Brita Addams's Blog, page 9

A project is completed – Yay!

Writing is sometimes so inspired that the words seem to be waiting for me to type them. Then, there are times when I have to pull each one from the recesses of my brain, kicking and screaming, to the page. I never know what a day will bring, until I actually sit down and start writing. Lately, my mind clear and things around me going well, it’s been going rather well.

Happily, I’ve finished the manuscript for my Old Hollywood story this last Saturday, which I’ve tentatively titled, A Charmed Life. It fits the story perfectly, but as a working title, I grew rather tired of it, thinking to change it once I finished. Well, I’m finished, and the title will likely stick.

I’ve sent it off to my lovely BETA reader, who promises to be totally honest. A couple of other folks, editors, have read pieces of it, and they liked it. Two more assessments to go and then I’ll sub it.

The story came in at 105k, my longest, save for a really bad manuscript I wrote several years ago, which, in rereading it, is more telling than showing. Oh, the things I didn’t know when I wrote it.

While that baby is awaiting disposition, I’ve gone to work on the fourth Sapphire Club book, entitled, No Solitary Man. Today was a particularly productive day, and I anticipate this one to come in at around 40k, to keep it on track with the other three. Heavy story. This one tells the story of Alexander Chilton, from Chocolate, Tea, and the Duchess. I think readers who’ve read Duchess will be taken aback by this story. I’m contemplating writing a story about Haynes as well, but that’s just in the planning stages.

I received my notification today that For Men Like Us is now in the editorial queue at Dreamspinner, so I imagine I’ll be in edits within the next month in anticipation of a September release. I’ve also sent in the cover art sheet and can’t wait to see what the artist comes up with. I was rather specific when they asked what I had in mind for the cover, so we’ll have to see. I’ll share when I get it.

On to our evening.

Until next time,

Hugs,

Brita

 

Breathing and Good Stuff

As of last week, I am retired from working. For the least year, I’ve worked, under the name of Chris Hawkins, as marketing director for  Riptide Publishing. I loved it, but several months ago, I started to feel the pressure of the job and of the rest of my life. I wanted to devote all my time to both, and I don’t think the ability to do that has been invented yet.

After some lengthy discussions with Aleks and Rachel at Riptide, and with my chief adviser and person who generally knows me better than I know myself, my husband, I decided that I needed to step down and concentrate on my writing and my family.  The job requires someone’s full attention and sadly, I couldn’t do that and longer, and maintain the writing pace I’ve set for myself. Something had to give. Riptide now has Stephanie, who is a dynamo. All is well.

I spent the weekend watching the Queen’s Jubilee celebration on BBC America, trying to wrap up my Hollywood story, and taking a breather from it all. Much needed respite and I feel energized this morning.

The very first email I opened this morning was a most wonderful surprise. A little background. In 1983, my husband, oldest daughter, and I took a Caribbean cruise (one of many before and since.) Our table mates turned out to be a family from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, in the UK. Lovely people, Cathy, Eddie, and their daughter, Debbie. We got on famously while onboard ship, then they spent several weeks touring the country, including a visit to New Orleans. We invited them to our home and spent a lovely Easter Sunday with them.

Well, despite efforts to the contrary, we lost touch. Since we got a computer, I’d periodically attempted to find them, to no avail. Last week, I was on Linkdin, and decided to look for Debbie, who I knew had studied medicine. I did find a person with her name and who lived in Newcastle, and wrote a private note to her.

Low and behold, this morning I got an email from her, and she was the same person! I am so thrilled. Sadly, her parents have both passed away. They were such lovely people and we’ve never forgotten them.

Then, I got two wonderful reviews, always welcome. One for Splendid Captivity and the other for Demands of the Heart.  I couldn’t be more excited. That feeling, when someone likes your work, never gets old.

Last Friday, my honey bought me an Amazon Fire, which I’ve played with pretty much all weekend. I love it. I don’t find it particularly great for reading books, but that could possibly be me and the brightness setting, but I love the speed of web browsing and the availability of useful apps. Netflix, for instance, plays beautifully. I’m pleased with the gadget, as honey calls it.

