ELIZABETH MEETS EVIL TWIN

My inspiration is looking for some perspiration.

No, this won’t be a blog about writer’s block. I’ve been fortunate never to encounter that particular beast.

Laziness, now.

Whole ‘nother thing entirely.

It’s spring, dammit. I don’t want to work. I want to—

Go fishing.

Pick roses.

Hike.

Sit on a mesa top.

Sleep in the sun.

Grab Evan and put out a GO AWAY sign.


So I’m going to play hooky.

:-)




What’s your best memory of a hooky kind of day?

A Quill Quickie

What are three indispensable items you always carry in your handbag? (Or in your backpack, briefcase, etc.?)

Jayne:

1) Credit card for emergency shopping.
2) Backup credit card in case first fails.
3) Money in case first two don't work.


Elizabeth:

1) wallet
2) pen
3) book to read while waiting for whatever


Suzanne:

1. My favorite pen and a bunch of orange 5 X 6 note cards (You never know when a brilliant idea will strike.)
2. Kleenex (It's spring; therefore, it's allergy season.)
3. Sunglasses (Hope springs eternal that I might actually need them!)


Inquiring Minds want to know as we head into the weekend: What are three indispensable items in your handbag/backpack/briefcase?

Elizabeth Corners Amanda/Jayne

Elizabeth: Amanda Quick's latest novel of romantic-suspense, LIE BY MOONLIGHT, is out in paperback! I've tracked down and am about interview Ms. Multiple Personalities, herself: Jayne Ann Krentz/Amanda Quick/Jayne Castle.

Elizabeth: Tell me, Amanda/Jayne Quick/Krentz/Castle, do you ever suffer from identity confusion?

Amanda (Jayne): No, but lucky for you Amanda is the nice one.

Elizabeth: [Okaaaay. Somebody needs chocolate.] Tell us a little about LIE BY MOONLIGHT.

Amanda (Jayne): We're talking Late Victorian England, a mysterious girls' school, an intrepid teacher determined to save the four young ladies entrusted to her care, an evil crime lord and, oh, yeah, the last Master of Vanza.

Elizabeth: Could you explain Vanza? Briefly, of course.

Amanda (Jayne): A secret martial arts philosophy.

Elizabeth: That's brief. Yummy, too. Like your hero--sexy, mysterious, dangerous. My favorite kind of man. Tell me more.

Amanda (Jayne): Ambrose Wells started out life as a gentleman-thief but somewhere along the way he was inducted into the secrets of Vanza. He is still a very good thief, of course, but now he uses his talents in a slightly different capacity. He is a private enquiry agent -- a 19th century private investigator.

Elizabeth: And the heroine?

Amanda (Jayne): Concordia Glade is a dedicated teacher. But she was raised in a scandalous19th century commune which has made it difficult for her to hold a job. Whenever the truth about her past is revealed, she gets fired. It seems that Victorian parents don't want their daughters educated by a woman who was once a member of notorious, experimental community. Ambrose and Concordia are intensely attracted to each other but both have a lot of secrets in theirs pasts. Makes it hard to trust.

Elizabeth: And then there is the evil crime lord....

Amanda (Jayne): Well, you can't really have a sweet, loveable crime lord, now can you? I'm sure there's a rule somewhere about that sort of thing.

Elizabeth: Not that either one of us has ever written by the rules.

Amanda (Jayne): True. Where's the fun in that?

Elizabeth: I'll tell you where the fun is: LIE BY MOONLIGHT is out in paperback and it is in stores right now! If you don't feel like leaving your computer, you can purchase the book clicking on the links below.

Suzanne celebrates the Amazing Month of April

We've had the most amazing April here in the Midwest: lots of sunshine (with only a few days of "April showers bring May flowers"), warm temperatures, redbuds in bloom and tulips and daffodils and crabapple trees.

When I get up in the morning the first thing I do -- even before heading to the coffeepot -- is walk into our sunroom and gaze out at the forest behind our house. Our view literally changes overnight every night and each morning brings a surprise: wildflowers suddenly sprouting from the forest floor, tree buds that have popped into full-blown leaves since yesterday, and a clematis that seems to have grown up the bell pole another six inches.

