction on Fan Ficton.net or Archive of our Own, write your book in a series of blog posts on Tumblr or your personal blog, upload it to Goodreads. Do whatever you can to get your writing in front of readers’ eyes. You’ll have fun sharing your stories, gain confidence, build an audience of readers, and get feedback from people besides your mom.

8) Learn to accept criticism. It’s wonderful hearing someone loves your story. It’s awful hearing someone didn’t like your story. But you have to listen and learn so you can improve from that criticism. It’s the only way you’ll grow as a writer. For example, if someone tells you a plot point doesn’t make sense, don’t just get offended and blow them off. Yes, your feelings will be hurt. But take a look at that plot point and see if there is any merit to what the reader is saying. Maybe something was so clear in your head that you failed to realize it didn’t make it to the page for the reader to see. Or maybe you forgot to establish something early on in the story that would help a future plot point seem plausible to the reader. Basically, keep an open mind for opportunities to improve your craft.

9) Connect with other writers. This is helpful for many reasons. It’ll give you someone to help pep you up during writing slumps. You can make writing dates, whether in real life or online, to do writing sprints. They can serve as critique partners and they can share their knowledge. There are lots of benefits for connecting with other writers, these are just some of the biggies.
You can find other writers by joining writing organizations. I just rejoined Romance Writers of America, as well as a few special interest chapters, and I’m looking forward to interacting with members. You can also follow the #writers, #writing, and #amwriting hashtags on any form of social media and find someone to connect with. And of course, you can chat with me. I think I'm pretty nice.

10) Be sensitive, diverse and fearless. When writing, take one finger off the keyboard and put it on the pulse of society. Keep the world in mind when creating your stories and characters. Your words have meaning and power so use them responsibly. Also, write diverse characters. Write women, men, GLBT, minorities, the disabled. Write everybody! Yes, you might need to do a little research to write someone who is different than you, but that’s okay. Research is fun. And last, be fearless. Tell the stories of your heart and never let fear stop you.
Good luck and happy writing. I'll be back with more posts on the writing process. If you have any questions, let me know in the comments. I'll be happy to answer and it might be something I can add to my lists of topics to cover.

Thanks for reading!
Christa
www.ChristaTomlinson.com
Follow me around the internet! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads
View my titles on Amazon

What I Did On My Thanksgiving Vacation

I spent Thanksgiving alone. And it was totally fine! I didn’t want to do anything. What I wanted was a day to guilt-free binge watch some Once Upon a Time and Issa Rae’s Insecure, eat a giant bowl of Stove Top Stuffing, and enjoy a slice or two of sweet potato pie. So that’s exactly what I did. And it was nice. No travel, no kitchen messy from cooking (boiling water for Stove Top isn’t cooking), and no stress. 

I needed that. Not because I’m an introvert, although that did play a part, but because I needed that guilt-free relax day. These past few months have been super stressful. In August I quit an unsatisfactory job but had sadness over leaving co-workers I liked. In September I packed up and cleared out the house I’d lived in for ten years - while making peace with the fact I was leaving the home I'd shared with my deceased boyfriend, Tom. In October that house went on the market and sold in three days and I had to move a week later. And I spent November unpacking and furnishing my new apartment. So I was tired, emotionally and physically. I needed to unwind and just relax in my new home. Recharge my batteries and start a new week fresh and ready to go.
I think my TV binging and pie eating accomplished that. The Lambic might also have helped. And now that I’m all powered up, I’ve booked a flight home to St. Louis for Christmas, started planning out the list of crafts that I want to make for gifts, and outlining a writing and publishing schedule for 2017. I feel good! And it was all thanks to a bowl of stuffing. Thanks for reading!
Christa
www.ChristaTomlinson.com
Like my Facebook Author Page Christa Tomlinson
Follow me on Twitter @ShockZ314
Originally posted on the Cafe Risque Blog

What's Your Type?

