Thursday Talk-Time with Joanne Rock

Join us in welcoming too gorgeous for her own good Joanne Rock, fantabulous Blaze author as she gives us the low down on a...

~ MATINEE WITH MY MUSE ~

I think I have a European Muse. She likes to close up shop in the afternoon to recharge and she only remerges briefly late in the day if I promise her a multiple course meal. With wine. Further proof of my theory is that she can’t seem to come to terms with the American idea of a two-week vacation. She presses for something closer to eight and considers it a compromise when she allows me to break up the time into two or three week spurts.

I’m sure she’s all that keeps me sane when I want to write, write, write. But I’ll admit, sometimes her slower work ethic makes me crazy. Lately I’ve taken to bribing her into a happy frame of mind by dragging her to the movies, giving her the idea that we’re taking a break by letting the silver screen tell us stories instead of pouring our hearts out on the page for other peoples’ entertainment. Writers learn early on in their careers to indulge their muse wherever possible and this has been a great chance for me to be inspired and for her to venture out of the house in something besides pajamas.

Most recently, we watched The Illusionist with Edward Norton and Jessica Biel. While my muse swooned over the period gowns, I marveled at the rarity of seeing an old-fashioned love story brought to life in a gorgeous film. Part Catherine and Heathcliff with the heroine and hero from different stations in life, The Illusionist taps into some of our most persistent romantic fantasies. We want to believe that love heals old wounds and triumphs in the end, and this movie delivered. I came home inspired with new ideas while my muse thought we took the day off. Perfect.

Too bad my purse can’t afford a movie every day to keep us both productive and happy. Which brings me to my love of matinees and Netflix, Tivo and pay per view. We watched Goldie Hawn in Seems Like Old Times recently and adored every moment of crazy intrigue. The highly comedic slant isn’t all that close to what I write, but I still came away with great story prompts. What spin would I put on the divorced heroine who comes face-to-face with a tempting bad boy ex? Or how might I juggle a heroine who kept her secrets under wraps for fear of disrupting her outwardly perfect life?

Coming home with tangible creative questions is a great way to justify time spent in the theater or in my living room with a new DVD. I can call this work time as long as A) I’ve mentally plotted the story arc along with the film, including a deviation arc for what I would have done differently if it was my story; B) I’ve stockpiled intriguing character traits from what I’ve seen onscreen and C) my muse doesn’t know I’ve called it work since it counts as down time in her book.

So please… help a writer out. Seen any good movies lately—recent releases or old stuff I might have missed? My muse and I would both love to know!

Joanne Rock writes sexy contemporary romance and medieval historicals for Harlequin when she’s not raising three sports-crazy boys with her equally sports-mad husband. She loves the Arthurian tales, the concept of chivalry and an occasional baseball game. Learn more about Joanne’s books at http://www.joannerock.com.

Don't Look Back is out now!

Writers Wednesday with Lyn Randal

Wednesday brings Harlequin Historical's new author, Lyn Randal, to The Pink Heart Society to tell us a little about life, friends, and the pursuit of publication.

About Lyn :: Lyn has two children, a son and a daughter, and has taught school for eighteen years -- first, English and now, Spanish. Linda loves to read and write and pursue quilting, gardening, singing and playing the violin in her spare time.In addition, she helps her preacher husband with the duties of two churches full on wonderful people.

Lyn's journey to THE CALL :: Recently, a critique partner of mine was in a large bookstore, looking over the writing craft books, when a stranger came to stand beside her. “Are you a writer?” he asked. She replied that she was, and he asked her to recommend a couple of good books for someone just beginning to write for publication. “You see,” he went on to explain. “I recently got laid off from my job and thought I might write a book to sell for some extra money, sorta to help out until I find another job.”

To her credit, my friend did not laugh, though she tried to gently explain that being published wasn’t all that easy and that it might take him at least a few months or, most likely, years.

To my credit, I didn’t laugh when she told me the story, either. Okay, I smiled. A little bit. Not because of the man’s ignorance, but because . . . well . . . I had started off almost as stupidly myself.

In the beginning, I naively thought that being published would be easy for me. I was an English teacher, after all. That ought to count for something, right? It might take me a year. Or two, at most.

Ooh, I was so wrong. Luckily for me, ignorance has an upside. By the time I’d stopped being clueless enough to realize this quest would be harder than I’d thought – much harder – I’d waded in chest deep. I’d told all my friends and family what I was trying to do. Their scrutiny and thinly-veiled skepticism made me determined to succeed. I had to. I just had to.

