Julie Miller--Author workshops and public speaking

Hey, all--a new topic comes to mind today as I'm preparing for a luncheon presentation I'm giving today.

As a speaker/workshop presenter--what are the things you enjoy discussing the most/least? what's the scariest/most stressful part of presenting and what is the easiest for you?

As someone attending a workshop or author panel--what kind of things do you like to know from an author? Craft tips? Publishing secrets? Details on their stories? How s/he got started? Other?

Personally, I find it hard when I'm not given any guidelines beyond 'we want you to speak for 20-30 minutes--about whatever you want.' It's easier to structure a talk when you know the audience's expectations. But I love it when I get good, interesting questions from the audience--ones that are pertinent, but maybe not on issues that have been talked to death.

Julie Miller
www.juliemiller.org

MUSIC FOR INTRIGUES--Amanda Stevens

I know a lot of writers who listen to music while they work. I can't do that. I need absolute peace and quiet (sometimes hard to come by at my house), but I do get inspiration from music. I often pick a 'theme' song for my current WIP, and while I don't have it on as I write, I'll give it a listen throughout the day to evoke a certain mood. I even sometimes choose a song that I think would make a great soundtrack if my book was made into a movie (wishful thinking).

I'll admit my tastes are a little offbeat. For romance, I love New Wave music from the eighties (Images of Heaven, Send me an Angel...to name a couple of my favorite songs). For dark, dark, dark stories, there is nothing like Skinny Puppy to evoke a nightmarish mood. For anyone not familiar with this band, their music was just used on the new TV show "The Inside". Also Massive Attack (Flight of the Phoenix, Mission: Impossible, Stigmata, Moulin Rouge) can really get the adrenaline going.

Does anyone else use music for inspiration? What songs/artists are a natural fit for your Intrigues?

Amanda Stevens
www.amandastevens.com

Paranormal in Eclipse--Rebecca York

Under Amanda Stevens' original post on Eclipse, Patrizia has asked a question about paranormal elements. <>

I'm doing it. But I've been writing for Intrigue since 1991.
Can someone who's come on board in the past few years answer the question?

My guess is that they would have discouraged it a few years ago. But it would be more likely now that paranormal is so popular.

Ruth/Rebecca York

ECLIPSE--Amanda Stevens

I asked this question in the comments section of Julie's post below, but I decided to open up a new topic in case some might not see it because I'm really interested in some feedback. For those of you who have written and read Eclipses, are they also edgier (re: the discussion on the new direction for Intrigues) or more traditionally gothic--the creepy old house, hero in doubt, etc? Are paranormal elements required?

I love gothics, with or without paranormal elements, so I'm thrilled to hear they're so hot right now.

Amanda Stevens
www.amandastevens.com

Envelope Pushing--Julie Miller

I've had a lot of people (esp. aspiring writers) ask me about the "new direction" Intrigue is taking. I guess they're getting that response on submission requests and rejections--either it does or doesn't meet the "new direction" Intrigue is taking.

While I haven't heard anything corporately about Intrigue guidelines changing, I do get a sense from talking to other authors and in my own writing that there are some subtle changes--all directly related to marketing. One, they're definitely looking for young voices since they really want to pull in and keep younger readers--I think that's another reason we can push some of the content as well--younger readers have been exposed to a lot more technology; the news is in their faces from a lot of sources; younger readers tend to take more chances/be more flexible; and they tend to like more action/steam/danger/unpredictability than veteran readers who are used to seeing a line a certain way.

I know the more books I write, the more the editors trust my judgment--for example, in my first books, the H/h got together pretty quickly. In one of my recent books, they didn't meet until Ch. 3. My characters can curse more now than before, if the situation calls for it. Some of my stories are getting more mainstream, but they still have that satisfying ending (still a must for me).

I don't know how much I push the envelope, content-wise (though I've dealt with some pretty traumatic issues, created some unusual characters, made up plausible technology, litter the place with dead bodies , etc.)

As far as specific trends, they come and go. But right now I think paranormal and Gothic are hot (hence, the success of the Eclipse sub-series).

Just some thoughts.