I have a type. A type that my eye immediately goes to and my heart always gets involved with. But I’m not talking about real life people, I’m talking about characters. My favorite character type is the tortured, dark-haired pretty boy. I love those guys. They make me want to wrap them up in a warm blanket hug and feed them cookies until they smile. So who are some of my favorites?
Number one has to be Sergeant Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier. The poor man doesn’t even have control of his own mind! And all he wants is to be with his boyfriend – I mean errr… pal, Captain America, Steve Rogers. He's so emotionally wounded. He gets all the heart eyes from me.
Another favorite is CM Punk. He just wanted to show the wrestling world what he could do, but he was held down by the evil corporate bosses of WWE. How unfair! I just started watching Once Upon A Time and pretty soon after he appeared on screen, Captain Hook was added to my list. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin treated him horribly. He didn’t deserve that. I'm only in season four, so there's still time for him to get his happy ending. But I must shamefully admit I'm hoping he stays sad for a little bit longer. With these tortured dark-haired types as my favorite characters to watch, it was only natural that I would write my own dark haired pretty boy to pull on my heart strings. Officer Clay Foster from The Sergeant was inspired by that archetype. I’d say of the characters I’ve written so far, he’s my favorite. He was so angsty in book one and now in book two, I’m torturing him even more. Bad me! But I can’t help it. And it’s okay, because of course he has Logan there to give him that blanket hug and cookies.

Of course I don't only write or pay attention to this type of character. But archetypes are important in fiction. They help readers to connect with a character, giving them someone to identify with. And of course readers don't always have the same favorites. It's what motivated the whole Team Jacob vs Team Edward era, everyone has a preference. (Oddly enough, I was Team Jacob there) Reading a book with a character who falls into your preferred type is what makes you fall in love with that hero. I always enjoy listening to fans explain why a character from a book, movie or TV show is their favorite. We're all so different and that's what makes it fun.

So what are your favorite character types to read and/or write? Are you on Team Dark and Brooding with me? Or do you like the sunshiney charismatic types? Or maybe you prefer the shy, quiet nerd boys. Let me know! I’d love to see everyone’s favorites.

Thanks for reading!
Christa
www.ChristaTomlinson.com
Like my Facebook Author Page Christa Tomlinson
Follow me on Twitter @ShockZ314
Originally posted on the Cafe Risque Blog

Coming Soon!

I’ve reached the point in my manuscript where I’m ready to share with everyone what I’m working on. I’m writing the sequel to The Sergeant! Logan and Clay are two of my favorite characters and I feel like they have a little more to say in their lives. So I’m giving them a second book. It’s nice to work with them again. I know them so well that their story and dialogue flow very easily for me. That’s a huge bonus when writing!

But – because of course there’s a but – it also hurts to write this story. As much as I would love to, I can’t write 80,000 words of happy-happy fun time for Logan and Clay. Which means my boys are going to have to have more drama in their lives. Nooooo! But I know they’ll work it out somehow. My goal is to have the conclusion to their story out in mid to late January. I’ll have a more specific date next month.
OIn the meantime, you’re welcome to check out the start to Logan and Clay’s relationship in The Sergeant. Or, if you’ve already read The Sergeant, you can stop by my site and read a couple of sexy-sweet one-shots I wrote for Logan and Clay HERE. Just scroll to the bottom of the page.

Thanks for reading!
Christa
Originally posted on CafeRisque.com

Writing POC Characters

Today I want to talk about People of Color characters because there was a big to-do this week about a YA book that appears to paint POC characters in an unflattering light. (I say appears because I haven’t read the book. But going by the blurb, I can understand why people aren’t loving the story’s premise.) I’m not going to talk about the specifics of that book or the arguments taking place around it. It’s not in the genre I write and there are already multiple posts and tweet threads on the topic. What I do want to talk about is writing POC characters in general. 

There are two issues here. Some writers don’t want / are afraid to write a POC character because they aren’t sure they will do it right. And then there are writers who write POC characters without considering that their portrayal might be offensive or hurtful to a member of that race or ethnicity. This post is to help with both of those issues. I don’t want anyone to avoid writing an amazing story featuring a gorgeous POC MC. I want to see those men!  