I did a little research and, besides the perennial signs of spring, I discovered some interesting tidbits about Amazing April.

Did you know that April is National Frog Month? (April is also National Humor Month and National Poetry Month.)

Did you know that the first public library in the USA opened on April 9, 1833 in Peterborough, New Hampshire? (Although many institutions claim to be first, including the Boston Public Library.)

Did you know that the first McDonald's opened April 15, 1955 in Des Plaines, Illinois? April 15th is also Leonardo DaVinci's birthday. DOB: April 15, 1452.

Did you know that April 16th is National Eggs Benedict Day? (Who knew?) Apparently it was first celebrated in New York City more than a century ago.

Did you know the third week of April is National Organize Your Files Week? (Nuff said.)

Did you know that April 27th is National Tell a Story Day? (In Scotland and England, this day is celebrated on October 27th.)

Did you know that the fourth week of April is National Karaoke Week? (I've never really understood karaoke, but Jayne explained it to me and in an "Ah-ha" moment I realized it's how I THINK I sound when I'm singing opera in the shower.:-)

And did you know that April 30th is National Honesty Day? (Honest, I didn't make this up.)

April is truly an amazing month. Do you have any interesting "tidbits" about the month of April you'd like to share with the rest of us?

Novels as influence and inspiration

We are all aware of the many influences that shape our lifelong interests and aspirations: teachers, parents, friends and colleagues, the wonders of nature, and human achievements such as art, architecture and literature will all make a difference to our lives and will help to set our ambitions and priorities.

Fiction is not always fully acknowledged in the list, yet the first spark of a person’s interest in a place, an academic discipline, a craft or sport, is often lit, not by formal study, but by reading about it in a novel, a novel in which the author has presented the subject with such knowledge, enthusiasm and vibrancy that the reader becomes intrigued and wants to find out more.

A good novelist can prepare the reader for a real-life place far better than most professional travel journalists, because novelists are skilled in conveying atmosphere, the inner spirit as well as the outer appearance. When we first visit a country or a city that we already ‘know’ as the backdrop for memorable stories by a skilled writer, whether it be Mary Stewart’s Crete, or Jayne’s Seattle, we experience the pleasure of recognition in a way that even the best guide-book cannot possibly emulate. Linking details of a real setting to a well-known and well-loved story, featuring fictional characters that have become virtual friends, adds an extra dimension to our experience.

Good historical fiction, accurately researched, deserves to be a vital element in the training of professional historians, and even bad historical fiction conveys invaluable Awful Warnings! All who study the past can learn from the work of historical novelists. We find out how to use our imaginations in the interpretation of bald facts; we are reminded of the proper limits of inference, and of that fascinating balance between the familiar and the unfamiliar which it is vital to remember when studying other cultures.

Non-fiction works should never be dull, however academic they may be, and a good writer can inspire a reader on any subject from knitting to the administration of the Roman Empire without making up a story, but the person who picks up a non-fiction treatise or text-book has usually already made a commitment to studying that subject. Fiction is subtler and sneakier — it can take one by surprise, revealing the attractions of a subject that the reader did not even expect to find interesting.

So, have you ever taken up a craft or hobby that you first read about in detail in a novel? Have you been moved to research the factual background of a topic to which a novelist introduced you? Have you visited a museum or art gallery and looked with new knowledge and enthusiasm at exhibits because a favourite author has provided you with deeper insights, or learnt to appreciate the appeal of some activity, from fishing to quilting, that formerly fell outside your own range of interests?

Novelists wield more power than they sometimes realise.

Mystery Blogger: AgTigress

ELIZABETH DISCOVERS THE ENERGIZER BUNNY

Most of the time I don’t get up to an alarm. (YES!) Does that mean I get enough sleep?

No such thing.

So I get out of bed, work out to get the blood moving, drink tea and read the NYT to get my adrenaline topped off, and sit down at the computer to write dazzling, compelling, scintillating prose.

ZZZZZZZZ zzzzzzzzzz ZZZZZZZZ

Clunking sound as my forehead hits the keyboard.

