Weekend Wildcard: A touch of Rome-ance

Wildcard Weekend – well, how could I resist? Even the title of this post includes two of my favourite things, i.e. bad puns and Italy…

But really, it’s about the setting. How important is the setting in your book? Given that, in category romance, it’s all about the hero and heroine and their journey, the setting maybe shouldn’t be so important.

Though your characters don’t live in a vacuum. They have jobs (which need to involve time off, whether it’s an office job or something with shift work). They interact in a place, whether it’s a country estate or a castle or a glamorous modern flat overlooking the Thames.

And sometimes a setting can really help deepen the conflict – it might be that your shy heroine fears not fitting in to somewhere glamorous, or your hero is a self-made man and still feels that the establishment doesn’t accept him (I love fish-out-of-water stories.) Or maybe it’s a place that one of them takes for granted, and the other makes them see things in a different light.

As a reader, I love books set in romantic places – I’ve just read a Sarah Mayberry novel set in Paris, and I really enjoyed revisiting one of my favourite cities with her. As a writer, I have a bad habit of talking my family into research trips, because I’m the equivalent of a Method actor and like to see the places for myself before I write about them. (I know, I know – with the Rough Guide and the internet, I should be able to get a flavour and do my research at my desk – but I honestly feel I can add something more personal if I’ve been there myself.)

In the book I’m working on right now, the setting’s really important. It’s somewhere the heroine has always wanted to visit, ever since she was tiny. (Me, too.) Her dreams have been broken and she’s at the point where she needs to make some new dreams, and maybe let go of some old ones. And it’s where she meets the hero (who’s acting as a tour guide, though of course being a Presents Extra hero he’s nothing of the kind). He’s the one who brings her old dreams alive for her – and he’s the one who’s going to help her make new ones. And it can only happen in this one place in the world.

This is where they fall in love. Where he shows her his favourite places, and she teaches him to see the familiar with new eyes.

The trick is not to make it a travelogue. And that means making sure there’s enough emotion and enough conflict on the page. (I’m working on that, LOL.)

But the setting definitely helps. How could you not fall in love by the Colosseum?

Or next to the Trevi fountain, where the manes of the marble horses seem to ripple in the sunlight? (OK, so in real life it’s noisy and busy, but if you get there early enough it’s quiet. And do look up the scene in La Dolce Vita. Wow!!)

Or the Tiber, with its bridges and the bronze dome of St Peter’s?


Or with the Borghese park, where suddenly there’s silence and birdsong instead of the busy traffic in the main part of the city?

Do you have a favourite setting, as a reader or a writer? And, for writers, does it help you deepen the conflict?

In the the US, you can still get a copy of The Doctor’s Royal Love Child (in the first Penhally series); and very shortly Italian Doctor, No Strings Attached will be available in the UK on the Mills & Boon website. (Yes, Italy; but not Rome. Yet!) You can find out more about these books, and Kate, on her website (http://www.katehardy.com/) and her blog (http://katehardy.blogspot.com/)

A Date With Kate - Anniversaries

Yesterday was  my wedding anniversary. The Babe Magnet and I have been married   . . a l-o-t of years! (I was a child bride, honest!) 

Oh yes- and we'll have no jokes about July 14th being the date of the Sorming of the Bastille, believe me, my brother and sister-in-law made them all  at the reception.

But thinking about our wedding day reminds me of how my mother and some other members of my family weren't exactly keen on our getting marie. We were too young (I had just turned 23). We didn't have any money (very true)  We were in love with the idea of being in love.  We'd only just finished university and had no jobs to support ourselves with - again, true. I'd qualified as a librarian  but the Babe Magnet was doing  an MA in Leeds, so I basically took any job I could find.( I ended up working in the University bookshop which is where I learned to read boks without ever cracking or even marking the spine but that's another story.)