First and foremost, please don’t use stereotypes, especially those that are harmful. For example, if you’re writing Black or Hispanic MCs, think long and hard before you make him a prisoner or a gangster. If you’re writing a Black woman, she doesn’t have to be loud and sassy, or worse angry. If you’re writing an Asian man, he doesn’t have to be a submissive bottom who is really good at math. Your readers don’t want to open your book and see the most negative thing about their cultural group when they just read ten other books that also mentioned that exact same negative thing. It hurts. It makes us tired. And it makes us decide not to give you any more of our book budget. Think outside those stereotypical boxes. How do you do this? WRITE POC CHARACTERS LIKE ANY OTHER CHARACTER. 

I read and enjoyed Morticia Knight’s Building Bonds . She mentions that he’s an attractive Black man who is a Dom. She doesn’t really get too much into any other details. And that’s a-ok. Seriously. Just think of it as describing what hair or eye color a non-POC character would have. He doesn’t need to have a dozen other identifiers to drive the point home that he’s Black or Southeast Asian or Hispanic.





When I’m writing a book and my characters are white I don’t think of stereotypes like he must like country music, watch NASCAR and eat green bean casserole. I think of what makes that character who he is. Do the same thing when writing someone who is Asian or Middle Eastern or Canadian First Peoples. Now, if you do want to write a story that delves into the culture of a specific group DO YOUR RESEARCH. 

If you were writing a story where Greek gods found themselves living as pioneers on the old Western frontier, what would you do? You’d research the Greek pantheon of gods, look up what it was like to live in the old West, and then you’d write your story. Do the same thing when writing a story featuring minority characters. And just like you wouldn’t throw every fact you read about Greek gods and the old West in your story without determining why you’re using that fact, do the same thing when writing cultures besides your own. For example, yes it’s true, many Black women don’t like when people touch our hair. But unless there’s a reason for making that point that is integral to the story, leave it out. Don’t write POC characters who are cardboard cutout representatives. Cardboard characters are always boring. 

And oh god, the dialogue in stories featuring minorities, especially urban minorities. Two things come to mind here. There was a book that made a brew-ha-ha last year because the author had the characters speaking in some hilariously strange and overly complicated version of Ebonics. No. Just no. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to read an accent throughout an entire book.

If I were to read a Highland romance where everything the MC said was written in dialect I would toss that sucker in the trash. That’s too much for the brain to decipher without losing the flow of the story. Just give me a couple of lasses, drop the occasional ‘G’ at the end of a word and move on. If you’re writing an urban MC, mention that he has an accent. Maybe even toss in a slang word or two. That’s all that’s necessary to get the point across. 

You might also consider if your POC character even needs to use slang. If you’re writing an older Hispanic man who is a school teacher, he may not have slang words in his vocabulary. Again, think about what makes that character who he is, instead of going for that cookie cutter stereotype.  

But if you’re going to use slang, for the love of mocking reviews, please make sure you’re getting the spelling and usage correct. Last week, a journalist wrote coat-switching instead of code-switching* and I laughed so hard at the tweets about his goof that I had tears in my eyes. So ask. Start with Google. Hell, you can even try Urban Dictionary. Ask a friend. If they say no, they don’t want to help you, don’t get mad. Maybe they don’t know a lot of slang (I admit that I don’t) or they just don’t want to be “the ethnic girl that always has to explain ethnic culture to everyone” and that’s okay. Ask someone else. Post in the MM Romance Writers Group for help. I’m sure someone there will be able to answer your questions, or point you to someone who can. You can even reach out to me for African American culture information if you’d like. 

