Weekend Wind-Down - Finding the Words

Here's Anna Adams with a wonderful post for those of us struggling to find the right words...or just any words at all...wind down with your favourite drink, some chocolate, and read on...

Where’d the Words Go?

I’ve been writing blind. I don’t mean I’m a pantser. I mean I didn’t know what I was doing. I assume I’ll be working without a process. My so-called process rarely works for more than one book, but in the past year, I lost all my instincts. You know? Instincts? That quiet certainty that you will publish, despite all the odds, that your stories are waiting in a well of imagination and creativity that you don’t understand, but you believe in? The “this is what comes next” that leads you from “Chapter One” to “The End.”

That all deserted me. I’m not sure why. That’s not true--I know most of the reasons--but who besides me wants to hear them? My reasons are my own, and if this has happened to you, yours will be about your life.

If it has happened to you, I have some advice. It’s easy, and yet, you’ll never find any tip harder to follow. It sounds flip, and you’ve heard it before. It’s the advice we all give each other, whether we’ve had a rejection or a success so fantastic we somehow block ourselves with the firm belief we can’t repeat it. Here it comes. You’re already forming the words. That’s right....

Keep writing.

Mind you, I tried the tried and true for--about a year--and I’ve written. Some drivel, some keepable stuff. Some really lousy conflicts that were solved by the inevitable conversation. (I can’t lie to myself. I know when I’m not riddled with brilliance.) But despite this constant writing, I couldn’t seem to remember how to do what I’ve been doing all my life. I couldn’t put a story together.

I could play computer games, wander out to a coffee shop and write blah-blah-blah and then delete it and try again. I could even watch a long-canceled soap on AOL Video on my laptop--because that’s some creative procrastination!

Finally, I went on a retreat to the beach. I’d planned it for a long time with two friends I met at a larger retreat last year. As the date for our beachside writing gala neared, I began to panic. The economy’s floundering--I may never make a living again with no writing skills. I felt guilty about taking what could become an expensive vacation without my family, but I’d promised my friends--colleagues, and that meant I’d promised my third of the fees. So, off I went, hoping I’d keep my nose to the grindstone.

And I did. When I left my home, I couldn’t have rented a work ethic with a pile of nice, reliable gold, but by the time I left the beach I was producing well over a thousand words a day. Don’t be fooled. If I manage to keep even one of those words, I’ll consider myself a genius. If I find a conflict in those pages, I’ll be belting out show tunes from our terrifyingly peaked roof.

But I’m writing again. Because I kept writing.

If you have to take a beach retreat, I say do it. If you can go to the brightest, darkest, most silent, or nosiest corner of your house or your favorite coffee shop, or a gym, try that too.

My instincts are trickling back because I didn’t give up. Still no process, but I need those words more than I need a process. It turns out the only thing that can really frighten a writer is not being able to depend on finding the words. I hope you’re all finding your words today.

Anna's latest release is the Superromance, HER REASON TO STAY. You can visit her webpage at www.annaadams.net.

Friday Film Night: A Change of Place

This month on The Pink Heart Society, Silhouette Desire author, Maxine Sullivan, reviews A Change of Place, a 1994 Harlequin movie based on the Silhouette Special Edition of the same name by Tracy Sinclair.





When troubled twin, Kate “Domenique” Jameson, asks her bookish sister, Kim Jameson, to take her place for a month as a glamorous Paris model, Kim has to showcase the fashion for the world famous House of Duroche. But someone is stealing Duroche designs and their eagle-eyed troubleshooter, Philippe, must stay alert. Suspicious that "Domenique" is the culprit, Philippe sets out to trap her, but soon finds himself out to steal her heart. Kim begins to fall in love with Philippe but the threat of discovery constantly forces her to hold back. Oddly enough, the more she is herself, the more Philippe falls for her. Ultimately, Kim must risk giving up her sister's secret or give up Philippe forever.



Put aside realism for a moment and enjoy this movie. The glitz and glamour reminded me very much of a Desire or Presents novel with a bit of intrigue and suspense thrown in. Here's a heroine who steps way out of her comfort zone to throw herself into the glare of limelight to help save her twin sister, and a hero who thinks bad of the heroine until he begins to fall in love with her and realises she’s not what he thought. Sounds like a romance story to me.



The gorgeous Andrea Roth plays both Kim and Kate “Domenique” Jameson, and the duel role showcases this actress' wide range of acting as she alternates between the bookish sister and the glamorous sister in the early part of the movie. The scenes where the twins are together are very well done. The focus then turns to the studious Kim, who needs to overcome her inhibitions to become someone she isn’t. In turn she uses her naivety to wow them on the runway and to save her sister’s modelling career while her twin is in rehabilitation.