Dang. Must need a kick start.

Pop a diet coke.

GUZZLE guzzle GUZZLE

*burp*

*ha-RUP*

*HE-GEEP*

Clunking sound as my forehead hits the keyboard.

Then I hear the sound of the wind swirling around the red rock cliffs and forest in my “front yard.” I go outside, feel the wind lift my hair, breathe in the scent of cedar and distance and time, and energy rushes through me. When I go back inside, I take that energy with me and put it into my writing.

How do you energize yourself when the usual things don’t work?

STELLA HAS A THOUGHT

Control yourselves--no, this isn't the first thought I've had, I'm sure there was another one once.

This is my fifth day at sea (again, no snide comments, please) on the way to Lisbon from Barbados. Ocean-gazing is such lovely stuff and allows the brain to be almost completely still for long periods. The trick is to spot the point when one's brain might forget how to move again. If this happens--so I understand--the prognosis isn't good.

But I had a thought while I was ocean-watching. Are you ready?

Who thinks Tom Hanks will make the perfect lead in "The DaVinci Code," the movie? Who doesn't think Tom is the man for the job? Do you have suggestions for the part?

Wow, that's actually three thoughts.

Cheers,
Stella

A Quill Quickie

What are your three favorite foods?

Jayne:

1) Artichokes
2) Cheese
3) Wine


Elizabeth:

1) Salt
2) Grease
3) Chocolate


Suzanne: Only three? Okay, here goes.

1) avocado
2) raspberries
3) key lime pie (but since I'm on a diet --- I'm always on a diet, btw --- I'm eating fat-free key lime yogurt when that must-have craving hits.)
4) bread pudding (Sorry I just had to add a fourth.)

Inquiring Minds want to know as we head into the weekend: What are your three favorite foods?

Views from the readers' trenches

I have been reading for too many years to count. And I am the kind of reader that always has to have at least 10 books in the house that I have not read just to keep me company. I am lucky that I have been part of the publishing industry so that I can find out about new authors and new books that are coming into the stores. My work began as a bookseller (independent and then Waldenbooks) including five years as spokesperson on the romance book industry for Waldenbooks. And one of my greatest joys was opening a box of books of new titles fresh off the press.

I now work for myself as a consultant to publishers and authors and teach at a local community college on the publishing industry. I am always interested in how the romance genre continues to change but still seems to publish stories that are about love and relationships.

Publishers introduce new authors and/or new series such as “Bombshell” or “Next”. New stories by favorite authors also bring me back to the bookstore. I am sure that I still miss out on other new books if I just knew about them. This idea brought me to ask myself, how do I find out about books? New Authors? Here is what I do to stay current:

• Sign up on author’s web-site to get news from them about their upcoming books.
  
• Sign up on publishers web-sites for their monthly newsletters.
  
• Sign up on internet bookstore or web-sites such as www.bookreporter.com for information on upcoming titles.
  
• Check out readings in the local newspapers for authors and books of interest and try to attend.
  
• Read and look through Romantic Times Book Club magazine which is found in bookstores.
  
• Check out the Romance Writers of America Web-site for their yearly award nominees and winners.
  
• Visit the local bookstores and look at what’s new in romance fiction. And there are often bookseller comments notes that are taped on the shelves, providing the reader information about a writer’s voice and storytelling abilities.
  
• Sometimes, publishers will announce on the front cover or back cover copy that this is the debut book for the author.
  
• Subscribe to the weekly email from Foreword Magazine. They review books and also give out yearly awards for books from small press publishers and self-published authors.
  
• Talk with other readers for those wonderful word of mouth recommendations.

What internet sites, bookstore web-sites, and author blogs do you use to help find new books and authors?

Mystery Blogger: Jennifer McCord

Suzanne shares: A FEW OF MY FAVORITE QUOTES

Like many writers, I collect quotes about — what else — writing! I usually have at least one favorite quote posted above my computer at any given time. At the moment it's that pithy and yet unequivocal truth: "Writing begets writing."