And then when you’ve got that beautiful book with your beautiful POC MCs ready to go, pass it off to a beta reader or two who is a member of whatever group you wrote about. Ask them for honest feedback and LISTEN to that feedback. If they tell you a plot point or description made them uncomfortable, really consider if it’s something you might want to delete or rewrite. Don’t just perch on that “it’s my story and I have to tell the story within me” high horse. Is it worth alienating a group of readers for writing a Black man who has kids he doesn’t support? If you want to die on that stereotype hill and get dragged on Twitter, go ahead. But if you want to write a story featuring characters that multiple groups can love and make their book boyfriends, take that feedback into consideration. 

The goal of this post isn’t to make anyone feel bad for anything they may have already written or deter a writer from creating a POC character. Far from it. Some people may think non-POC can’t write POC characters, but I’m not one of them. I think we need to have more minority characters. And yes, I do believe they can be written by authors who aren’t minorities. Because let’s be honest, the majority of m/m romance authors are women. So that means we had to do research to write about gay men and make sure we’re presenting their stories with compassionate consideration, yeah? That’s all us ethnic/POC/minority readers are asking for, a little bit of consideration.
Thanks for reading! And if you're looking for m/m stories with POC characters, check out my
Bad Boys Need Love Too Series.

Christa
Originally posted on the Cafe Risque blog. 

Readers! I Need Your Help!

I've been thinking lately on what I can do to further my career as a writer. I have things I'm working on myself, but there's one very important thing I have to do. And that's ask a few questions of the most important people: readers who read my books. I don't want to be the writer in the ivory tower, writing without regard for her audience. I want to know what readers want. So I created a survey of four questions. I would love to receive your feedback on what you expect from me as a writer.

As a thank you for answering, you can enter your name and email in the last question. Doing so will enter you into a drawing to win a signed copy of one of my titles. Drawing closes Thursday, September 15th. You are also welcome to remain anonymous and leave that portion blank.

P.S. I'd like to add this. Yes, I know that I should write what I want to write. I do and will continue to do so. That's not what this is about. It's about interacting with the world I work in and making smart choices on what to spend my time on. Christa's Customer Satisfaction Survey
1) What do you expect or want from a Christa Tomlinson romance? * 2) What sub-genre do you MOST prefer to read from me? * BDSMContemporary WITHOUT BDSM 3) How likely would you be to read a historical fantasy from me? * I might read it if it sounded interesting 4) If you did not read Showing Him the Ropes, what made you skip this title? * I didn't know the title existed or I didn't see it enoughMore than one of the above choicesOther choice not listed Please answer in the box below if you selected More than one choice or Other * First Name & Email if you would like to be entered to win a signed copy of one of my titles * Submit Thank you for your help!
Love,
Christa

I Did It!

Hey, yo! I am here today to say that I did it! Yep, I finally finished book one in a series that I've been wanting to get off the ground for a long time. It's a series where the MCs are professional wrestlers. Are you wondering what took me so long to get to it? Well pull up a chair my friend, because I've got three reasons for ya.

1) I was scared. You see, there aren't that many romances set in the world of professional wrestling out there. And I wondered, was that for a good reason? I know that professional wrestling is ... ummm let's call it a niche market. Yeah, a niche market that most people in mainstream entertainment don't really understand or respect.  You hear lots of comments like, "Oh, isn't that stuff fake?" And, "I watched that when I was kid, then I outgrew it. It's dumb." To those people I say:











Kidding! I have a tad more class than that. I mostly just ignore it. I've got a lot of stripes that I proudly fly on my freak flag, and being a fan of pro graps is one of them. So that made me realize, if I don't care when people make fun of it in real life, why should I worry about it in my writing life?

2) I was scared. No, I didn't mess up, I meant to list this as a reason twice. You see, not only was I worried that people who don't like wrestling would make fun of it, I was also worried people who do like wrestling would make fun of it. Professional wrestling fans are super duper passionate about it. And I was scared that they'd read it and pick apart every little detail that I got wrong or had to fudge for fiction's sake. Or that the Internet Wrestling Community (of which I'm a card carrying member) would get a hold of it, write mean comments in online forums and send me hate tweets for one, being a woman who dared to write about their boys club and two, writing gay men in wrestling. But I can't live my life worried over what meanies on the internet might say. Those comments won't get me money to buy my girls kibble, so I let that fear go.