So now I’m trying to finish my Hollywood novel. I am so close, and I know how it will end. The problem is, I’m just not sure if what I have planned is rushing the ending. I don’t want to do that. It’s one of those, “Can’t see the forest for the trees,” kinds of things I fear. I’ll get it worked out, just want to do it right.

And that is the wrap up of what’s been going on of late. All good stuff. Now, I’ll take my coffee, my buttermilk biscuits, and my Fire, and head into the writing cave. “Is it time for my close up, Mr. DeMille?”

Romeo Club #1: Surprises Recommended Read at All Romance Ebooks

I received another great review today, this one for Romeo Club #1: Surprises. They also made it a Recommended Read.

 

Romeo Club #1: Surprises by Brita Addams

 

Several elements make this fast-paced and funny short story more than just another brief erotic encounter. There is the perfect writing, the vivid sensory detail, and the first-person narrator’s cheeky sense of humor. His risky behavior mixed with his delight at his own decadence reminds me very favorably of author Anne Brooke’s Delaney series. I would love to see more romance authors writing erotic comedy such as this. Just so you know, the author adds the following sentence to her blurb: “This is a pure, unapologetic erotica short story, which contains no hint or promise of romance.”

The story opens with an attractive young guy Don who sits in the lobby of a dating service, filling out a questionnaire. At first, he’s surprised at the explicit nature of the questions he is supposed to answer. Then, a sense of mischief drives him to embellish his answers to make himself sound like a sexual adventurer with no limits. He hopes he will at least get a few promising match-ups with his exaggerated profile. However, his answers catch the attention of the man who runs the agency. This dominant and handsome man (with his eager assistant) lures Don into a back room for a special, sexual audition to join the Romeo Club. Don’s life will never be the same.

New review for The Rogue’s Salvation

[image error]I just got a great new review for my historical, The Rogue’s Salvation, from You Gotta Read. Hmm, I feel a sequel coming on.

Here’s the blurb:

Thomasine Littlebury is a spoiled, young girl, until the death of someone close pitches her headlong into adulthood. As she struggles to manage her life with little money and less social prestige, she’s struck down, leaving her scarred, alone and in the hands of a handsome man with a huge secret.

Myles Cunningham is a rogue of the first water, who answers every call to pleasure and decadence without a second thought. During one such foray, the fates conspire to throw Myles and Thomasine together, in a most unfortunate way.

Acting as the Good Samaritan, Myles sees to the young woman’s recovery and finds himself attracted to her strength and beauty.

As their relationship progresses, circumstances conspire to force them to marry to preserve Thomasine’s honor. He fears the discovery of his secret might destroy their fragile rapport, yet he desperately needs Thomasine, for he’s convinced she, above all others, is the rogue’s salvation.

Daughter getting married and assorted ramblings

Tomorrow, May 5, our youngest daughter is getting married. It’s to be a simple ceremony, with just a few family members and some friends in attendance, very similar to how Honey and I were married 32 years ago on May 9. That date was selected because it was the fourth anniversary of our first date. Our daughter selected May 5th, because it is the anniversary of their first date.

Our oldest daughter just called and said that she and Sissy had discussed flowers and Lindsay chose peach Gerber daisies because that’s what I carried when I married her Daddy. I am beyond touched by those two gestures.

To complete the sentiment, Lindsay will wear the heart-shaped pin that every bride in our family has worn over the last 40 years. I inherited it from my grandmother and have worn it twice myself, then the tradition has continued with my middle daughter, daughters-in-law, cousins, aunts, and now my youngest.

This pin also played an important part in the only book I wrote under the name of Tina Ordone, Her Timeless Obsession. It appears on the cover, as well.  Check out the woman’s shoulder.