Anyway, looking back, as the Magnet and I toasted yet another year of togetherness, with just  a touch of 'we showed you!' to those who had never believed we'd make  this last, I commented  - as I've done several times in the past, that it's only now, when we look back on not yet quite at the Ruby Wedding stahe but not that far from it! - that it's only now that we can really say well this thing worked. That we managed the happy ever after (OK, the mostly happy but with plenty of ups and downs  and not quote EVER after)  that we hope for for every newly married couple.

It's also what we hope for - no, not hope for  but are expected to create for our heroes and heroines, that vital happy ending that readers come to our books because we give them that commitment, that assertion of the power of love, that belief in a happy ever after as the hero and heroine walk off into the sunset, holding hands. That's what our readers come to us for - but it's also what they want us to convince them will happen between the particular hero and heroine they are reading about. They want to believe that Diablo  and Martha * will not end up dying for love like Romeo and Juliet  or  splitting up and never seeing eah other again like Scarlett and Rhett. . .  They want a happy ever after ending. A believeable happy ever after ending.

And it's that believeable that seems to be causing a bit of a stumbling block for some new,unpublished writers these days.  I read and critique for the courses I run, for the New Writers' Scheme run by the RNA,  and one of the things I find that these new authors find troublesome is the fact that they are supposed to show that their hero and heroine are in love with each other.   The conflict they can create - sometimes successfully, sometimes not so convincingly - the sexual passion is  easy to describe - lust is easier than that other four letter word to display it seems. But when they come to actually showing why these two characters should actually love  each other, they  don't seem to think it needs illustrating.

The conflict is resolved, the arguments stop, the hero turns to the heroine - or vice versa - declare 'But I love you!' . . . .and everything is all right? Perfect? Sorted?

. . .Er no.

Love doesn't just spring out of the air and hit you right in the face like that - not lasting mature love, love that stays strong over the years and weathers the storms life throws at us. I've written of love at fiurst sight, had stories that turn around in just a very short space of time - but I still have to put in something that shows the hero and the heroine  - and  the  reader that these two are meant to be together. That they share something special. Something unique. They give each other something that only they can give. That no other  person, lover, friend, even a previous partner, can ever provide.

They are, quite simply, the love of each other's life and we want them to stay that way.

But all too often unpublished writers don't take the time to show how that comes about. They get so deep into the conflict that they show their hero and heroine sniping and bickering all the  way through the story. They show him being mean to her , accusng her -of being a gold-digger? Of betraying him? Or she attacks him for ruining her father, or only wanting her because she's pregnant with his child, his heir.  They forget what used to be called - in the good old days when I had my very first editorial interview and lunch - the 'getting to know you time'.   They don;'t answer the questins
What is it that she sees in him/or him in her - it's not just that their gorgeous. It';s not just sex. Wer're talking here about emotions, about caring, about shared beliefs, about vulnerability . About valuing each other above and beyond anyone else. About  being able to disagree over something and yet still stand up and defend the other person;s right to feel that way - and to express it.

About the things that will keep these two people together until their 10th wedding anniversary - their 20th . . .longer.

So when you're working through your romantic novel, don't forget that that 'romantic' bit means it's a story about LOVE - about the things that wold keep your hero and heroine  together when everything else seems to be driving them apart. What things would still be there on their silver anniversary? Their Golden one? What would they share, what would they want to look back on?

If your  story ends with the need for forgiveness - from one to another, would it really be forgiven - and totally forgotten - or would it come back to haunt them and cast a shadow over their future?  Don't just have the hero thinking he's sorry and he's changed -  show it. Don't just have one person annoounce 'But I love you' and all is forgiven - with no explanations, no contrition.   Are the seeds  of the future in the present - and the past  - of the story you're creating for them?

Are the things this couple need to learn in order to be loving faithful loyal partners included throughout the book, not just in the ending - are they there in the charactres themselves?  What are the real, deep truths of these people? The ones that will last much longer than the fnal word on the final page of this actual book - the story that will go on into that ever after and bring them happiness together?

