SIMON SAYS & Lots of Questions

Good morning everyone!

I'm going to totally cheat and hope you'll forgive me. Yeah, SIMON SAYS is out, and yeah, we usually do an interview. But... where to start?
The 30th of June was my 29th wedding anniversary.
Our remodeling is getting close to being finished, but isn't yet. I now have a 4 season room- without furniture, a nice new deck- without stairs, a much bigger kitchen- without water...
Patience I tell myself.

We had no time to celebrate an anniversary or much of anything else.
Crews have been in my house for months now.
As an aside - I had no idea how much I LOVED writing in my flannel pants and sloppy Tees without makeup. Seriously. I miss it.
Now I have to be dressed and presentable by 7 am because any number of subcontractors will likely need to ask me something. It's very hard to write in makeup. Who knew? And I can't quite twist my legs around the chair the way I like when I'm wearing jeans. A strange misfortune, because my book is due the end of this month.

No, I'm not done. Not even close.

Yeah, I'm getting panicky. Deep breaths, deep breaths, deep breaths...

July 1st I had a wedding shower, without a kitchen floor or countertops. No one seemed to mind. I have very forgiving family and friends.

July 20th is the wedding for my son and his beautiful fiance. The reception is at my house.
SURELY I'll have countertops and running water by then, right?
I hope so. That's the plan. (Yesterday I got carpet for my 4 season room, and the day before I got the flooring my kitchen. Monday is the new big screen TV and surround sound, and Thursday is the new furniture.)

I'm without daughters, so I'm thrilled for this marriage, and I'm doubly thrilled to get to organize it in the place of the bride's mother. I'm having a blast - even in my panic-mode.

But it does take mega time, and I am trying to finish this book, so... no interview from me.
I just plain don't have time, not if I have any hope of getting this book done on time. Instead, I'll just tell you that SIMON SAYS is available, reviews so far have been very encouraging, and I'll love you if you buy it and read it and tell me what you think.

Now, to make it easy on my brain, I'm just going to answer some of those clever questions Stella gathered! (BTW, in the midst of all my craziness, I'm reading TARGET, and let me tell you - WONDERFUL!)


Pia asked:
One question I am kinda curious about, this goes to all the quills EL, EG, Susan, Stella, Lori, Jayne, if there was a book you read of your fellow quills which one would you like to see made to a movie and who would your dream cast be?

Off the top of my head, one of my all-time favorite EVER books is PERFECT PARTNERS. Loved, loved, loved every word. I know, it's an oldie now, but it's still as delicious as when I first read it. That's the real test for a book - how it holds up over time.
I could see Hugh Jackman as the guy, and maybe Sandra Bullock as the heroine.
But honestly, I'd almost hate to see it made into a movie because the few "books to movies" that I've seen have sucked pretty badly.
Julie Garwood's FOR THE ROSES just broke my heart.
Linda Howard's LOVING EVANGELINE destroyed that awesome alpha male.
I say leave incredible books alone!


Kate said...
... do you think that most romance novelists marry their ideals?

Kate! Congrats on your upcoming marriage. Go you!
OF COURSE those men exist!!! It irks me that women always try to insist they don't. And you know why they insist it? Because they refuse to accept the flaws with all the yumminess. Show me a perfect woman, and then we'll worry about finding her a perfect man! Ha!

Oh, and to answer your question, yep, I married my idea man. After 29 years together, it makes me weepy to think about how much more I love him every year. I just did a blog for another site for this - about romance in marriage. When it's available, I'll let y'all know.


Karende asked:
How does one go about finding an agent?

Honestly, it's harder to get a good agent than it is to sell that first book. I'd say sell first, then ask your editor who she likes. Or get on some of the RWA loops and ask other authors for pros and cons on various agents.
When you find an agent you're interested in, talk to her numerous times - on the phone or in person, not on email - before you decide. Don't sign a contract if you can help it, but if you must, make it a book-by-book deal. Many, many agent/author relationships have gone down the toilet, and you don't want to be tied to someone if he/she lets you down.


Ranurgis said...
Since I don't intend to write a book, I have a different sort of question.Is there someone in your family background who was a writer or otherwise more "creative" type of person?