Rick Springfield as Philippe looks older and a little worse for wear when up close, but no woman in her right mind would say he isn’t still handsome. He has perfected the soap opera look from his work on General Hospital and he gives a fine performance of a distrustful hero with a painful past. I must admit I have a soft spot for Rick, who comes from my hometown of Sydney. And who can forget his hit song from the 80’s, Jessie’s Girl?





The first-rate supporting cast includes the beautiful Stephanie Beacham (Dynasty) and classical actor, Ian Richardson, who appeared in a wide variety of films throughout his career. Add to the mix magnificent buildings, grand architecture and stunning art. Music with a trendy background beat gives the movie a liveliness that complements the cosmopolitan storyline.



My only real complaint isn’t about the movie itself. Like a couple of the other Harlequin movies, why have they put a picture of the heroine with someone other than the hero on the DVD cover? I’d imagine that Rick Springfield would be a great drawcard to this movie, which I rate 9 out of 10.






Maxine’s latest Silhouette Desire, The CEO Takes a Wife, the first book in her Valente series was a July 2008 release and is still available at eHarlequin. The second book in the series, The C.O.O. Must Marry, will be available in February 2009. Details are available at her website http://www.maxinesullivan.com

Thursday Talk-Time - NaNoWriMo and Sweat with Sven

This Thursday, Blaze author Alison Kent tells us why she's able to get on the NaNo bandwagon...all because of visualization....

It's November. Meaning it's National Novel Writing Month. If you're unfamiliar with NaNoWriMo, it's an annual writing challenge during which participants sign up to write 50K words in 30 days. eHarlequin runs their own NaNoWriMo challenge, one allowing participants to write lesser - or greater - amounts. And on the 10th of this month, the 4th round of the 70 Days of Sweat writing challenge begins. Sven wants to see participants write between 60K and 100K in 70 days. He's a harsh taskmaster.

I like the idea of a challenge, of sharing the fun - and the misery - of getting the words on the page every day. I love the camaraderie, the knowing I'm not out here toiling alone. I don't know how it works at the official NaNo site, but at the eHarlequin challenge, participants are able (not required) to post their favorite line of the day, along with their total words written. (My first one: "And you've got a dozen testicles calling your name.")

All of that said, the only reason I'm able to come out and play is because I've seen my characters long before I've started writing their romance. The story I'm working on now is one I've had in my head for over a year. No, I don't know everything about it, but when my editor asked me last summer to be part of her Texas Ranger miniseries at Harlequin Blaze, I started thinking of what I wanted to write.

Now a year and a bit later, I'm working on the book. I know the main plot, I've jotted notes on a few scenes that will get me from one act to the next, and I've worked out a few details on my people - age, occupation, co-workers, family members. (Here's the actual page where I worked out those tidbits.) It's not much, right? But since I discover my characters as I write them, at this point that's really all I need to know.

Except it's not.

I need to see them. Literally see them. And this is where my most valuable writing tool comes in. Model management and modeling agency Websites. You see, I can't use pictures of actors, or anyone famous because when I see them, I don't see my characters. I see, well, them. The actor. The sports figure. Granted, there are exceptions; I used Minnesota Vikings' Darren Sharper as one of the characters in my upcoming Brava MAXIMUM EXPOSURE (look at that smile!). And I used Brian Dennehy as a supporting character in NO LIMITS, my May '09 Brava release. Those I'm able to use because either I'm not familiar with them (Sharper) or it's someone who fits the role like nobody else (Dennehy).

Think of it this way. Anyone here familiar with the TV show "That 70's Show?" Other than Kurtwood Smith (Red) and Don Stark (Bob), and maybe Debra Jo Rupp (Kitty), did you know any of those actors before they played Eric or Donna or Fez or Hyde or Jackie or Foreman? You recognize Ashton Kutcher now, but when "That 70's Show" first aired in 1998, he was not a household name; even now when I see his Nikon commercials, I see Kelso, not Kutcher. To me, Topher Grace will always be Eric. Laura Prepon will always be Donna. Wilmer Valderrama will always be Fez. Those are the characters I associate with those faces. And because the actors gave such life to those characters, there's no way I could use them as my story people.