Why will your hero and heroine love each other now and still love into the years, thirty, forty - fifty years from now?

Remember that when you create a Happy Ever After ending for your hero and heroine if the reader is not convinced then no matter how many  apologies are spoken, how many protestations of  trust and faithfulness are given, no matter how many times they declare 'I love you' - if the reader is like someone at a wedding saying 'I give it six months' then you have not delivered a romance.  You need to create a relatinship between your hero and heroine that can have the reader believing in them raising a glass of champagne to each other when they're ninety - and still head over heels in love.

Because the happy ending of a romance really should be the beginning of the true love story of the rest of their lives.

(* I used these names as they are the names of the hero and heroine of my latest book - the one that, thankfully, was accepted last week. I don't have a title fori t yet - I'm trying to convince my editor that the working title of The Devil and Miss Jones is just perfect - she agrees but everyone else has to love it . . . watch this space.)

Kate's most recent book, The Proud Wife is still around on  the Mills and Booon site, and  Amazon.com. Her next book will be The Return of the Stranger which is  out in the UK  on September 2nd, and in Presents EXTRA on October  4th.  She's still waiting to hear about the official title for The Devil and Miss Jones.

You can read all her most up to date news on her web  site and her blog

Thursday 13 :: Books From RWA Nationals

The RWA National Conference is packed with books. Books in your registration bag, on your chair at each luncheon, scattered about the goody room (they go FAST), at the Literacy Autographing, and all the major publishers host a booksigning where the books are FREE! I packed home too many to list, so here's the 13 that went to the top of my To-Be-Read Pile.

1. Breathe by Donna Alward -- Snagged it as an ARC from the Samhain signing... and then someone snagged it from me when I was handing out books to elevator passengers. Thank goodness Fiona Harper hooked me up with another copy. Still, I wonder what Donna wrote when she signed it...

2. Beauty and the Brooding Boss by Barbara Wallace -- I do so love Beauty and the Beast. I think that's why I tend to write the story over, and over...

3. Cowboy Up by Vicki Lewis Thompson -- Not only are there three more Sons of Chance books coming out, at the signing she said it was looking like she'd get a third set of them! And, my fangirl moment of the conference? I rode back to the hotel from the Harlequin black & white ball in the same taxi as VLT!

 

4. Housekeeper's Happy-Ever-After by Fiona Harper -- I met Fiona on the eHarlequin boards when we were both unpublished. I met her in person at the RWA Conference in Dallas a couple years after we'd sold. And...it's eerie. We're like identical cousins! The easy laugh, curly hair, need to go for a joke. I heart her.

5. And One Last Thing by Molly Harper -- I got this one at a publisher signing for my usual reasons for picking up a book...cover and title. I know, I know. But I mean, look at it. It's going to be good.

6. Real Men Wear Plaid by Rhonda Nelson -- Everything by Rhonda Nelson is good, it just is. Maybe it's my upcoming weekend adventure to the Highland Games, or the hot guy on the cover...I just know I'll love this one.

7. The True Love Quilting Club by Lori Wilde -- I actually managed to snag this and The Sweetheart's Knitting Club because my roomate didn't have room in her luggage :) I had the First Love Cookie Club at home already, so now I have them all. I just need a weekend away to read them in one big gulp.

8. Single Dad Seeks A Wife by Melanie Milburne -- Medicals are hard to come by in the States! This felt like quite a find!

9. With This Fling by Kelly Hunter -- Don't you just love that title? Kelly has a delightful way of mixing the playful and the emotional so that everything is just right. Plus, I got to meet her in person. She's even more lovely than you think!

10. Suddenly Texan by Victoria Chancellor -- The heroine is from Oregon, and the American line is becoming one of my favorites. Plus, it has a Texas cowboy.

11. The Forbidden Wife by Sharon Kendrick -- The back cover says "When Beauty tames the brooding beast..." Can you see the pattern with me and stories?