On another subject all together – I read all the time, even if only for an hour or two at night. Sometimes, I’m so enthralled with a book that I continue reading in the morning over my coffee. I’ve noticed, of late, a couple of things that seems rampant in romance novels and I don’t mind saying, they have started to irritate.

Too many times, in too many good stories, the word morph appears. According to the dictionary, it has everything to do with change in shape – morph 2  (môrf) n. One of various distinct forms of an organism or species.

It is used with reference to changing a shape by computer manipulation. In the context of the romance novel stories, it invariably refers to emotion – he morphed from angry to loving; from a wimp to a hero, or something of the like. As a verb, morph means to change, to be transformed, but save for one reference, it is almost exclusively used in terms of a physical change.

My complaint is solely that it has a ‘nother worldly feel to it and throws me out of the love story, albeit momentarily. A personal thing, no doubt. I did however, encounter it in a Victorian historical, though, and it cause no small eye roll and a sadness, because the story was very good. By the way, the word never entered the lexicon until 1945 to 1950, and then more commonly as metamorphose, so it certainly wasn’t used in 1890.

The other thing that is overused, so much so that Imake a concerted effort to never use it, is the raking of hands through one’s hair. I have a husband, son, sons-in-law, brothers, grandson, cousins, and friends, and I’ve never known a one of them to rake their hands through their hair. Nor have they patted their hair, threaded fingers through, or any of the other variations of the action. Why do editors continue to allow this dramatic and again, overused, gesture? Dunno.

What do you think? Are there things you see in romances that you find are overused? I’d love to know.

Off to figure out what I’m going to wear to my daughter’s wedding. Dressy casual, I’m told. I can manage that.

Hugs,

Brita

 

A new writing contract at the end of a week I don’t wish to see repeated

This week has been one of a good thing negated by several bad things, wash, rinse, repeat. Last weekend was wonderful. Honey and I went out for date night on Friday, I always have fun with him, followed by an 8k writing marathon, progressing my Hollywood story to nearly 78k. I pushed into the light at the end of the tunnel, indicating I know where the story’s going and how it will end.

The challenge with this one is that it spans nearly 30 years. Truth be known, that’s my favorite kind of story, probably because I like to know what happens to people, and not just get a slice of their life.

On Monday, when I attempted to write  more, I came across my old friend – doubt – not a particularly companionable sort, and I started to question some things about the story. Though I wrote 2k on Monday, I suspect I’ll chuck them and more, as I’ve now decided to do a complete read through, adjust the timeline by four years, of course, check for continuity, and see if the ending I have planned is what it really should be. No one said writing is easy.

Tuesday, the whole world seemed to come at me at once and it didn’t stop until Friday, yesterday, when something amazing happened, but I get ahead of myself.

Now, along the way, good news was interspersed with the bad. Our youngest daughter called to say that she and her fiance had decided to push up the wedding and get married very quietly, with only family and a few close friends, on May 5. They’re living together anyway, and no, there aren’t any arrivals expected in the coming months, they just don’t want a fuss. We’re thrilled, as we trust this guy completely with our daughter and grandpuppy, Fiona, so the wedding is a fait accompli.

My legs have been giving me fits for months and this week seemed to be one of those times when they said, “Oh, hell yeah. She’s having a hard time anyway, why not?” Achy, restless, and swollen. Yeah, a doctor is in my future. I’ve put it off for several years and I fear I can’t deal much longer.

Princess Promotions took on several new clients, and Daphne is as busy as I’ve ever seen her. That’s a good thing and it brings her to the house a couple of days a week. I like that.

Some matters concerning a member of our extended family flared badly this week, grieving me terribly, because I had to tell someone I love very much (not my honey!) that they were wrong and that they were responsible for the bad decisions that has brought his life to the breaking point. Tough to say those words, but I haven’t second guessed myself. They’ve needed saying for a long time.

Then my website vanished, eaten by something that ails Blogger. I spouted a whole new vocabulary over that little affair, particularly because you can’t call anyone or even email anyone. They have help forums, which don’t.

