Writer's Workspace: Louise Allen

PHS is delighted to welcome award winning Historical Author Louise Allen and have a sneak peek at her fabulous writing space.

Hello to everyone at the Pink Heart Society – and thank you for giving me the opportunity to visit and share my working space with you.

A year ago we moved to a cottage on the North Norfolk coast – beautiful countryside and a lovely place to be. The only problem was that it has half the number of bedrooms of our previous house and lots and lots of windows and the site is very tricky for an extension.

The windows are perfect for admiring the view, but they mean that the wall space for bookcases is severely reduced and I was reluctant to sacrifice a bedroom to my desk and over a thousand reference books.

My husband said I needed a shed in the garden. I – with dreams of grandeur – retorted that I required a scriptorium and a library. What we settled on was what the builders rapidly learned to call The Studio when I was within earshot and what my husband still insists on referring to as The Shed.

It is in the back garden with a view, once I had strategically pruned the holly tree, of our lovely village church. Inside it was insulated to within an inch of its life (looking north from the beach the next land is Siberia), lined with timber, centrally heated and fitted out with as many bookshelves as I could get in, my desk and an antique pine chest of drawers for my author copies and to act as a stand for the big Georgian dolls’ house that we made. I found a remnant of a toile de jouy showing George III and his family in the grounds of Windsor Castle on Ebay and that made suitably historical curtains and Roman blinds.

I have the phone and – strategic mistake – the internet so I can prevaricate with endless browsing when I get stuck with the current novel. I keep asking for a flag hoist so I can signal “Send tea”, but so far my husband seems strangely reluctant to put one up.

I’m not a plotter or a planner so I make notes in a file on the PC as I go along and don’t have the impressive pin boards or systems that more organised writers use. But I do accumulate a teetering pile of reference books from the shelves behind me as I work and I will pin up maps. The A-Z of Regency London and Titles & Forms of Address are fixtures on the desk, others come and go.

Also on the desk is a Victorian copy of  the statue of The Dying Gaul – the model for the hero of my book Virgin Slave, Barbarian King; the star I won for the Romantic Novelists’ Association Love Story of the Year last year (for The Piratical Miss Ravenhurst) and a reproduction of a fragment from a Greek statue. The beautifully modelled male lips are an inspiration when I write a love scene!

The bookshelves around the desk hold my historical reference library, those on the other side house novels, copies of my own books and my ever-expanding collection of Regency prints and ephemera. The large volumes of the Oxford English Dictionary are far enough away to make me get up and achieve a little exercise hefting them off the shelves.

There is just a little space left for a few more books but I fear I may be planning an extension soon! Where is your most productive place to work? Facing a wall with no distractions or with a lovely view to relax – and distract – you?

Louise Allen lives in Norfolk, England and often sets novels there and in her home county of Hertfordshire. She is currently working on her 44^th title for Harlequin Mills & Boon Historicals and her Danger & Desire trilogy –Ravished by the Rake, Seduced by the Scoundrel and Married to a Stranger – is out February through April in the States. She is also the author of a practical walking guide – Walks Through Regency London – available from her website where she loves to share images from her collection of Regency prints. www.louiseallenregency.co.uk Twitter @LouiseRegency

MUST WATCH FRIDAY: The Artist

Harlequin Presents/Riva author Heidi Rice talks in glowing terms about the non-talkie they're all raving about...

On the night before The Artist swept the top awards at this year's Oscar ceremony, my DH and I strong-armed our two teenage sons into seeing it with us. We don't do family film outings much anymore, and this one took more than a bit of persuasion... 'What do you mean, it's silent?' 'What? No talking at all? Seriously?' You could hear the moaning far and wide... (I decided to keep quiet about the fact that is was also in black and white). But after lots of pestering (and a little bribery - popcorn and cokes all round!) we got them there. And I have to say while we weren't all completely blown away by it, for me it certainly lived up to the hype.

If you haven't already heard about it, the story - told in black-and-white and with silent-movie subtitles - is basically A Star Is Born seguing neatly into Singin' in the Rain. The gorgeous Gallic actor Jean Dujardin channels Douglas Fairbanks as George Valentin, a swashbuckling star of the silent era in Hollywood who's at the top of his game when the talkies arrive and destroy his career. Much of the film deals with his slow descent into penury as he refuses to embrace the new sound era and clings on to the now out-dated charm of silent cinema. But before any of this happens, George bumps into young and vivacious extra Peppy Miller (played by the cute-as-a-button and, well, extremely peppy, Berenice Bejo) at a premiere, and when she later turns up on the set of his new movie, they fall in love.