I may think Gerard Butler is gorgeous, but to me he'll always be Creedy in Reign of Fire, the first movie I remember seeing him in. Colin Firth will always be Mr. Darcy (or Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones's Diary). Michael Vartan will always be Michael Vaughn (though I will admit to using Bradley Cooper as a secondary character once). My current obsession is Kevin McKidd. He's on Grey's Anatomy now, but I still call him Lucius Vorenus because that's how he's imprinted in my mind.

To get around this quirk of mine, I use photos ripped from ads in magazines, or models I find at Websites. Finn McLain, the main hero in MAXIMUM EXPOSURE, along with Caleb McGregor and Miranda Kelly (the couple in KISS & TELL) all came from SMGModels. Olivia and Jodi, the primary and secondary female protagonists in MAXIMUM EXPOSURE, were both ripped out of a copy of O Magazine. In the Texas Ranger story I'm working on now, Kell came from SMG, and since the site gives the models' names, I did a Google search and also found him at Maximum Talent. Same with Jamie, my current heroine. I found her at SMG and Supermodels.nl. I've also used Ford Models, Trump Models, and 62 Models.

I don't need to know my characters' favorite foods, favorite colors, best or worst childhood memories or shoe size before I start to write. But I must, I absolutely must be able to see them, ergo the foam board hanging on the wall by my desk with the magazine pages or pictures printed from Websites. And, yeah, my husband learned to get over it. After all, I hang hot women along with my hot men!

Writers' Wednesday - Great Beginnings

What makes you decide the read a book? The cover, the back cover blurb, the familiar author’s name? Even the title? Today Annie West looks at the technique great books use to entice a reader – the opening hook.

I’ve watched romance readers choosing their book selection in stores. The number who open the book to scan the first page is high. Maybe they’re looking at the size of the font, or the amount of dialogue. Me, I’m looking for an interesting opening premise. Usually I get that from the back cover, but an intriguing hook at the beginning will entice the potential reader further. There’ll be something that gives a sense of great things to come. An invitation to excitement and reading pleasure. A hint of mystery that triggers anticipation, like a door to a hidden new world, just waiting to be opened.

We’ve heard it again and again. We need to hook the reader, and the sooner the better. In a category romance we have less time to do that than in single title stories. A reader picking up a book of around 50,000 words expects to be drawn into the story straight away.

There’s something almost magical about starting a story. Some writers (me included) will jump in boots and all, even though they have only the first scene in their head, because the action and characters are so vivid and there’s a question or problem so intriguing it begs to be written. Others will plot carefully before they start, but they’ll still focus on squeezing the most out of that opening.

Generally our stories start at the point of change in the hero or heroine’s life. Maybe the point when hero and heroine meet for the first time, or are reunited, or when one of them is in danger. There is something happening that signals this is a significant moment for the characters. That signal can be in the first chapter, first page or even the opening line. Here some examples of first lines that grabbed me, taken quickly from my shelves:

She awoke in a coffin. ‘The Sea Wife’ by Holly Cook. I defy anyone to read that and not read on!

Dangling a man upside down by the ankles outside a London ballroom was not how Maxwell Brooke had anticipated spending his first Thursday night as the Duke of Lyle. ‘The Dangerous Duke’ by Christine Wells. We all love a man of action but now we want to find out why he’s doing this.

Come in and take off all your clothes. ‘Big-Shot Bachelor' by Nicola Marsh. What more do I need to say?

It was a filthy night. Which suited Dante Carrazzo’s filthy mood right down to the ground. ‘The Italian Boss’s Mistress of Revenge’ by Trish Morey. After reading that I’m already looking forward to the fireworks.

This Lass is nowt like any whore I’ve ever seen. ‘Untouched’ by Anna Campell. Then we discover a few paragraphs later that the heroine is strapped to bench, unable to move...A real page turner.

By the time Emily Quest realised what sort of party it was it was too late to storm out in a fit of moral outrage. ‘Accidental Mistress’ by Susan Napier. This tells us something about the heroine, the setting and instantly intrigues. What is she doing there and what will happen next?

Tally heard the guttural shouts seconds before the gunfire. ‘The Sheikh’s Disobedient Bride’ by Jane Porter. What a way to make us instantly sympathise with the heroine!

His wife? How she have forgotten something like that? Someone like him? ‘Claiming his Runaway Bride’ by Yvonne Lindsay. How could you go past an opening like that?

OK, so writing a successful romance isn’t just about the opening line. But an opening that thrusts us straight into the action grabs reader interest or sympathy. It makes us want to keep reading. The action need not be physical. It might be the heroine’s emotional turmoil or the hero’s filthy mood as he faces his last hurdle on the way to getting what he’s worked his whole life to achieve.