Altogether, it would be 4 ½ years before I’d get “the call” in May of 2006 for what was my third completed manuscript. My learning curve was long and arduous. I did a lot of things wrong in the beginning. I didn’t understand all the protocol of the business in those early days. My query letters were far too long (ten pages???) and it took a while to learn craft (A hook? What the heck is a hook?!).

But I also did a few things right and I’d recommend them to anybody who has a similarly tenacious streak or perhaps just a good measure of desperation. First, I read everything I could get my hands on about writing novels and selling them. There are so many good books out there that there’s really no excuse for remaining ignorant very long.

Next, I entered contests. This taught me to think and act more professionally. Like many novices, I had to get over being so emotionally tied to my work, and to stop thinking of it as just a little too precious. I developed thicker skin. I took some criticism and learned from it. Sometimes that criticism was justified. Sometimes, it wasn’t. But in either case, I learned that everybody has an opinion. In the end, the story was mine and mine alone, and I discovered how to be true to my own personal vision.

Third, I learned to focus on the journey. At first, my goal was publication and only publication, and I wanted it just as quickly as I could get it. But as the months turned into years and still there was no sale, I cycled through the usual self-doubt and despair. What kept me going in those times were the small blessings – the friends I’d made, the lessons I’d learned, the enjoyment of the researching, and the writing itself. There were lots of times I’d have to stop and focus on those things, to tell myself that even if I never sold a single word, my writing had enriched my life.

And finally, I kept the faith, hard as it sometimes was. Even in the down times, I tried to believe that writing was a craft and publication was a business, and that I could learn both aspects. It wasn’t a miracle or quirk of fate that some got published and others didn’t. It wasn’t that God was up in heaven rolling dice to decide who got the goodies and who didn’t. I kept believing that those who made it had simply learned the right combination of necessary skills, and that if I kept working at it, I could and would get there, too.

Getting that call last May was one of the highlights of my life. I was so pumped with adrenaline that I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t sleep that night, or concentrate on my work for at least two days. And the magic continues even now, months later. In another few days I’ll walk into my nearest bookstore and see Warrior or Wife on the shelf with the other Harlequin Historicals for February, and I’ll probably get a little teary-eyed.

But more than anything, I hope my story can inspire some other struggling writer not to throw in the towel. Because I can tell you, no matter all the hard work and tears and disappointments, no matter the sacrifices great and small that had to be made along the way, a book is a wonderful thing to behold.

Thanks Lyn!!!

Lyn promises to get a website some day soon, but in the mean time, she is known to check in here at The Pink Heart Society.

Male on Monday - Matthew Mcconaughey

Natasha's choice this month for inclusion in the Pink Heart Society roll-call of 'sexy men who inspire great fiction' is ... Matthew McConaughey.

Matthew McConaughey has been voted the 'Worlds Sexiest Man' on numerous occasions so it feels wrong not to include him in our listing - although I'm fairly sure in 'real life' he'd be a very bad idea.

Or, maybe, not? Maybe all he really needs is the love of a good woman? Whichever it turns out to be, I'm more than happy to have his image looking down from my pin-board while I write 'his' redemption.

Born Matthew David McConaughey on the 4th November, 1969, he's the youngest of three boys. According to one source I found, his parents divorced and remarried each other 'several' times. (Sounds expensive, doesn't it??? Wonder why they did that?)

After graduating from high school (where he was voted 'Most Handsome' in his Senior year) he spent a year in Australia, washing dishes and shovelling chicken manure before returning to the States with the intention of becoming a lawyer.

One major change of career direction later, he began acting in 1991. His first professional job was in a beer commercial but he came to my notice in 2001 as Steve Edison in 'The Wedding Planner'. Now I liked him in that a lot ....!

Almost as much as I liked him as Ben in 'How To Lose Your Guy in 10 Days'.

Then there was 'Failure to Launch' ....

Hmmmm I'm warming to my theme. :)

Currently single, he's said to have dated Sandra Bullock, Ashley Judd and, most recently, Penelope Cruz. They split in April 2004 after two years together and he's since been seen 'out and about' with various women. Much of last summer he spent surfing, running and swimming. All of which has made it difficult to find many pictures of him fully clothed. :)

In July 2006 details of a 'three-day bender in Costa Rica' appeared, first as a blog and later in magazines and newspapers which is probably why I think he's a man best confined to fiction.

There are lots of fascinating 'facts' about him on the web. In October 1999 he was arrested at his home in Austin, Texas. At 2.37 am the police responded to a call after a neighbour complained of loud music from the house next-door.

According to official reports, they arrived to "easily hear very loud music." Matthew McConaughey was found dancing around naked and playing bongo drums. The drug charges were dropped, but he pleaded guilty to noise disturbance.

Much more pleasantly he seems to be a concerned animal lover. Last year he reportedly snatched a cat away from two youths who had doused it in hairspray and were attempting to set it alight.