Julie Miller
www.juliemiller.org

HOW FAR IS TOO FAR--Amanda Stevens

I think the farthest I've ever pushed the envelope in an Intrigue was in CONFESSIONS OF THE HEART. My heroine, a heart transplant recipient, finds out her doner was a female serial killer who manipulated her lesbian lover into removing the hearts of her victims, and the hero is an ex-cop who was once tortured, then seduced by the killer. He even married her (obviously, the serial killer was bisexual). One reviewer said 'the whole thing was just creepy and bizarre'. Not sure she meant it as a compliment, but it's one of my favorite reviews.

I was really surprised that I was allowed to do this story. The creepy aspects aside, it was understood from the beginning that the heroine wasn't 'cured'. Her body could reject the new heart at any time, she was prone to infections, had to take tons of medications daily, and there was a good chance she would need another transplant down the road. It was definitely not a happily ever after scenario. After I'd written the book, I kind of wondered if I'd bitten off more than I could chew in an Intrigue.

Which brings me to my questions. Do you think the majority of Intrigue readers like it when we 'push the envelope', or do they prefer a more traditional mystery? How far is too far?

Amanda Stevens

PUSHING THE ENVELOPE

I feel like I've pushed the envelope in each one of my Intrigues. As a new author, I figured I wouldn't be able to get away with anything. But in my very first Intrigue the hero watches his house blow up with his wife in it--he thinks, and then I switch to a secondary character's POV to show the hero's anguish.

In my 2nd Intrigue the hero calls a really nasty guy a 'son of a bitch' and my editor said 'we don't usually allow that but in this case I think it's appropriate.'

In SEEKING ASYLUM, coming out in August, my hero has to go undercover in a mental hospital and receive treatments and shock therapy. Plus he's psychic. He's pretty darn messed up. I really thought that one would be nixed.

And... in the anthology coming out in November I got to use 'crap'!!!!(Geez, I sound like the writers of NYPD Blue, don't I?) And, I have an ambiguously gay sex scene from the villain's POV which is just this side of very explicit. I was really surprised it got to stay in. Probably because I never actually mention the sex of his partner, but it's pretty obvious from the descriptions. :)

Click on mallorykane.com to visit my web page.

Just a drop-in

Hello and sorry for my absence . . . I was off sailing around the lovely islands serving absolutely no purpose. Not so different from my regular life (where I also have little purpose), just different scenery. I did treat myself to the Internet cafe on board the ship. Now, I can spend money with the best of them, but sticking my credit card in the machine to pay a small fortune for some web time is not my idea of fun spending. But one morning I decided it was worth it, so I took my coffee and went down to watch the sunrise and send an email to my daughter.

There's a husband and wife there, obviously upset. He's got red eyes, she's sniffing, but I try to mind my own business and write my email. I'm a really lousy typist. Never learned. But, I have pointlessly long fingernails, so I suppose I do make a bit of noise. A few expensive minutes go by and the man comes over to me and says . . .

"Excuse me, but we don't know how to work the Internet, can you help?"

I look into his sad, teary eyes, and say, "Sure, what do you need?"

"Well," he sniffs, "we've had a death in the family, so we need to find a flight from St. Bart's back to Wisconsin. How do we do that?"

So, with my credit card securely slipped into the slot, I start searching all the travel sites while his wife man's the communal printer. I go to the airline sites, everything I can think of, all the while, he's weepy and she's sniffing. Finally, after $65.00 in charges, the cheapest thing I can find is around $800.00. The information spits from the printer.

The wife says, "Honey, we can't afford that much for plane tickets."

So I say, "Ma'am, once you get home, you can send a copy of the obituary and/or the death certificate to the airline and I'm sure they'll give you some sort of bereavement fare."

He says, "Really?"

"Yes," I tell him. "They are really quite accommodating."

His eyes brighten. "Even when it's your cat that died?"

So, I'm pretty much out $65.00 and last I heard, they were putting Fluffy in the neighbor's deep freeze until the ship returned to the US.

Welcome to summer!