3) I was overwhelmed. Shocker, right? The girl who's prone to anxiety attacks and struggles with trying to plan things felt like she was in over her head. Absolute shocker! But yes, I was totes overwhelmed. This is my first time taking on a project so large, where I had to create a world, multiple characters and pairings, and an overarching storyline all before I ever set manicured fingers to keyboard. It was tough, and I scuttled away from it more than a few times. But the series just kept pulling me back and finally I gave in and went for it.
So yeah, those are my three reasons for the ridiculously long time it took me to get anywhere close to publication. But in the end, I ain't no punk. I hulked up, pushed my fears aside and got going. And I'm very happy I did it. I love professional wrestling. I have since I was a kid. Getting the opportunity to pair it with one of my other loves - writing romance novels - is amazing! And now I'm just celebrating like:










I bet now you're wondering when you'll get to set eyes on this story that caused me all this angst. Soon. Very soon! The series title is Champions of Desire. Book one in the series is Showing Him the Ropes , and it releases August 16th. The gorgeous cover (more on that next week!) was created by the ridiculously talented  Jay Aheer. I'll be doing an exclusive cover reveal over on the Two Chicks Obsessed Blog on Tuesday, July 26th. Be sure to stop by, the ladies will have a Q&A as well as a few copies to give away. And while you're at it, add Showing Him the Ropes to your Goodreads TBR HERE.

Thanks for reading! You can check out the blurb for Showing Him the Ropes just below.
Love,
Christa
Chance “The Chancellor” Gerhardt is a mainstay for Frontier Professional Wrestling. He’s won multiple championships and has the respect of the locker room. But after ten years at the top, Chance is looking for a new challenge. The one he gets, mentoring FPW’s young rookie, is both unexpected and unwanted.

Devin Jacobs is a hot new talent signed by Frontier Professional Wrestling. He’s always been a fan of The Chancellor, and not just because of the older man’s skill in the ring. He has it bad for the steely eyed veteran wrestler. Unfortunately for Devin, The Chancellor isn’t looking to get involved with anyone. Or is he? During long nights traveling and working together, Devin catches more than one secretly admiring glance from The Chancellor…

Devin is determined to earn victories and championships in the ring. But he’d also love the opportunity to win Chance’s heart. Can the two of them navigate their way through the hyper masculinity and backstage politics of professional wrestling to the most important victory of all? Or will their shot at love be defeated 1-2-3?

Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks and Kobo August 16th.

My Report Card

Alright, The Detective's Pleasure has been out for over a month now. It's doing real solid in the reviews, but I thought it would be fun to share my own thoughts on the book. More specifically, what I think I did well, and what I can still improve on. This isn't an exhaustive list, because I'd like to keep these blog posts below 1,000 words. Instead, it's a few of the things that stood out to me the most. From The Sergeant to now, I think the two things I've improved on the most are story cohesiveness and head hopping. I'm proud to say that readers and reviewers agree with me on improved story cohesiveness. I've seen it mentioned in several reviews, including one from Prism Book Alliance.

I'm very happy with the tightness of the plot for The Detective's Pleasure. Basically I decided to practice the K.I.S.S. Method, otherwise known as Keep It Simple Stupid. I refrained from adding too many side plots into the story. I had some ideas for things I thought would be cool! But ultimately I realized they didn't necessarily add to the story. But no worries. They can be on plot bunny stand by for future books.

Another reason The Detective's Pleasure is more cohesive than The Sergeant is because it was planned out from the beginning. When I started writing The Sergeant's original fic predecessor I didn't really have a plan. I just knew three things: it was a BDSM story, one of my MCs was desperately in love with the other, and that they would have a wild and crazy affair. I was only a chapter ahead in my planning for a good portion of the story. It wasn't until the last third or so that I sat down and actively started plotting where the storyline was going. When I wrote The Sergeant, I followed the original rambling storyline. As I worked, I realized that I did better having a plan. Yes my friends, I'm a plotter not a panster. I got more practice in plotting with Bad Boys Need Love Too, and continued to work on it for Ryan and Sam. I'm not a top level plotter yet, but I'm pretty pleased with my improvement.