This subtle sequence of takes, as the couple dance together on set, provides the beautiful beating heart of the whole picture. In that wonderfully evocative moment when the couple laugh - delighted with each other as they destroy yet another  take - we see not only the essence of George's decline (for Peppy's verve and spontaneity will very soon outshine George), but also his redemption. Like us, Peppy is captivated not just by George's star qualities, his charm and panache (and his very clever little dog) but also by his humanity. George is generous and loveable and a genuine artist, even if he's too proud and set in his ways to realise that his art must adapt, or it will die.

It is of course a brilliant conceit that this is a silent movie dramatising the demise of the silent era. And the fact that it has captivated audiences the world over adds a beautiful irony to the whole endeavour. But perhaps its most enchanting quality is that it tells a complex story in its most simplistic form —  thus recreating the innocence of an era when audiences didn't need loads of hi-tech bells and whistles to appreciate the magic of cinematic story-telling. How cool is that, to be able to enjoy a movie as if you've never seen one before?

And Jean Dujardin is remarkably sexy... which doesn't hurt either.



My two teenagers in the end were a little bit non-plussed by the whole experience, but still captivated and engaged despite themselves. So much so that we're already planning to spring a Buster Keaton retrospective on the two of them for the next evening when we're all at home. And while they may not have loved the movie as much as their Dad and I did, they did adore the dog!

Although I should add the popcorn and cokes was a big mistake. Nothing quite so embarrassing as hearing your son munching and slurping loudly while watching a movie which, despite a phenomenal music soundtrack, really was completely silent in places!

You have been warned.

Heidi is currently doing a happy dance after having her 12th Riva novel accepted. Her latest release, The Good, the Bad and the Wild, is out now as a Riva in the UK and will be out in the US in July as a Harlequin Presents Extra. You can find her nattering about her books and her writing career (and assorted sexy guys) on her blog, on Facebook, on Twitter (@HeidiRomRice) or on her website.

The Learning Curve of the New Author: What's in a name?

The Pink Heart Society editor Scarlet Wilson is back for more of her Learning Curve column.  This time...What's in a Name?

For those of you who don't already know I'm a bit sad.  I don't mean sad in the downwards smile sort of way.  I mean sad in the geek kind of way.  I'm the girl that loves data and everything about it.

So now that's out of the way  I should tell you that for the last few years, every time I've read a series romance I've kept notes.  I won't tell you all the notes I've kept - that's for another day.  But one of the types of information I've kept is a excel spreadsheet of names.  Yes - that's right, I put them in a spreadsheet! 

Now, what I'm sure you'll already know is that sometimes you come across the strangest names in series romance.  Some that you've never even heard of.

I don't know about you but if I come across a name in a story that I can't even say out loud it kind of throws me out the story.  It interrupts the flow so to speak - never a good thing. 

Then there's the school bully.  If I come across their name in a story it doesn't matter how fabulous a hero/heroine they are I'm just never going to warm to them.

This all became important to me when I got my second set of comments back from the New Writers Scheme attached to the RNA.  The New Writers Scheme allows an unpublished writer to send in a full manuscript and get comments back from a published writer with comments about improvements.  This time, one of the comments I got was that the writer didn't like my heroine's name - Melissa.  It irked her.  And that intrigued me.

So what are the most popular names for guys?
Alex, Ben, Daniel, Ethan, Jack, James, Luke, Mac, Matt, Max and Nick.
But the runaway success?........is Jake.

And for girls?
Abbie/Abby, Annie, Beth, Ellie, Jenna, Kate, Lily, Madeline, Maggie and Zoe.
And the runaway success for girls?.........is Sophie.

GULP!  So first things first.  I have to quantify what I read.  Romance/Cherish, Modern/Presents, Medicals, Superromance, American Romance with a few historicals thrown in.

Second thing?  CRINGE!  I've used some of these - Abbie and Luke featured in my second book The Boy Who Made Them Love Again.  Lily features in my fourth due out in September A Bond Between Strangers.

So it seems as if I've fell into the trap that other authors have.

What I also find interesting is that I used to work as a health visitor and visited all new babies eleven days after birth.  So I became use to name trends.  Some years some names were very popular and every second baby seemed to be called that.  These names tend to appears a year later in some series romance novels attached to a thirty year old hero or heroine and it makes me cringe.