Honey and I went out last night for date night. Saw Safe with Jason Statham, who never lets us down. Lots of action and raw angst. Love it. Then, on to a Thai restaurant, which was very good. We’ll reprise it at lunch, because neither of us could finish and brought home leftovers.

I checked my email when I got home and found a very welcome new writing contract. Dreamspinner Press bought my story, For Men Like Us. I’ve very excited and look forward to working with them. The story is a gay historical and one I’m very proud of. Beta readers loved it, giving me some very positive feedback.

With a tentative release in September, I can’t wait to get started and get it ready for publication before I go to Gay Rom Lit in October.

I second guessed myself and the story after it was harshly critiqued by someone who admitted they had barely started reading it, but based on a few sentences, they felt qualified to wax on about writing style and story, followed by, “Unless, of course, your writing style is different with historicals than it is with contemporaries.”

Ah, yeah, it is.  It’s necessary to set the stage for the time period, and I do that partly by the use of archaic English or at least my version of it, based on reading, documentaries, and period movies.  After shaking off the crit, I subbed it to Dreamspinner and I’m so glad I did, because seven weeks later, I’ve gotten a contract and some very encouraging words from Elizabeth North.

Lastly, I finished reading Heidi Cullinan’s historical, A Private Gentleman, and enjoyed it very much. I will have the courage to tell her so face to face at Gay Rom Lit, something I couldn’t bring myself to do last year, speak to the lady, that is, as I’m a huge fan. I also started and am almost finished with Country Mouse, by Amy Lane and Aleksandr Voinov.

Now, no two writers could be more disparate, yet this book works seamlessly. I recognize Aleks in the writing and have to assume Amy is what I don’t recognize, but I’ll be remedying that very soon. This book is quirky, funny, poignant, and light, which I needed at the end of this past week.

Here’s a quote that I found described some people I know:

“You’re a nice guy, but that’s like blood in the water. Attracts all kinds of unpleasant people who’re just trawling for a weakness. Any weakness.”

And

“It’s not unreasonable to ask for a little respect.”

My own – “I’m nice till I’m not.”

Off to see what mischief I can get into today. I suspect writing isn’t a part of the equation, though. Maybe tomorrow.

Hugs.

I've moved the blog. You can find me at http://britaaddam...

I've moved the blog. You can find me at http://britaaddams.wordpress.com

Stop by and see me.

Hugs.

Date day, new venture, and falling in love with old Hollywood

It's early summer in southern Louisiana, getting muggier by the day. We go from pleasantly cool days to muggy, skipping any significant period of beautiful spring days. We crank up the air conditioner in February and keep it running fairly steadily through October or November. So different from my youth in upstate New York.

My honey and I have been spending some real quality time together, going to a few movies and dinner out at least once a week. It's nice to get away from the house and the computer and spent a few hours away.

We went to see 21 Jump Street this evening, the new version with Channing Tatum, my new young actor crush. He is a "baby doll," as my sister would say and funny as hell in this movie. It was great seeing Johnny Depp and Richard Greico in uncredited parts, reprising their roles on the old TV series.

We've seen him before and I've always enjoyed his performances. Glad we went today.

My dear friend, Daphne Banphrionsa, has opened Princess Promo, a virtual book tour company, and she's asked me to consult, which has been great fun. I've been doing virtual book tours for some time now, over at Riptide Publishing, working under the name of Chris Hawkins. Seems that author and book promo is a calling of sorts for me. Daphne's booked book tours for Poppy Dennison, M.J. O'Shea, and Zach Sweets, three very talented authors and in typical Daphne-style, she's giving them the red carpet treatment.

Daphne is having great fun and I'm having fun watching her, since we worked together at a service company we owned for several years, until the economy took a severe dip.

This weekend, I intend to write like a crazy person. My old Hollywood novel is just over 60k and with any luck, I'll add a few thousand over the next couple of days. I'm loving the vibe of this story, Hollywood in the 1920s and '30s. The story will span 25 to 30 years, something I've wanted to do for some time now.