He also auctioned his 1971 Chevy Stingray Corvette on Ebay, donating all the money to Oprah's Angel Network Hurricane Katrina and Rita relief funds.

Then, just when I think I'm a little in love with him again, I discover something less attractive. Matthew doesn't wear cologne or deoderant. He says it's because he doesn't want to smell like anyone else. I do feel someone should tell him these perfurmes react with your skin and are entirely individual!

His house has three bedrooms and he rotates nightly. (Why????)

He owns a 1,600-acre ranch in West Texas, is 6ft tall and, this one should please Trish, is of Irish decent.

I can feel the embers of a story starting within me already.

It's the glint in his eyes that makes him so tempting, isn't it. That and the idea that he's a 'bad boy' who needs saving.

Any volunteers????

With love
Natasha

Natasha's newest release, 'Crowned: An Ordinary Girl', is available in both the United Kingdom and North America from mid February in store and online at eharlequin now. Read an excerpt here.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Natasha at this time. Sadly her mother passed away. for a truly lovely dedication, see her moving tribute here.

Love from all of us.

Sunday Spotlight on Roxanne St Claire

This month also sees the official launch of the new Harlequin Nascar series, and here at The Pink Heart Society we are pleased to welcome one of the launch authors in the form of author Roxanne St Claire!!!

About Roxanne:

I’m a full time writer, a mother of two, a lover of all things romantic and the proud author of sixteen novels to date! I write for Silhouette Desire, Harlequin/NASCAR and Pocket Books. My first novel came out in 2003, a romantic suspense titled TROPICAL GETAWAY. My publisher couldn’t release more than one book a year back then, so I was thrilled to sell a category romance to Silhouette Desire in 2004. My first category, LIKE A HURRICANE, went on to be nominated for a RITA award, and won several other major contests. I’ve since had six Desires released, and a few other books for Harlequin and HQN. I continue to write romantic suspense for Pocket Books, most notably a series about hot and fearless bodyguards, called The Bullet Catchers. I live on the east coast of central Florida, where it is basically palm trees and paradise all year round. I’ve been married for 17 years, have two children, one dog and a full, busy and blessed life. My favorite color is (of course) pink, and I have quite a collection of shoes in every shade from carnation to fuschia. Thanks for having me here!

Spotlight On Roxanne:

Where do you get the inspiration for your books from?

Absolutely everywhere! Newspapers, friends, television, and just my plain old overactive imagination. I think about people I’ve known in the past, drawing on one or two remarkable character traits, I study news stories for possible plot lines and I absorb life all around me.

What makes you mad?

I always tell my kids (13 and 9) that I can take ANYTHING but being ignored. I also get torqued at people who drive too fast through my development (there are kids everywhere!) and any injustice, real or imagined. It takes quite a bit to really make me angry.

What’s the most romantic thing that has ever happened to you?

I suppose I’ll have to limit that to “with my husband.” I was a serial dater into my thirties before I stepped into an elevator in my office building one day and saw the most gorgeous man, locked eyes and thought, “I gotta have that.” I was also a romance junkie, who lived for the thrill of falling in love. So, I have some pretty romantic moments in my past…and lots of them find their way into my books. But all in all, my engagement was one of the best. My man sent me on a limo ride, alone, to all the different spots in Boston where we’d had amazing nights…and the driver kept going in and coming back with notes, flowers, cards. Finally, the driver took me to the office building where my boyfriend (the gorgeous man mentioned above) and I both worked, although we were employed by two different companies. The timing was strange – a Saturday night in June – and the building was deserted. I was instructed to use a card key, and take the elevator to the sixth floor. I did, and when the doors opened, there was my darling Rich, in full Armani tux (yum-o). He stepped into the elevator, dropped to one knee, produced a blinding rock and said, “This is where I found you, and this is where I want to ask you to spend the rest of your life with me.”

Uh, that’d be a yes. :)

What in a hero makes you drool?

Tough on the outside, gooey on the inside. I love a man – even fictional – who can make me laugh with a dry, biting wit. Long hair, a sexy smile and broad shoulders are also some of my weaknesses.

If you weren’t a writer what would you be?

A wannabe writer. I like the news, and my business background includes 18 years in PR and marketing, so I would probably be freelancing for a magazine or the local paper, since my second love is reporting and nosing around in other people’s business.

What do you do to relax and wind down?

One of my favorite ways to relax is to curl up in bed with my nine year old daughter and watch the Style channel. We have hours of fun watching “How Do I Look” and “What Not To Wear.” I also love to sit poolside while my husband grills. He is a magnificent chef, and we live in Florida, so we enjoy many meals al fresco, at the water’s edge. Watching the sunset, sipping a glass of wine, and smelling his delicious work in progress is very relaxing to me.