Kelsey

www.KelseyRoberts.net

FILM AT ELEVEN, July, 2005

pushing the envelope--Rebecca York

Patricia, I'm answering you in a new window. as I said over on the CNN loop, I was astonished when I did UNDERCOVER ENCOUNTER as part of the New Orleans Confidential series, and the editor told me to have the heroine be a cop and go under cover in a bordello. I never would have dared come up with that plot on my own. But I loved writing it.

At the moment, I am writing a vampire book, THE SECRET NIGHT. I am finished the book and editing it. And I'm worried about the first scene. The vampire hero is a private detective and he has been hired to stop a bunch of low life bikers from partying in a graveyard. As I've written it, he scares the spit out of them, and they leave. But he doesn't bite anyone on the neck or anything really heavy. What do you all think? How far can I go? As I wrote it, the reader doesn't even know he's a vampire until chapter two. Am I safer leaving it that way? Or should I write it the way I'd write it if it were one of my single-title Berkley books?

Darn--I forgot to change the font color. And the size. Sorry. Anybody know how to block one of these messages? Every time i try that, the whole message goes away.
Ruth/Rebecca

Pushing the envelope -- Patricia Rosemoor

We hear a lot of talk about pushing the envelope but I'm wondering what you all think that means. Any examples of things you've read (or written) that suprised you (especially since it actually stayed in your ms.).

I'll go first. In my December Silhouette Bombshell, my heroine is trapped in a room privy to a sex scene/blood drinking (yes, vampire) scenario in the next room. It turns out the vamp wasn't drinking from a man but another woman. I was seriously nervous that I might be asked to change that, but not a word . . .

Patricia

Julie Miller--Just Dropping By/Satisfying Endings

Hey, everyone!
Haven't been by for a while so I thought I'd check in. You know, sometimes I don't think my life could get any busier, then, voila!, there's always something more to do. So I apologize for not getting here sooner. There's always something interesting to discuss, and I'm afraid I'll get distracted (I think my self-discipline has gone on summer vacation :) Even though work and family and life haven't taken a break!)

I do think one of the newer trends in romance novels, especially in a more mainstream line like Intrigue, is the idea that a 'satisfying' ending is just as acceptable as a 'happily-ever-after' ending. Sometimes, because of the plot and character demands, timeline of the story, etc., it just isn't realistic for every story to have the H/h get married/pregnant/propose/etc., that have been the staple of romance novels for years. I DO think it's important that they H/h make a commitment by the end of an Intrigue, since it is a series romance line. The reader (and I, the writer) wants that sense of closure--that security or reassurance--that everything will turn out okay for this couple that we've invested however many hours of our lives in. That commitment/security is a happy ending for me--what's being referred to now as a satisfying ending. Personally, I don't like it when the complete, traditional ending is tacked on to a book, when it seems forced or out of character for that completion to occur.

My best example is in my Intrigue, UNSANCTIONED MEMORIES. The heroine is a rape survivor, and much of the story deals with her recovery from the trauma, and learning to trust a man (and herself) in a relationship again. The hero is a man bent on vengeance, who initially deceives the heroine (not good for trust issues) in order to accomplish that goal. Of course, part of his character journey is to learn that vengeance won't bring back the loved-one he lost, it hurts to deceive someone he cares about, taking care of the living is more important than taking care of a memory, that positive emotions are more healing than negative ones, etc. For me, both characters had too far to go emotionally for them to be at the HEA point at the end of 300 pages. Instead, the story ends with them going to bed together for the first time, and him making the promise that they'll go through counseling together. They acknowledge that sex and a relationship won't be smooth sailing for them, but--the commitment to stick with a relationship through this healing/growth process gave me a sense of satisfaction. U MEMORIES is part of my Taylor Clan mini-series, and they do eventually get married in the last book of the series. But those characters needed that time.

So, yeah, imo, that satisfaction/security must be there at the end of a romance or romantic suspense novel. Sometimes, they do get to a wedding or delivery of a baby or a marriage proposal, sometimes, they don't. For me, without that commitment at the end of the story, it's not a romance novel to me. It might still be a good book, but if I'm writing or reading romance/romantic suspense, then that's a guarantee I want--a satisfying ending, or a believably traditional ending if it fits.