There's the update. Now I'm off to bed. Haven't slept too well this week and I have to be rested to get my writing done. Please, sandman, be kind tonight.

I don't like change

It's true. As I get older, oh, hell, coming clean here, throughout my entire life, I've been adverse to change as it directly impacts my life. I'm all for technological changes, I love new gadgets that do all the cool things gadgets should do. No, it's the personal changes that occur, seemingly, willy-nilly in one's life, and all without warning.

Following a week of picking my honey's pockets with three major purchases, out of necessity, we had a major upheaval in our little household.

Bear with me for a bit of history. Our 27 year-old daughter, the last of three, moved out ten years ago for college, then to her own apartment, etc. I swear I cried for four days after we took her to school and left her amongst strangers, though she was giddy with joy at being on her own. Her circumstances are different, in that she's physically handicapped and it is difficult for her to live on her own without help.

All her independence changed one night, two years ago, when her theretofore loving boyfriend left her stranded at a movie theatre. No explanation, still to this day, just up and left her. They hadn't even argued, so it is all quite a mystery. I can't even imagine how she felt when she discovered his rest room break was he cowardly way of breaking up with her after four years. She called us and her Daddy and sister drove 2 1/2 hours to get her and bring her home, which is where she's been for the last two years.

A funny aside - a few months back, the useless lump of flesh happened to be in the same store our 6 foot tall son (the guy is a wimp under pressure,) and obviously didn't realize who was standing next to him in the freezer section, until he stood up and looked our son in the face. Son gave him his best growly face and he said the guy literally dropped what was in his hand and ran out of the aisle.

Anyway, having her home again has been a joy that I couldn't begin to describe. We've long since stopped parenting her, she's quite capable of taking care of her own affairs and needs no advice or input from us, unless she asks, so we are really the closest of friends and respectful of each other.

Fiona, my muse and leg warmerNow is a good time to say that she brought with her our grand-puppy, Fiona, the sweetest little thing ever born on this earth.  We simply adore her. Fi loves us all and is equal opportunity. She spent time with each of us. Since I'm up first in the morning, she'd greet me at the door and shadow me until I sat down with my laptop and coffee. Then she'd jump up and sit beside me, serving as my muse and my buddy, until Clint came out and then it was on to another lap.

Now, for the last year, Lindsay has been dating a guy who we really like a lot. He's good to her and Fiona, and we couldn't ask for anything more than that.

This past week, Lindsay came to us with one of those, "We need to talk," talks. UGH. I hate those, even when I'm the one initiating them. She sat down and explained that she wouldn't ask us to house her boyfriend and her and that they really wanted to set up housekeeping, and as much as she loved living with us, independence beckoned, and other lame things along that line. :)

Lindsay and Fiona just before they leftYou could have hit me with a ton of bricks and I would have expected it more than hearing her say all that. Wow! My first reaction, half-kidding and hoping she'd fall for it, was that Fiona stays with us. The look on Lindsay's face told me she didn't think it was a great idea and I immediately told her I was kidding (fingers crossed, of course.) She breathed a sigh of relief and we continued the discussion.

She'd made all the arrangements to move before she told us, because we are cut from the same cloth and she understands that to drag things out would be really painful. Yes, I take things like this hard, it's how I'm wired and sometimes, I wish I wasn't, but that's me.

I've loved having her in the other room, where I could hear her voice and pop in to see her when I wanted. I loved our evenings, when she'd come out at 5 and we'd eat something yummy that Clint had cooked up and then spend a few hours together, watching TV shows we all loved. After I'd go to bed, she'd stay up with her Daddy and they'd watch a couple more hours of shows they loved before they retired for the evening. All the while, Fiona popped from lap to lap, chased after her favorite toy, and generally provided the cute factor of the household.

It all worked perfectly and I saw no reason it should change - save for love and the human need to be as independent as we possibly can be - curses to that!