How do you get out of a writing rut?

I try not to get in them! I like to vary what I write – jumping from single title to short contemporary. If I’m hitting a wall, I know there’s something off with my story and that I have to find it and fix it…eventually. I listen to my gut, which is rarely wrong, but so bothersome and loud when it screams “something is very wrong with this book!”

If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?

Northern California wine country. Sonoma Valley. Absolutely no doubt about it.

Who would you most like to give a hug to for a fabulous book you’ve read?

Leslie Kelly, Julie Elizabeth Leto, Emilie Rose and Cami Dalton are some of my very favorite category authors who write toe-curlingly good books. Debbie Macomber is my idol and my mentor. And I credit Susan Elizabeth Phillips for putting me over the edge…when I finished NOBODY’S BABY BUT MINE, I wiped my tears and said to myself, “I want to make someone feel this way. I have to try. I have to.”

What music do you listen to when writing?

I simply cannot tolerate music at all when I’m writing; I prefer absolute silence. However, I LOVE to blast the radio in the car after a long writing day, letting my characters play out little music videos while I belt out the lyrics to some solid gold oldie from the seventies. Granted, there are few things less attractive than a mom in a minivan rocking out to “I Want You To Want Me.” :) But who cares? I’m happy!.

Tell us a secret nobody knows about you

See above. Singing in the car! All right…let’s see…I secretly imagine all those ex-boyfriends googling me and going to my web site and saying “Wow! She really did it! She wasn’t kidding when she said she wanted to be a romance writer!”

What was your most embarrassing moment?

Forgetting to lock the bathroom door on an airplane, and then having to walk the entire length of the plane – front to back, face to face with every single passenger – and not knowing which man had just walked in on me in the toilet. I blush just thinking about it.

What have you had to celebrate in the last year?

So much! On the personal front: I discovered dogs. I have never been a dog person – quite the opposite, I’m embarrassed to say. My children and husband wore me down and I finally decided we could get a dog. This was a HUGE lifestyle change for me. We got an Australian Terrier, Pepper, and I love her more than words can say. She has opened my eyes to the world of dogs, she is next to me all day, every day. I walk her 1.5 miles twice a day, and I cannot imagine life without the bliss and comfort of a dog. On the writing front: More contracts, more readers, more books. It’s been a wonderful year for me.

What’s beside your computer when you’re writing?

Let me see….half a can of Diet Coke (warm, I forgot about it while I worked), three bracelets I tried to wear, but they annoyed me, a pile of research papers about Tasmania (my next hero is from that incredible island), hand lotion, two notebooks, my children’s recent aptitude test scores, my reading glasses, a pile of bookmarks to send out to readers who request them, and…Pepper, my dog. Right on the floor, snoring.

If you could kiss anyone in the world who would it be?

Oh. Oh. What a fun question! I know everyone says “my husband” – but where’s the fantasy in that? I kiss him every day. So, I think…Derek Jeter. With my eyes open. I just love that guy. He’s not the quintessential hot guy like Clooney or Brad or Johnny D. (Although they’d all be on my short list for a long kiss.) There’s just something about Derek’s joy that draws me in and inspires me. He’s actually my professional hero – someone who does a job that millions only dream about, but he does it so well and he obviously has a blast at work every day. I would like to be to romance writing what Derek Jeter is to professional baseball.

What are you working on now?

I just finished a Desire that will be out in December 2007…with title TBD. I have suggested THE STYLE OF HIS SEDUCTION, but I don’t know if that’s quite “Desire-y” enough. It’s a great reverse Pygmalian story about a very unconventional man who has to be restyled into a “conventional executive” and the woman whose job it is to change him. He changes…but not in the way she expects. And she changes, of course. And they eventually find love, but it’s a very fun and rocky road to get there. I had a blast writing it. Next, I’m writing three single titles, back to back to back – a trilogy that will all be released in 2008.

Roxanne has one of the first NASCAR/Harlequin series books out in February – called THUNDERSTRUCK - and she hopes it opens up a world of new readers who love romance and racing! "I was overjoyed to be asked to be part of this new line, tapping into the millions of women who love NASCAR racing and want to read romantic fiction about that very unique and thrilling lifestyle. In THUNDERSTRUCK, my heroine is a NASCAR team owner forced to sell half her business to a man who she believes is all wrong for the sport: a British “football” star (think Becks) who brings mountains of money and media, but no knowledge of American racing. They clash and wreck and spinout of control…and fall madly in love."

To find out more about Roxanne and her writing you can visit her Website or at www.takemetonite.com

Thanks Roxanne!!!