No other published writers that I know of, but my mother had a wonderful way with poetry. My "real" father (not my stepdad, who raised me) is artistic. I'm artistic. My boys are all artistic and good storytellers and someday at least one of them, if not more, will be published. I'm sure of it.


dee from Australia said...
do you feel that you have grown as a author?

Enormously! And it makes the job harder every single year. I keep challenging myself, and taking chances, and then working hard to make them work. But I would hate to NOT grow as an author. If each book doesn't teach me something about writing, then I'm not trying hard enough.


Marcie said...
Do your non-writing friends understand your frustrations or joy when you talk about your stories? Or do they give you the vacant stares and polite smiles?

I have two very close friends who aren't in the industry. We do dinners out a lot. Our kids all wrestled together, and that makes you close. They get it. They're wonderfully supportive and always interested. Everyone else... I just don't discuss my business with them. For many people, if you're not on Oprah, you haven't arrived.


Michelle said...
How do you keep yourself from doing too much research - particularly if you're working on a historical? I really enjoy that aspect and sometimes fear I use it as a form of procrastination.-Michelle

Because I write contemporary, it's probably a different animal. But I try to wait to do the research only when I need it, and I stop when I've found enough to answer my immediate questions. It keeps me from getting too fascinated in stuff that won't actually go in the book anyway.


DFender said:
Okay, since I'm not an author, nor aspiring to be one, my question is more general interest:For each of the lovely Quills, Which three people (currently living or deceased) would you love to have to a dinner party? Famous, infamous, celebrity, icon, regular Joe... your choice.Deb

Oh, I just know this might get me flamed, so please refrain folks. I'm super, super tired these days, and really, we all look at life from different perspectives. To each her own!
But here goes:


President Bush
Randy Couture (a fighter in the UFC)
Princess Diana

For various reasons, I think they're all three utterly fascinating and well worth knowing better. My heart still breaks for Princess Diana. I try not to think about all the good that could have been -probably would have been - done if she'd lived.


Darla said:
For all the Quills...If there was one thing you could go back and change in your writing career, what would it be and why?

I'd be nicer. I was pretty mean to some of the Harlequin editors when I was with them. I'm a "bigger" person now and realize that I could have handled some of those conflicts over editing and titles and covers in a more tactful way.
:::sigh::: Unfortunately, we can't go back.
I'm still every bit as territorial over my word choices, my descriptions, my... everything. But I better understand now that Harlequin is a world of its own, with a different set of rules than other publishers, and different goals. I was playing in their backyard, so I should have abided by their rules without so many complaints.
They do a GREAT job for what they intend, and I didn't appreciate that as much as I should have at the time.
Looking back now, I appreciate it enormously.


Brandy said:
I have a question about y'alls books. Has there ever been a book you've written, that you wish now you hadn't?

Wow, good question! And actually, yeah. If I had it to do over, I wouldn't have taken part in the Maitland Maternity continuity series with Harlequin. Because of the set up of a continuity, it never totally felt like my book. It's a long thing to explain here, but you get a "bible" with preset names and situations and even conversations. You have to coordinate with a lot of other people. I'm one of those who likes to do my own thing in my own way, without any input - so it was a painful experience for me, and because it's not a stand alone book, it's nearly forgotten in my backlist.


Anonymous said...
For all the Quills...if you weren't writers, what would be your dream job? Karen (who cannot remember her pswrd and user name)

I'd always wanted to be a teacher for elementary school, and/or an art teacher. I love kids, and I love art, and I love young minds. I have a great empathy for children, and I remember my youth, my own personal struggles and my hurts. I think I relate well with kids.


SusanB said...
Do you reread your own work ?? And, if you are doing a series with followup from previous books, do you reread differently?I find as a reader that if a book is good, but not a "reread" then I am not as happy!

Until recently, I did. Now I barely have time to read the instructions on medication. LOL.
But yeah, in my "early" writing days, I reread all my own books just to see how they were after becoming an official book. For connecting series, I keep a profile sheet with everything I think might be important, from names with height, hair color, eye color, profession, quirks to local stores, stop lights and landscaping.