But what I find most interesting is getting the right name for the right character.  When I started writing The Boy Who Made Them Love Again (I called it Pelican Cove, much nicer!) Abbie was originally called Rose.

But Rose didn't work.  After Chapter One the book started sticking.  Something didn't feel right.  So I rewrote chapter one with Abby.  And it worked perfectly.

I know it weird and irrational.  But I've heard the same from other writers.  And some of the names I've used I haven't even particularly liked - they're not the names I would have picked for my children.  But they've fitted the character and the stories.

So how do you feel about character names?  Any you love, any you hate?  Or any that have made you close a book completely?

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The President’s Baby doctor

Famous neonatologist Lincoln Adams is looking after the US President’s newborn daughter when nurse Amy Carson arrives at the hospital, posing as his very pregnant wife! Amy’s had first-hand experience of Linc’s skilful hands and he’s the only person she trusts to look after her precious cargo, but trusting him with her fragile heart is another matter.......

Available in the UK May 2012

TALES OF AN UNPUBLISHED AUTHOR: What You Don’t Know . . .

There’s this writing mantra out there that really has had me thinking lately.

Write What You Know.

Writing what you know is considered one of the best ways for a new writer to start. The information is familiar, so generally research is at a minimum. You can craft your story world based on your own experience.

But, I’m going to propose something different.

Why not start by writing about what you don’t know? Okay, that doesn’t mean go out there and write about something that is completely opposite of you. Write about something that appeals to you and you don’t know everything about.

Because sometimes writing about what you don’t know helps you focus on what matters most.

I’m a nurse by trade and I’ve written stories that take place in hospitals, clinics, have medical themes, etc. But, it’s my non-medical stories that seem to come alive. Or should I say the characters seem to be more three-dimensional.

If I’m writing a medical story, I tend to write as if I’m there, an observer making sure the facts are correct, the setting is as I see it. And I’m overlooking one of the most important part of the story: the characters.

Sometimes not knowing what your write will force you to focus on the characters. How would she think in this situation? What would he do?

Sometimes taking a leap into a completely different story will free some writing blocks from the past or help open up a plot point from a different story.

Being different isn’t a bad thing. Expanding your horizons and that of your characters is what writing is about.

Yes?

Abbi ☺

WRITE AT HOME MOM: Surviving Spring Break

USAToday bestselling author and mom to four, Mira Lyn Kelly, has got a plan for writing through break...

I knew it was coming.

Dun-nun, dun-nun…

Felt the lurking threat beneath the surface.

Dun-nun, dun-nun…

The building tension in the air.

I tried to write faster, frantically pulling toward the distant shores of a completed manuscript.

Dun-nun, Dun-nun, Dun-nun, dun-dun!

But here I am, still adrift, miles from sending that email to my editor—the one that actually has my book attached—when I feel that first blood freezing bump against my leg.

No!

I try to keep typing, but there it is again. “Mom?”

It can’t be!! It’s 9:27am on a Friday!! What happened to the bus???

“Mom? I can only find the cap to my perfume--”
“Mom, I said I was going to play Linx Crossbow training, but he--”
“Mom? I’m hungry.”

I look at my keyboard, but there’s no escaping the certain knowledge that my happy little routine of barely good enough is about to meet a gory end.

“Mom, I’m bored.”

DUN-NUN!

Yep, Spring Break has arrived.

Okay, so maybe the Jaws theme-song was a little much.

After all I love having everyone around the house again-- no schedules, academic frustrations, or homework. But it’s also a major disruption to my writing schedule, and with my MS running long and late, that’s not something I can easily ignore. Which means I’m going to need to find a way to be productive during break.

Yeah, yeah, I’m guessing the WAHMs with children who haven’t yet reached school age are all with the eye rolling and obscene hand gestures right about now, thinking “Oooh, big whoop. 10 days.” And a couple of years ago I’d have been right there with you.

But something’s changed in the year and a half since the last of the litter took their first steps onto the bus, and most of my old tricks don’t seem to fit with this new stage. For instance, there’s no built in nap to work around. The kids no longer go to bed early enough for me to write after. And when I mentally check out of some tedious activity for a brief visit WIPlandia…THEY KNOW!!

As frequently happens in parenting… it’s back to the drawing board.

So after much consideration, here’s the best I’ve got on writing through Break…

Working the early shift—5am, here I come. I don’t love getting up this early, but the extra hour or two of precious uninterrupted work-time before the first “I’m hungry” is worth a few late afternoon yawns.