12. All Fired Up by Kristen Painter -- I have it in ebook, but sometimes it's nice to have an autographed copy. That way, when I loan it to my friend I tend to get it back!

13. Expecting Royal Twins by Melissa McClone -- One of my local authors who just happened to be nominated for a RITA. She did a great job blogging about NYC pre-conference. After reading her posts, I was even more excited to go!

It's going to be a great reading year!!

Jenna's dealing with line edits, waiting to hear back on a new story, and finishing the road trip book right now. Until it's ready, be sure to check out her latest. Private Scandal is ripe with secrets, sass, and sensational sex. Keep up with Jenna's spin on things on her website & blog

Writer's Wednesday - Getting Inspired

Writing can be a pretty solitary business, but romance writers tend to be awfully chatty and awfully friendly. We, for the most part, LIKE each other. So when we get together it's LOUD. And it's enthusiastic.  For some of us, we don't get together with other romance writers often, and so it's a real treat when we do. And probably scary to an outsider who doesn't understand what the squealing in the elevator is all about.

I love going to my monthly RWA chapter meetings. I always come away feeling GOOD. I find the group really inspiring, and we always have a top-notch workshop after the business meeting. We also talk shop - and share resources.

The same is true at RWA Nationals conference. I know PHS editor Michelle Styles bought a book based on Fiona Harper's recommendation at our workshop. The workshops are another great source of inspiration. Michelle and Fiona both like Michael Hauge, for example, and both of them told me how great his workshops are.

This year I didn't get to any workshops. I had planned on trying, but my schedule "gaps" ended up being filled with meetings and signings and the small windows I did have I spent recharging. Here's the other good thing - you can buy the conference CD's after the fact. I heard so many good things about workshops this year that I'm going to do that. I missed not going but because I knew the majority were being recorded, I figured it was the one thing I could catch up on later.

The one thing I refused to miss, however, were the lunches and speakers. This year I heard Julia Quinn speak at the Librarian's Luncheon; laughed at Steve Berry, Diana Gabaldon and Tess Gerritsen during the opening remarks/Q&A, and wiped tears at Sherrilyn Kenyon's keynote. I missed most of Madeline Hunter's because we seriously could not hear at our table between the audio difficulties and the clinking of dishes (note to RWA staff, schedule speeches for AFTER the meal is cleared away). I'm hoping it's also taped so I can listen to it.

Why am I so intent on going to these events? It's certainly not for the conference chicken (though to be fair, it wasn't bad). It's because the speakers are very, very successful - and they are very, very much like the rest of us toiling away in the romance trenches. As Michelle says - no one is born published. Think about that for a moment. These people started somewhere just like me and you. They had challenges and setbacks. But the truth is - if it can happen to them, it can happen to US with some hard work and determination.

I loved how Steve Berry said he wrote on the QT for 12 years before selling, but kept working on his craft and stacking up rejections. For the record, my husband is not a reader but he's over half way through the Cotton Malone book of Steve's I brought back. I also introduced him to Barry Eisler's writing and believe me, when you have a non-reader say "You could buy me another one of those" it is praise of the highest order.

Hearing the keynote and guest speakers really illuminates how it really is a level playing field. Sitting in that ballroom, I always feel like it doesn't matter if you're unpublished or a midlister or a NYT bestseller - we're all the same. We all have stories to tell. We've all been bitten by the snake. I find it incredibly motivating and affirming. And while figuring out how to write POV better or deepen characters is really important, sometimes what you really need is inspiration to pull you through the rough times.

It's empowering - and to that effect, I recommend you all check out Barb Wallace's post at the Moody Muses yesterday.

So tell me - what fires you up and keeps you going when the going gets tough?

Donna's latest release is A FAMILY FOR THE RUGGED RANCHER, part of Harlequin's Cowboy For Every Mood celebration!