Ms. Owen & Ms. Kinder said:
Has turning your art into your "job" in anyway detracted from the joy you take in writing? Have you ever felt like you had to do less than your best to meet a deadline?Ms. K

Nope, but I have done without sleep, food, or entertainment to finish a deadline. It can be grueling when you find yourself falling behind. That's why I recently changed my deadlines so that now I'm only scheduled for 2 books a year. I hope to do a little more living and a little less writing.
But I have always, from day one, made my books the absolute best that I could make them before turning them in.
And it's paid off for me because I've not only never had "big" revisions, I've seldom had revisions at all. I've been lucky.


Tammy said:
Is there one book you've written, that you wish now you could have changed something major?Hopefully that makes sense.

Because so many readers have complained to me about Alyx Winston not having her own book, (She's Joe Winston's sister) I sometimes wish I could go back and write JAMIE without Alyx's secondary romance in there. But at the time I wrote that book, I was done, done, done with the series and just really wanted to move on to something new and different.
I bore easily. And besides, Visitation, NC had so much testosterone in it at that point, females were ready to faint in the street. I needed to wrap up that series for more reasons than my urge to move on to new ground.


Cbell:
I would love to have each of you list your top ten romance novels you would take to the beach.

Wow, that's a tough one! I just know I'll miss one!
Well, first off would be TARGET by Stella, because I'm still reading it and I'd hate to hit a beach and not get to finish it. LOL
Second would be COMING UNDONE by Susan Andersen, because it's next on my list and I've been waiting forever for it. C'mon PJ and Jared! I LOVED them in the other book.
Favorites I've read and reread:
3. PERFECT PARNER by Jayne Ann Krentz
4. DREAM MAN by Linda Howard
5. HONORS SPENDOUR by Julie Garwood
6. LION'S LADY by Julie Garwood
7. TENDER REBEL by Johanna Lindsey
8. GENTLE ROGUE by Johanna Lindsey
9. THE SHERBROOKE BRIDE by Catherine Coulter (and the rest of the Sherbrookes)
10. FIRESTORM by Brenda Joyce (and the related family books)


Everscoi said:
What comes first, characters or plot?What happens when it's characters first? Does the plot just flow naturally from a discovery of those characters, or do you find it difficult to weave a story together to fit the characters you want to write?

Characters come first for me, usually already in a scene. Then I have to figure out why they're there, why it matters, how it plays out in the rest of the book, etc... Fun stuff! I always plot around characters.


Anonymous said...
After reading this blog for a while now and learning what hectic schedules you all keep between your writing and other activities, how do you find time to read other authors books?Is there one particular author that you ALWAYS read no matter what?What is your favorite book of all time?Thanks for the ability to ask.Kathy H

Man, I can't think of ONE favorite book of all time. I've loved too many.
My schedule has gotten unmanageable in the last two years, which is why I'm cutting back - so I can get more time to read again.
Prior to the last couple of years, I could do six books a year and still have free time. I DID six books a year, without a problem. But... life changes and when I think it should be getting easier and calmer, instead it's more hectic.
I'm reading again now by doing the treadmill and only reading when I'm on there. It's works out great in two ways - keeps me exercising and lets me read again!


Anonymous said...
I really want to know how to make a green ghost martini. :)When you don't want to sit in the chair and write..what do you do to make yourself sit there? Duct tape? Crazy glue? Rebecca

LOL. I don't drink, so I don't know about the martini.
But if I DON'T want to write, I know I must've made a mistake somewhere in the plot that got me bored. I try to figure that out, and then I'm anxious to write again.
(Sounds easier than it is!)


mec said...
If a person had never read any of your books (unthinkable!), which one would you want them to readfirst and why?

I'd recommend SAY NO TO JOE? or TOO MUCH TEMPTATION, only because those are the two readers tell me most often are their favorites. I figure there must be a reason.
My personal favorites are different from reader favorites. I've always been very partial to BEGUILED and CAUGHT IN THE ACT, and WHEN BRUCE MET CYN, and now, being 100% honest, SIMON SAYS is a favorite. I just loved writing that book. I think it was the family background for both lead characters that reeled me in.


Jules Bennett said:
Do any of you work on more than one project at a time? I find myself doing this more and more lately and it's about ready to drive me insane. All these people just keep bumping around inside my head.Thanks in advance!