My long-winded thoughts.

Okay, now I really must get back to work!!

Julie Miller
www.juliemiller.org

HEA Problem--Rebecca York

I have an interesting problem. My hero is a vampire. And now I'm at the end of the book trying to figure out what kind of ending I can get away with. Do I have to turn the heroine into a vampire so she can live forever? Or can I get away with their staying together and seeing what happens?

Heroine Problems

How often do you guys write a story where the heroine is not immediately in danger, or where she is set up as the 'protector?' Do you find it difficult to reverse the traditional roles of hero and heroine and still have a compelling story? In the story I'm working on the heroine will be in danger--lots of danger--as the story progresses, but at the beginning she is an FBI agent and it's the hero and his toddler son who are targeted.

Mallory Kane

When do they meet? Rebecca York

This is the second time I've tried to edit a post and erased it! Arg!! I used to make sure my h/h met in the first chapter of an Intrigue. Now I might hold off a bit--if I need the story to start earlier than right before their first meeting. What are you all doing?

International Waters Hello - Kelsey Roberts

Hello from the high seas. Okay, I wish I meant that figuratively, but thanks to tropical storm Arlene, it is very rough here in the Caribbean. I know, you're thinking I shouldn't complain, I am, after all, on a cruise. Yes, I am, the annual family obligation cruise. This is when my mother, my sister and I all gather at sea and pretend we don't have a Loralie Glimore - Emily Gilmore kind of relationship. The water could never get as rocky as the relationship between the three women in my family. So, forgive me for not sharing the great threads being discussed by the insightful Intrigue Ladies, but the Internet Cafe is a happening place and getting computer time is close to impossible. Have a great week! Kelsey Roberts http://www.kelseyroberts.net

new rules? Rebecca York

I have a question. Do you feel that the rules for Intrigues are changing? Are you writing scenes and situations you wouldn't have been able to write a few years ago?

Villains and Heroes--Mallory Kane

Love the Evil Overlord list, Ruth!

The closest I came to villain explaining everything was in A PROTECTED WITNESS when the real killer finally captured my heroine and she wanted to know why he'd killed her father and her husband. He explains, but at the same time two other bad guys are doing things (one's fighting with the hero) and the hero is struggling to get to them because of course, being the hero, he's figured it all out ... well, most of it anyhow.

As for heroes in doubt -- I LOVE them. The masters (Christie, Mary Stewart's Ivy Tree, Dick Francis, Phyllis Whitney) can stay in the protagonist's head and still make sure the reader doesn't quite know everything. I love that!!! I aspire to that! Although probably not in Intrigue.

Mallory Kane

Villain Explaining Things at End--Kara Lennox

Rebecca--Unless I'm reading an Agatha Christie book, it really bothers me to have a villain explaining the whole scenario at the end. It seems unnatural. (And hey, let's face it, real bad guys don't usually spill everything when they're caught. They say, "Hey, I didn't do anything," even if the smoking gun is still in their hand. Or they say, "I want my lawyer, now.")

As a writer, I try to reveal as much of the puzzle as I can in bits and pieces along the way, so that when the ultimate bad guy is caught, he doesn't have to go into a long monologue--but maybe he can provide that one final piece of the puzzle that allows everything else to click into place.

Kara Lennox
BOUNTY HUNTER HONOR, Harlequin Intrigue, June 2005
www.karalennox.com

More Evil Overlord--Rebecca York

I found a version of the Evil Overlord list at the address below.

http://omega.med.yale.edu/~pcy5/misc/overlord1.htm


Rebecca York

Evil Overlord--Rebecca York

Did any of you ever read the "Evil Overlord" list--a list of what not to do if you were an evil overlord? (Like tattoo all your bad guys with the same mark so the cops could easily identify them. Or sit around explaining how well your nasty plans worked out before you kill the h/h?)

I'm at the end of an Intrigue and caught having the bad guy do a lot of explaining. Of course, a lot of it is lies because he's trying to get the h/h to hate each other before he kills them.

Have any of you gotten trapped with a lot of explaining by the bad guy at the end of the book?

Rebecca York