Deadline Recipes: Muttachar Eggs (Spiced/curried Eggs)

PHS Editor and Historical Author Michelle Styles gives an unusual but relatively quick recipe --Eggs Muttachar

First I had better confess that I am an adventerous eater. My recent dining experience of Pig's Ear Salad in New York (The Spotted Pig gastro pub Greenwich)  rather confirms this. Donna Alward and Jenna Bayley Burke were horrified -- their dogs eat pig's ears! But that was rather the point and I was curious. I also thought they'd slice the ear up and it would be a bit like bacon. After all the pub is known for its excellent food. the salad duly arrived. It looked like a pig's ear that a dog would eat on top of a salad. Luckily, it was easy to slice up... rather than being tough and crunchy. Deep fried pig's ear tastes like deep fried squid. The salad was very sharp -- lemons and capers and so contrasted nicely. However I shall leave pig's ears to my dogs from now on as I believe they prefer them. I've done it once and don't have to do it again. The salad underneath the pig's ear was gorgeous!
When I first learnt about this recipe through the Two Fat Ladies television programme, I thought yum, can't wait to try it. A friend who watched the same programme thought -- oh dear, not for them. She was rather vocal about it in the toddler group we both attended. I made a mental note not to ask to her to dinner...
 Personally, I really think it works. My husband and children also like it. I have adapted the recipe over the years but it is a quick and filling as well as an unusual way to do eggs.  If you don't try something, you never know.

Eggs Muttchar
1 hot green chile pepper (jalpeno is fine) -- chopped
1 onion chopped (I liketo use red onion but white is fine)
1 ripe mango peeled and chopped
1- 2 chopped tomatoes
3 tablespoons dried coconut milk powder
1 pint of water
A large pinch of curry power, else turmeric, paprika and ground coriander
salt
juice from one lemon
4 fresh eggs (hard boiled if you like but I like to poach them in the liquid)
Method:
In a large frying pan, heat some olive oil and fry the onion and chile pepper until soft. Add mango, tomato and continue to fry for a few more minutes (basically until the mango starts to fall apart). Add the dried coconut milk power and the water. Bring to a boil. Add the spices. Simmer for  5 minutes.
Add the lemon juice.  Either add the hard boiled eggs and allow to heat through or drop the eggs in and allow them to poach.
Serve with rice or alternatively toast. You can sprinkle fresh coridander (cilantro) on top to add a festive touch.
Serves four.

You can use the sauce with chicken or a white fish but I like to use the eggs.

Michelle Styles writes warm, witty and intimate historical romance for Harlequin Historical/Mills and Boon Historical. To Marry A Matchmaker was recently released in the UK and is available both as an ebook and in print. You can learn more about her books on her website www.michellestyles.co.uk.

Male On Monday: Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys

PHS Editor Donna Alward is back and celebrating all things Western this week - including a little cowboy love.

When I was trying to think of a new "flavour of the month" for my Male on Monday slot, Michelle Styles suggested cowboys. I couldn't think of just one. And then a song came into my head - as often happens. Willie Nelson singing "Mamas, Don't let your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys". I brought up the lyrics and DANG! Instant reasons why I LOVE cowboys.

So lets take a closer look - with a bit of a visual tour, shall we?

Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys
Don't let 'em pick guitars and drive them old trucks

Cowboys ain't easy to love and they're harder to hold
And they'd rather give you a song than diamonds or gold
Lonestar belt buckles and old faded Levis

Cowboys like smoky old pool rooms, clear mountain mornings
Little warm puppies and children, girls of the night

And I have to confess, I'm partial to that last line, because my current release has BOTH on the cover. My hero, Wyatt, doesn't have a family in his life plan, but it changes when he meets Sam. And Wyatt has a rescue dog, too - Homer.


So what about you? Are you on board with this cowboy thang?

Donna's current release is A FAMILY FOR THE RUGGED RANCHER, featuring a reclusive rancher, a far-too-perky-for-his-taste heroine, a cute kid and a three-legged dog.  You can find out more info at her website and blog. It's part of Harlequin's COWBOY FOR EVERY MOOD promotion.