Sometimes you have no choice! You're in the middle of writing one book when the page proofs for another come in and you have to go through it, then the editor wants a brief idea of what the next book will be, so you have to jot down notes on it...
Cover approval, back blurbs, it all blends together until I sometimes feel like I'm tackling six projects at once!


Anonymous said...
I guess this is a question for you all: Is there a novel (famous or otherwise) which you wish you had written? Sian (Palmerston North, New Zealand.)

I would love to have been brilliant enough to write WARRIOR WOMAN by Johanna Lindsey. That book just blows my mind! It's innovative, sexy, creative, fun... everything you want in a romance novel, and still so different that I don't know of another single book like it. Some with the same settings, sure, but none that, for me, truly compare.


Shoshana said...
How do you organize research? Do you try to do it all ahead of time? What happens when you run into something that you need to look up before you can finish the scene? Do you just type {research blah} and keep going, or stop then and look it up, or some other option I haven't thought of?Thanks for letting us do this, by the by!Oh, yes -and one more thing: do any of you find that having a clear notion (such as a map) of the area you're setting the story in is worth the time it would take to set it up?The sad part is, I'm not a writer and have no intention of becoming one. I'm simply curious: the more I learn about what goes into creating a book, the more I appreciate what I read!

I create fictitious locations for my books, and yeah, I usually jot down some sort of notes or a map to keep it all clear.
I look for research items when I need them, and then I make myself stop.
On rare occasions, if the writing is really zinging along and I suddenly need to know something, I'll put in :::SCENE:::: and then go on, so that I can later go back and fix what is needed.


Lizelle said...
I have a couple:For all of you ladies, if you had to pick one of your books to be made into a movie, which one would it be, and who would play the lead roles?I know Jayne had a book made into a movie, Diamond Man, but I still have to watch it. Also, would you insist that the storyline stays as close as possible to the book?Do you think that you might become a stalker in the next life:)

We discussed this Tuesday night at a booksigning. I'd love the money and recognition that comes with having a book made into a movie, but in reality, I'm not anxious for it to happen because I've seen how badly books get butchered, and I'm just not ready to let go of the control on my characters.
I'm very territorial on my own work.
But if I HAD to pick one, I'd say one of my more recent fighter books. I think it's a timely interest - the ultimate fighting - and I think the characters are fun.
Given a choice, I'd always pick Bas Rutten to play a fighter's role for me. I think he's the sexiest thing going! And Bas has made two movies (that I know of, might be more) so he can act. But if I had to pick a well known actor... well, shoot, Hugh Jackman is always yummy!


Anonymous said...
Many people who read your books would recognise you if they come face to face with you. 1. What is their normal reaction?2. What is usualy your reaction?3. Do you sometimes wish they would just pass by and not acknowledge the recognition?Thanks.

When I'm out in the "real" world, I try to not to advertise that I'm a published author because it IS awkward. But when someone asks, "What do you do?" and it's for required paperwork of some kind - new insurance, life insurance policy, medical records, etc... then I'm stuck.
The worst is when a doctor asks. I'll be in the office, sick, and they want to talk about the industry.
Once my dentist kept asking me questions while he had his hands in my mouth!
Very awkward.


AgTigress said...
My question to all of you is, do you find the ancillary activities inseparable from being a professional writer a welcome balance and counterpart to the intense concentration of actually writing, or just a distracting pain in the neck?;-)

I always love talking with readers. Love it.
But blogging... not so much.
The other stuff... not so much.
I could happily do without it, IF the lack wouldn't negatively impact my career. Unfortunately, all that stuff IS often required. So I look at it like I do any other responsibility: It has to be done, so why not try to love doing it?


Anonymous said...
You ladies have written many books, especially Jayne and Elizabeth.How easy or how difficult is it to recall the content in a particular book if someone asks you a question about said book?Also, do you reread any of your books?Thank you.Joy

I remember very little content in my books! I forget the characters' names, their occupations, titles... all of it.
Luckily, readers are terrific and always willing to help out!

Thanks for making this an easier blog to do everyone. The questions are WONDERFUL and I hope my answers make sense.
Please don't grade me on spelling. I don't have time to reread.


Hugs to all!