I'd love to share with you some of my other favorites, giving credit, of course, where credit is due.

"I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork." — Peter De Vrie

"This will never be a civilized country until we expend more money for books than we do for chewing gum." — Elbert Hubbard

"For an author nothing is as dead as a book once it is written." — Rumer Godden

"I try to leave out the parts that people skip." — Elmore Leonard

"My purpose is to entertain myself first and other people second." — John D. MacDonald

"The difference between the right word and the nearly right word is the same as that between lightning and the lightning bug." — Mark Twain

"Writing is easy; all you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until the drops of blood form on your forehead." — Gene Fowler

"I can't write five words but that I change seven." — Dorothy Parker

"I don't like to write, but I love to have written." — Michael Kanin

"It took me fifteen years to discover that I had no talent for writing, but I couldn't give it up because by that time I was too famous." — Robert Benchley

"It's much easier to write a solemn book than a funny book. It's harder to make people laugh than it is to make them cry. People are always on the verge of tears." — Fran Lebowitz

"The most essential gift for a good writer is a built-in shockproof sh*t-detector." — Ernest Hemingway

"I think I did pretty well, considering I started out with nothing but a bunch of blank paper." — Steve Martin

"There are three rules for writing the novel. Unfortunately no one knows what they are." — Somerset Maugham

"You know how it is in the kids' book world: It's just bunny eat bunny."
— Anonymous

"The profession of book writing makes horse racing seem like a solid, stable business." — John Steinbeck

"To write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write is to write." — Gertrude Stein

"Leave a log in the water as long as you like: it will never be a crocodile." — Proverb (Guinea.)

I know, I know, that last quote isn't technically about writing, but for some reason it's always been one of my favorites, anyway. (I also have a long list of quotes I love that have nothing to do with writing . . . but that's for another post.)

Are you a fellow "quote collector?" If so, do you have a favorite quote you'd like to share with the rest of us? It doesn't have to be about writing.

Here's to Spring!
Suzanne

Jayne Ponders Vampires and Werewolves

The classic Alpha Male has always been at the heart of the romance novel. This is the powerful, self-contained, deeply honorable hero who is also dangerous, emotionally reserved, enigmatic and hard-headed. Beauty and the Beast is the core romance story and a good hero always has a bit of the beast in him.

In recent years a lot of writers have softened up the Alphas in contemporaries and historicals because they came to be perceived as politically incorrect. Let's face it, they don't always come across as sensitive, modern guys and that bothers some writers, readers and editors. (Historical footnote here: Prior to the early 1990s nobody worried too much about Alphas. They were simply considered to be classic romance heroes).

The hero's most important job in any romance is to present a suitable challenge for the heroine. Just as James Bond requires a super villain -- not some fumbling, low-rent bank robber -- a really good heroine requires a hero who is worthy of her. He must be her equal in terms of courage, honor, determination and sheer stubbornness. He must be capable of love.

He must also be perceived to be at least somewhat dangerous. Although, in the end, a true Alpha hero always proves to be a good guy -- not a genuine threat to the heroine -- the story is usually a lot more interesting if we don't know that for certain up front. Readers like to discover the Alpha's underlying heroic qualities along with the heroine. They like the adventure.

Naturally, if our Alpha doesn't turn out to be a real hero in every sense of the word -- the take-charge guy who is willing to risk his life to protect those for whom he feels responsible; the man whose code of honor makes it impossible for him to hurt anyone weaker than himself; a man who respects the heroine as his equal -- he fails as a hero. The heroine would never accept him.

Although they are less common now in contemporaries and historicals, Alphas are vital to the soul of the romance novel. And you can't keep good Alphas down for long. In recent years they have been reinvented big time in one of the romance genre's many sub-genres: The paranormal.

The new Alphas have emerged as the vampire/werewolf heroes. And they are hot. Yes, indeed, we're back to heroes who pursue the heroines with a single-minded focus that would look suspiciously obsessive in a contemporary or historical romance. Think about it folks: It would be weird if the hero of a contemporary or historical romance arrogantly declared that the heroine was his chosen mate and had no choice but to marry him, right? But it happens all the time in the vampire/werewolf stories. By the way, we used to call those "forced/arranged marriage" stories back when they were popular in historicals and contemporaries.