Not all romances have a snappy first line but the first chapter will contain a hook for the reader. Something to make us read on, despite the fact that we should turn out the light or cook dinner or clean the bathroom. So many juicy scenarios...the bride at the altar who hears the voice of her first husband claiming they’re still married... The heroine who is mistaken for someone else in the worst possible circumstances... The hero who has lost his memory and can’t remember the woman he apparently loves... The woman who finds the one man she can’t avoid is the one who fathered her child – the child he doesn’t know about...

I’ve had enormous fun starting stories with a scene that I hoped would intrigue a reader, mainly because they intrigued me! I think that’s part of the joy of being a writer: creating a situation that makes you curious and involved so you want to write on and discover how the situation is resolved. For instance an opening where the heroine is wearing a swimsuit, handcuffs and manacles (The Sheikh’s Ransomed Bride). And a first chapter that ended with a very grumpy hero saying to the heroine ‘You surely don’t think I’d have celebrated my betrothal quite so publicly tonight if I’d known I still had a wife?’ (The Greek Tycoon’s Unexpected Wife).

Do you have a favourite opening hook? A favourite first line or opening premise or even a lusciously slow description that caught your imagination in a favourite book? For that matter, it could be a great hook in a movie. What stands out for you?

Annie’s current release in the UK and Australia/NZ is ‘The Desert King’s Pregnant Bride’. It starts with a woman walking a deserted country road at night in a storm wearing a cocktail dress, wellington boots and raincoat. A 4 WD pulls up and a stranger emerges... You can find out what happens next on her website.

Temptation Tuesday - Sandra Marton's Sheikhs

Have you ever lost your heart to a sheikh? Well, not a real one. After all, it’s not often the average woman has a sheikh walk into her life. What I mean is, do you love passionate romance novels in which sheikhs are the heroes? Is that a “yes?” In that case, read on!

Why do we love sheikhs as romance heroes? Well, sheikhs are rich. They’re powerful. They’re gorgeous—at least, they’re gorgeous in romance novels. And there’s always that sexy edge of danger.

That’s an excellent description of the heroes of my current trilogy, THE SHEIKH TYCOONS.

THE SHEIKH’S DEFIANT BRIDE came out in October. It’s the story of Crown Prince Tariq of Dubaac and Madison Whitney. Tariq is a successful businessman. Madison is an equally successful executive. Tariq has everything a man could want. Madison has everything a woman could want, except a baby. A baby, not a husband. She doesn’t want one of those, and she knows just how to handle things. Her company is in the business of freezing sperm. Madison decides to get pregnant by using the sperm of an anonymous donor. The sperm will be delivered to her doctor’s office, she’ll be inseminated. Problem solved.

Not really.

Tariq is going to use her company’s services, too. His father is old. His brother, the heir to the ancient throne of Dubaac, has just died in an accident. Tariq knows the responsibility of safeguarding the future of his kingdom requires he marry and produce an heir as quickly as possible. When he can’t find the right wife, he decides to store his sperm against any possible future disaster.

Yes, you’ve guessed it. Through a twist of fate, Madison becomes pregnant by Tariq’s sperm. Tariq offers what he sees as the only possible solution. She’ll give him her baby when it’s born. When she refuses, he says he’ll marry her. Surely, this impudent woman will agree to that…

Except, she won’t. Tariq know what he must do. He’ll kidnap her, force her into marriage…and seduce her into obedience.

Book two, published this month, is THE SHEIKH’S WAYWARD WIFE. It’s about Sheikh Khalil al Hasim and the fiery Layla Addison. Khalil’s father calls him home on urgent business. Urgent? Khalil doesn’t think so. Why should he, a prince, escort a bride across the desert to her groom? Because it’s a political necessity, his father says. Khalil knows he has no choice. If this is political, it is for his people. And his obligation to serve his people comes before anything else.

But things are not as they seem. Layla is not a willing bride. She is not from Al Ankhara. She’s an American woman being held in captivity, and she is terrified at the thought of wedding the vicious, ugly bandit her father has chosen for her.

What can Khalil do? Can he turn his back on duty and deliver the beautiful Layla into the arms of her brutish groom? Or can he find a way to save Layla and serve his people at the same time? He can… if Layla agrees to marry him. And then, of course, she must agree to give him up…

Book three will be on the shelves in December. It’s called THE SHEIKH’S REBELLIOUS MISTRESS and it’s a little different, I think, from the sheikh stories I’ve done in the past.