Poppy giving Fiona her snackOn Friday morning, Poppy fed Fiona her snack, a daily ritual, I held her until I was afraid I'd squeeze the life out of her.

Wrenchingly, on Friday afternoon, Lindsay, her boyfriend, and my little baby Fiona, (lovingly dubbed by me, and for no apparent reason, Baby Squirrel,) moved on to the next chapter in their lives. Our house is SOOO quiet and frankly, quite empty. Fi isn't here to greet me in the morning, or bark when the doorbell rings, or to make me laugh. Clint swore yesterday he heard her barking (she yips and not much, but she likes to protect her family) during the night, and it was really difficult coming home yesterday after some errands and she wasn't there at the door to greet us with her waggy tail and abundance of enthusiasm.

Lindsay's happy and that is, above all else, what we want, but oh, how I hate change. However, I'm not inflexible and have come up with a silver lining. Now we have our guest room back and we're planning company later in the year. If I've learned anything over the years, it's that change is inevitable and you either embrace it, or you end up old before your time. That, my friends, isn't an option for me, so I'll look forward to the time when Lindsay and company come home for a visit. Until then, I have my memories and this adorable picture of Fiona.
Grammie's Baby Squirrel

Picking hubby's pockets, one major appliance at a time

There are those who would say that we reap what we sew, but I swear I did nothing to warrant the week we just had. It is terrible when one expensive thing breaks, not only because of the inconvenience but the visceral response to having to replace it.

I see no value in a lawn mower, seriously, especially when I have no grass to mow. However, we rent a house to our son, who has massive problems, and the lawn mower we bought for the house up and died, ignominiously, without so much as a warning or a by your leave.

Okay, you have to do what you have to do, so you purchase another Toro and get on with it.

Thursday morning, laundry day arrived. I tossed the last load into the dryer, pressed the button to start it and NOTHING. I mean not a sound, save for the groan from its mistress and of course, the tinny sound of the kick I gave the thing, thinking it might help. It didn't.

I tried all morning to come up with the words one says when you're about to pick one's pocket. Now, I'm not saying that my honey hasn't the full appreciation for clean, dry clothes, but a clothes dryer is something that no one sees or gives much thought to until you press that button and the damn thing doesn't start. It isn't something a man derives a tremendous amount of satisfaction in possessing.

My sweetheart got up, enjoyed his morning espresso, then, when fully awake, he said he had something to tell me.

"Well I have something to tell you," I said, grateful for the reprieve.

"My computer died last night," says he, his usual smile nowhere in sight.

My well-planned speech, and believe me, it was a jewel, went for naught. I just laughed and said, "Well, my least favorite toy broken this morning."

"Are you xxxx me?" <--- cleaned up considerably.

"Nope, I wish I was."

Then we laughed, because what can you do, cry?

Amidst all this, our daughter was going through a crisis of massive proportions and we couldn't do anything but sit back and watch her endure emotional Hades. Helpless doesn't begin to cover it.

We also had a bit of a "hold your breath" moment when my husband went to get the results of an MRI. Thankfully, there's nothing serious going on inside him, nothing that we have to address. I fear word of such a thing would have tipped us both over the edge.

Yeah, my husband is walking a bit light in the pockets these days, but he's a sport. After learning of the disasters, he's practical and manages to handle all that must be handled.   

On the bright side, I'm having a blast working with Poppy Dennison, Ellis Carrington, and Damon Suede on Boxer Falls. My part is minor compared to theirs, but it is so much fun. I'm honored to have been asked to write several episodes and I'm helping out with promoting it. Great concept and a great group of writers. If you haven't heard of it or read the episodes, you'll want to. Click the link in the side bar and prepare for some good, old-fashioned fun in this wonderful Gaytime Drama.

Today, I submitted a manuscript I've been working on and I hope to hear soon. Fingers crossed. More on that when I hear something.

I'm hoping this next week brings some less expensive events and some good news. I'd really like to keep my good nature and it's been sorely tested his glorious first week of March, 2012.