And a hero who sinks his teeth into the heroine and sucks her blood in order to "transform her"? You're going to tell me you don't know what that action really symbolizes? Of course you do.

In the fantasy realm of the paranormal the Alpha no longer has to be disguised or camouflaged. He is the leader of the pack. Dangerous. Exciting. Deliciously challenging. But underneath the surface of the story nothing has really changed. He still has to prove himself a hero to the heroine before she will accept him as her mate.

Got a favorite Alpha Male hero? Or do you go for Beta types?

Love,
Jayne

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR MARCH WINNER!

Our March contest winner is Tami from Holbrook, New York. She has won a signed book from each of the Quills: Stella Cameron, Jayne Ann Krentz, Elizabeth Lowell and Suzanne Simmons.

We hope you enjoy the books, Tami!

Why (Smart) Agents Don't Blog

About two months ago Jayne kindly invited me to contribute to this blog (“Just something short from an agent’s perspective….”)—and, though I quickly agreed, I’ve been dragging my feet ever since.

I meant to quickly toss off a nice little piece; really, I did. But somehow, the project kept getting put aside so I could attend to more pressing needs—like organizing my sock drawer, for example.

To be sure, Jayne is a very important client (a wonderful person, as well, I should add) and I was very well aware that I’d promised her a piece—but something was holding me back.

I’d done my homework (I’d read all the talked-about agent blogs) and even figured out how to make my contribution to the blogosphere much more interesting.

(Which shouldn’t be very hard, I thought, since most agent blogs are by newly-minted agents who just don’t have any good stories to tell. All I would have to do is dust off a few of my better adventures-in-agenting, and, voila, I’d be a blogospheric star….)

But every time I’d start to think about which great story to start with, I would think of Dave Wirtschafter—and I’d come to a dead halt.

Wirtschafter, the president of the William Morris Agency, didn’t blog, but about a year ago, he let himself be interviewed for a long, candid profile in the New Yorker. It made for great reading—it was the real deal—but his candor is widely believed to have cost the agency at least two major stars, Halle Berry and Sarah Michelle Geller, as well as a major director, etc.

Indeed, according to Defamer, a Hollywood blog (“LA is the world's cultural capital. This is the gossip rag it deserves.”), in an email to this staff announcing Berry’s defection, Wirtschafter wrote,

“As you know, I am the subject of a story in the New Yorker that has caused some problems. I had personal reasons for doing the article and I recognize that these became blurred with my professional life. I never intended to harm any of our collages [sic] or our clients by participating in this story. While I can elaborate on the fine points of how I was portrayed and what I said, I did participate in this and want to apologize for any hurt that has stemmed from it.”

Hurt? That’s putting it mildly—and all because a very smart guy made a very bad mistake.

A few months after the New Yorker profile ran, W Magazine interviewed the now-retired Sue Mengers (“Hollywood’s first superagent”) and she has some choice words for Wirtschafter (“Dave Something—Schmuck, I think….”) but then she goes on to say something I thought was pretty perceptive: “It’s very tempting for an agent to give interviews. We want a little credit, so it’s hard to say no. But you should.”

And I’m starting to believe that what’s true for agents granting interviews is doubly true for agents blogging. Agents should just say No.

Admittedly blogs are different from printed media. They are less formal and more conversational. Less considered and more stream-of-consciousness. More real, less phony. At their best, they are a much freer medium than print

But this freedom comes at a price. And maybe that’s why, if you Google “Fired Bloggers” you get 14,500,000 results. Yup, 14,500,000.

It’s instructive to read some (though certainly not all) of them. My favorite is The Papal Bull, who blogs on the phenomenon of fired bloggers: “…what do we know about bloggers who get terminated and what commonalities are there?” It almost sounds like the title of a doctoral thesis (but much more interesting).

Basically it seems that bloggers who wrote juicy anonymous blogs got canned by their bosses when their identities were publicly exposed (Washingtonienne, et. al) and bloggers who wrote juicy stuff under their own name simply got canned when their bosses read their blogs (duh….).