Sheikh Salim al Taj knows better than to mix business with bed—until the long, hot night he spends with his employee, Grace Hunter. Grace is bright and beautiful. Salim takes her as his mistress. But when he feels his interest in Grace becoming more important than he thinks it should be, he decides to end their passionate affair. He does it while he’s away on business. A big mistake because when he returns to New York, Grace is gone. So is ten million dollars.

The authorities can’t find her. Salim hires a private investigator who does. Grace is living in another city, seemingly involved with another man. She’s in Bali with that man right now. Salim flies to Bali, forces Grace to board his plane and head home with him… But the plane crashes on what appears to be a deserted island. And Salim decides on another kind of justice. He’ll seduce his former mistress all over again. Slowly, pleasurably—and mercilessly.

Want to read excerpts from all three books? Stop by at my website. And, while you’re there, go to my Contest page. You might be the lucky winner of signed copies of another of my best-selling trilogies, BILLIONAIRES’ BRIDES.

I’ll look for you there!

Male on Monday - Michael Trucco

One of my favourite parts of starting a new book is casting. I don't feel as if I can really start writing until I have my casting in place. It's a hard job, looking for pictures of beautiful women and sexy men. But it is one of the sacrifices I make for my craft.

Earlier this fall I decided to throw caution to the wind and work on something fun. Today I'm going to bring that casting to you....in the form of actor Michael Trucco.

Born and raised in San Mateo, California just outside of San Francisco, Michael discovered an early fascination with the theatre and film & television that would eventually lay the groundwork for a career in entertainment. Being raised the son of a police officer, Michael naturally felt inclined to pursue a career in his father's footsteps and was content to do so. But his time in the theatre department at Serra High School made a lasting impression. It was not until his second year at the University of Santa Clara, however, the Michael found himself on the path to a life in entertainment from which he never looked back. Already a sociology/criminal justice major, it was his parents, in fact, who encouraged him to check out the University theatre department, maybe even audition for a play. He did, and was NOT cast in that play. Instead, the director of the theatre department invited Michael to come take a course for non-majors, and upon completion after one semester the director recommended Michael consider changing his studies to theatre and acting. And the rest as they say....well, you know.

Michael graduated with a BA in Theatre Arts and from there the seeds were sown. He remained in the San Francisco Bay Area for about a year or so learning the ropes, doing commercial work, extra work, bit parts, summer stock theatre, even a stint as a stand-in for Matt Dillon. But the desire to do bigger and better parts eventually drove him to Los Angeles to "play in the deep end of the pool." From there, it was what Michael knew best-theatre-a lot of it. Six different plays in about 2 years. But one production in particular, "A Few Good Men" got Michael noticed by a talent manager and from that came the opportunites for television and film. The parts started small and simple but grew with each job and Michael eventually found himself to be a working actor full time.

Why else do we love him? It might be that he stands at a lofty 6'3". Or his quick grin. He's got a great sexy voice, too.

I first saw him in Battlestar Galactica as Samuel T Anders, a resistance fighter left on Caprica who comes into contact with Helo and Starbuck. The chemistry with Katee Sackhoff - Starbuck - was clear from the get go, and what was supposed to be a few episodes turned into a recurring role and now one of the most important characters on the show. WOWZA! Apparently it was Katee herself that lobbied for his return, and it was a good move.

Nearly a year ago though Michael's life was nearly altered irrevocably. On Sunday, 2 December 2007, Trucco was involved in a car accident with a friend who was driving a Ferrari 360 on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, California. The vehicle flipped on an embankment, landing upside-down, impacting Trucco's side of the car. Trucco was badly injured in the accident, fracturing four of his vertebrae, while his friend walked away uninjured. He has stated that he initially lost feelings in his arms. He was eventually able to get out of the vehicle after regaining feeling in his hands and used his cell phone to call for emergency help. He was airlifted to UCLA Medical Center for successful surgery. Dr. Arya Nick Shamie and his team of surgeons were able to fuse his C-6 and C-7 vertebrae to his C-5 vertebrae. The fact that he was out of hospital and on the mend within a week is miraculous, as his injuries were very similar to those suffered by Christopher Reeve.

What's up next for Michael (besides being Devin McQuade in my WIP?)? He's in a pilot for NBC called Man of Your Dreams, he's supposedly filming a BSG movie, and you can catch him in a guest role on Eli Stone.

Donna's next book, THE RANCHER'S RUNAWAY PRINCESS, is out in hardcover this month. Check out the cover, blurb and excerpt on her website!