My other area of improvement was in head hopping. I like writing from both MCs point of view so that the reader can see and experience what both guys are feeling. But in both TS and BBNLT my point of view changes came about too often, resulting in the dreaded head hopping. This can be confusing for readers, and there was mention of it in reviews. With TDP, I paid close attention to keep that from happening. I think I had success in that area, but I also think I spent a lot more time in Ryan's head than I did in Sam's. The lion's share of the story was told from his POV. I'd like to continue to work on POV changes that don't head hop, but still allow both MCs a chance to tell their story.

As far as areas of improvement, there are two main things I need to work on. Paragraph, scene, and chapter transitions is a biggie. JFC those are hard for me! I think I started 97% of the chapters in TDP with some variation of, "Ryan sat at his desk." I changed three or so and sent the story off to my betas, thinking I was slick and no one would notice. Ha! One of my lovely betas, Jaylee, called me out on it. So I sat my ass down, went through and changed all but a few. It was hard. It was like my brain refused to come up with different ways to start a new scene. That's something I definitely need to work on.

My second area of Needs Improvement is character motivation for both MCs. Again, I spent most of the time in Ryan's head, which makes sense. The book might be titled The Detective's Pleasure, but it was Ryan's struggles with jealousy and submission that we were there to read about. Still, I would have liked to see more from Sam. But since I was trying to keep it tight, I didn't put as much for him in the story as I would have liked to. I'd say the POV scale was tipped at 80/20 in favor of Ryan. I'd like future books to be a little more balanced. It'll probably never be 50/50, some characters just have more to say than others, but maybe I can shoot for 60/40.

Overall, I think TDP is a good example of my improvement as a writer. To get better, I continue to read, both fiction writers I admire, and books on writing craft. I reread my own stories with a critical and honest eye, looking to see what did and didn't work. And even though like most authors, I'd rather sniff a donkey's sweaty hairy balls than read my one and two star reviews, I did so to find out just what it was about my story the reader didn't like. For both TS and BBNLT I'd say my overwhelming criticism was "Why is this book so damn long?!" I took that as my cue to cut down on the ramble.

Is The Detective's Pleasure perfect? Hell no. I don't ever want to write the perfect book. That would mean I don't have anything left to learn or explore. And that's super duper lame. No, I want to forever be in the middle box on my report card - always showing growth and learning new things.

Thank you for reading! Have you read The Detective's Pleasure yet? Tell me what you think in the comments. Or better yet, leave a review on Goodreads or Amazon. ;-)
Love,
Christa
Buy The Detective's Pleasure, now available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, All Romance eBooks, and Kobo.

Ten Things Romance Authors Are Tired of Hearing

Sometimes I love telling people I write romance. Other times, I dread it. Because I know they're going to have some silly/rude/uninformed comment to make or question to ask. No matter the sub genre, if you write romance, I bet you've heard at least one of these comments.