And aside from all of them being fired, the “commonality” that caught my eye was that in most (though not all) cases the blogs that got their authors fired were juicy.

Which is no surprise. Human nature being what it is, the most interesting—and successful—blogs are the ones that dish dirt. The more dirt the better. And it’s better still when it’s the inside scoop about people in your own industry.

But here’s where I think the fired bloggers went badly wrong. It only makes sense to traffic in gossip when your boss is paying you to traffic in gossip.

Which is to say it’s ok to dish Hollywood dirt when you’re covering Hollywood for People Magazine—it’s not when you’re representing Hollywood for the William Morris Agency.

If your boss (or your client) is paying you to do something else—representing stars, representing writers or working in any other profession—they expect (demand, actually) that you put the interests of your firm or clients first. That means that, in addition to performing your professional activities, you exercise discretion about what you do and who you do it for.

And blogging, whether you do it anonymously or not, whether your intention is to provoke or merely inform, shows you’re not always putting your firm or your clients’ interests first.

Which is why good intentions don’t mitigate the damage you do. Even well-meaning bloggers get fired (though they don’t get blogged about as widely…).

In the blogosphere—or in the New Yorker—it doesn’t seem to matter if you’re not dishing any dirt—indeed, it doesn’t matter if you think you’re being discrete or even complimentary in relating a story or two about the great work you’ve done for your clients.

Those very clients (or some of your other clients) are free to take it in a very different way—and there’s nothing you can do about it. Dave Wirtschafter might have thought he was doing his clients and his firm a favor when he talked about the brilliant deals he made for Halle Berry. I was impressed, but Miss Berry clearly disagreed.

Decades before blogs were invented, Samuel Goldwyn observed, “I don’t think anyone should write their autobiography until they’re dead.” And it’s as true now as it was then.

So, for me at least, mums the word. Discretion is the better part of valor. In the best interests of my clients (not to mention, myself!) I’m going to put aside my dreams of blogospheric glory and, although this is my first attempt at blogging, I think I’ll also make it my last….

Mystery Blogger: Steve Axelrod

ELIZABETH CONFRONTS THE AUTHORS’ ENEMY

Ah, the internet. Gotta love it.

Or hate it.

But I can’t ignore it.

Like the ringing of a telephone, the doorbell, the stove timer, the internet demands attention. Unlike the telephone, doorbell, timer, the ‘net doesn’t have just one task for you and then it goes away.

The internet is endless. A black hole. A great sucking swamp.

A feast for researchers and other idlers.

I once Googled parasitic wasps (don’t ask) and ended up three hours later reading about lost textiles of China’s Silk Road.

Or was it three days later…?

The internet siren sings and I’m lured to click, marvel, click, gasp, click, read, click, print, click, click, click click clickclickclickclickclick. Storms of fact and fancies, opinions and wishes, beliefs and polemics, articles and photos. A whirling deluge of colors and voices and insights until

my brain explodes

Then I look at the clock and realize the ‘net has sucked up hours I’ll never get back.

I take a shower to clear my head.

Vow never again.

Well, maybe once. Just this once. It’s a good cause, right? Research is necessary.

Click.

Click.

CLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICKCLICK


What did you once do with the hours you now spend on the internet?

A Quill Quickie

"What are the top three TV shows you never miss?"

Jayne:

1) Monk
2) Food Channel
3) Food Channel


Suzanne:

1) Stargate SG-1 (My all-time favorite TV show.)
2) Any documentary on ancient Egypt, the brain, or outer space (no pun intended.)
3) The Weather Channel (Despite the fact we get 3000 channels, sometimes it's the best thing on. And, hey, we do live in "Tornado Alley.")


Man on the Street (aka Suzanne's husband)

1) Stargate SG-1 (Because Sue told me I was going to watch it with her.)
2) 24 (Just picked it up this year in Season . . . er, Day Five)
3) Sports (Nuff said!)

Inquiring Minds want to know as we start a new week: What are the three TV shows at the top of your viewing list?