#1 "Will you write about me?"
Ewwww! No. I will not write about you. If I know you on any kind of personal level, I don't want to picture you getting down and dirty while I'm trying to write. And holy smokes, I hope you don't think of me like that. Which brings me to...
#2 "Do you do the stuff that you write about in your books?"
This is normally accompanied by a sly wink and cheesy elbow nudge. My response is usually:
I mean seriously. What the hell? Do crime writers commit the murders they write about? No! It's called imagination, people.
#3 "It must be nice to sit at home all day."
Exterior Christa Response: Yes, it's easy. It's nice not having to commute and I can take Netflix breaks whenever I want.
Inner Christa Response: No, you jackass! It's horrible! I have days where I can agonize for a good hour over one paragraph. I have to carefully check that I haven't given my character octopus limbs in a sex scene. (One hand on his lover's junk. Another holding his face. Another pulling down his pants. Another holding himself up. You get the idea) I can get so into the writing zone that by the time I come out of it, my back hurts, my ass is numb, my hands are cramped, I haven't eaten or peed in hours and my brain is fried. And we're not even gonna talk about the agony of hitting publish and waiting to see if readers like it. So basically:
#4 "I don't read that kind of stuff."
Yes you do. And if you don't, you're missing out. Nothing wrong with a little spice in your literature. And if you still don't want to try it, that's great. Just don't knock what so many others love. Which brings me to question five.
#5 "When are you going to write a real book?"
This is what I wish I could do to people who ask me this question:
What does this question even mean? Write something that is geared towards men? *sharpens feminist claws* Or maybe you meant a literary book? Sorry, not my style. I don't read it, so why the heck would I write it? I think what people mean by this is something that doesn't have sex (because America is a big ole prude) and can be made into a movie or something since those are the books that most people know. But listen, having a book optioned to become a movie and then actually being made is a one in a gazillion chance. I ain't got time for that. I'll write what I enjoy and what I know a lot of other people enjoy as well. They get a few hours of reading fun and I get a little bit of money to buy myself something pretty. It's a win-win.
#6 "Do you get horny when writing?"
Well, I certainly hope so. If I don't, then the people who read my work sure won't. You know what I'm sayin'?
But for real, tho. I don't type one handed or anything like that. But if I'm not feeling the emotions and reactions I'm trying to elicit with my words then how can I expect my readers to feel them? And if readers don't feel anything when reading my work, they won't buy anything from me again.
#7 "You're giving women false expectations for relationships."
Me:
No. We're not five. We know how to separate reality from fiction. We read romance novels to escape into what we know will always end well because we understand that real life doesn't always turn out that way. And we don't ask you if you think you're gonna run out and save America or whatever whenever you pick up a Bourne Identity book. Also, stop being sexist! Men (and non-binary people) read romance too.
#8 "Aren't they all the same? Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy loses girl. Boy gets girl back."
*insert long annoyed sigh* Yes, there is a basic format to romance novels. But they're so much more than that. The story can be humorous, serious or angsty. (I HEART angsty) It can be sci-fi, western, contemporary, thriller, time travel. The story can play out in so many different ways. The dialogue is different. The personalities are different. Basically, no two romances are the same. And to be honest, nearly every other genre has a format as well.
CRIME: Crime happens. Detective called in. Detective works case. Makes a collar. It's the wrong collar. Detective or his loved one is in danger by the true criminal. Detective finally solves the case, usually after a great personal loss.
FANTASY:  Evil happens. A young nobody is told he must go on a quest. He goes on quest. Slays the dragon/kills evil overlord. Takes over the throne. Reigns peacefully for a thousand years.
DO YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING?
#9 I don't read romance. But I wrote something really quick and threw it up on Amazon. Why isn't it selling?"
Seriously? Why? Because you're a douche. Also, because you don't understand the genre at all since you don't read it, but you think you'll magically know what it is that readers want? Get over yourself and stop insulting us. Yes, romance is a great way to make money because romance readers are voracious and consume mightily. But we only consume what's good. And something you made up over the weekend without any knowledge of how romance novels work, probably ain't good.
#10 "Can you give me a free copy?"

No. No. Noooooo. I don't come to your job and ask for free whatever it is you produce. Besides, you said earlier that you don't read romance. So why would I give you something that will get thrown in the closet without even being looked at? My work is valuable, yo.
Bonus: "So is it like Fifty Shades of Grey?"
I get tired of hearing this. But I can't even be mad at it. No other romance author has had as much mainstream commercial success as E.L. James has. So as benchmarks go, I'll take it.

So that's it. Ten Things Romance Authors Are Tired of Hearing. But honestly I may occasionally get annoyed, but I don't ever get mad. People are curious and want to know what it's like. I understand that. So I'll hope you'll take this list as it's meant: a fun round up of goofy things people say. Thanks for reading!
Love,
Christa