Breaking it down—Okay, I know I said that one of the best things about Break is no schedule…but maybe I need to revisit that. By adding structure to the day, splitting it up to include some work-time after breakfast and then leaving the rest of the day for FULL ON MOMMYING, everyone knows what to expect and when. The kids have a couple of hours to watch a movie, fool around on the computer, build Legos or play video games. Whatever they like. I get a little more time in on the WIP, while still being available for squabble patrol (some things we just can’t get around), to answer questions and offer help for little things. But the kids know if they want me to help with the new Chemistry set…that’s something that has to wait a couple hours.

Notebook at the ready—I keep track of the ideas that come at odd times so when five rolls around, I hit the ground running.

Be flexible—So all of these little productivity plans are great, but the truth is, when dealing with kids, stuff happens. So I remind myself to be flexible. To do the best I can with what I can, and even when things don’t work out, to remember Break is fun. And, come on, this one only lasts 10 days… not like Summer Vacation.

Oh no…

Summer…

Dun-nun, dun-nun!

Have any helpful tips to share? Drop them into the comments… Here are a couple more I picked up this month...

Dinner done quick: Biscuit Enchiladas – This quick and easy recipe is adapted from Weight Watchers Bubble up Enchiladas, and can easily be made with reduced fat ingredients. 1.75lbs browned, drained ground turkey; 10oz can enchilada sauce, 15oz can tomato sauce, 1 tube refrigerator biscuits (such as buttermilk Grands) cut into sixths. Combine and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake 25 min at 350. Top with 2cups shredded reduced fat Mexican cheese and bake 10 min more. Let sit 5 min before serving.

Household Hint from Harlequin Special Edition author Lilian Darcy -– Plan the week's meals and write a grocery list before you shop. That way, you can plan something easy on a day that you know is busy (deadline, anyone?) or cook two meals in one night on a quieter day, so that tomorrow's dinner is already done. My meal plan is nothing fancy. It's the letters M, T, W, T, F, S, S scribbled in the bottom corner of the list, with things like "soup and garlic bread" or "spaghetti with meat sauce" scribbled next to a letter. When I've shopped, I tear off the corner of the list and stick it on the refrigerator with a magnet. Then, after I emerge goggle-eyed from my writing, I don't have to think, "What the heck am I cooking tonight?" I just look at the list and know that the ingredients are all there.
Daddy on Her Doorstep – March 2012

Please join me the second Tuesday of each month to share tips, advice, and experiences as we take a Write-At-Home-Mom’s journey toward a better balance.

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Male On Monday :: Matt Damon

Superromance author Tracy Wolff may be fashionable late to The Pink Heart Society's Male on Monday party...but who cares? She brought Matt Damon! And she's making it up to us with a giveaway.

I’m a tall, dark and handsome kind of girl.  Dark hair, worn a little too long.  Midnight eyes that are just a little tortured.  Tal, gorgeous physique (and I mean TALL—I rarely write a hero under six foot two and my dragons are often more like six foot five).  Oh, and with that description, I’m sure it will come as no surprise that I’m a sucker for the bad boy with just a hint of vulnerability.  These are the characters I write (Kevin from Full Exposure, Quinn from Hidden Embers, Jesse from A Christmas Wedding) and the characters I love to read about (J.R. Ward’s Zsadist, Sherilynn Kenyon’s Zarek, Emily Bronte’s Heathcliff).  They’re also the characters I love to watch on the big screen—and the actor’s who portray them should be as tall, dark and handsome as the bad boy deserves.

With one notable exception: Matt Damon, who is very handsome but definitely not tall, dark or tortured.  And yet, I can’t get enough of him.  My friends say it’s because I first fell for him in Courage Under Fire and Good Will Hunting, two films where he plays very tortured characters.  Or maybe it’s because he followed it up with the character of Tom Ripley, who is a bonafide sociopath (I told you I like them bad).  Or maybe it’s because, despite all the roles he plays, he’s a really decent guy who loves his family and works hard to make the world a better place.  Who knows why I love Matt.  I just do. 

Which is why, when I sat down to write the character of Simon Hart in my latest Superromance, From the Beginning, I decided to go a different route than usual and modeled him, looks wise, after Matt (though he is taller, I admit).   He’s also a lost soul instead of a bad boy, but I think that’s just part of his charm ;) 

Simon is a character that I’ve lived with for a long time.  Usually, I get an idea, write the proposal, sell it and write the book.  But From the Beginning is different. It was supposed to be my second Everlasting Love novel, way back when I first sold, and when the line went under I thought the story idea had as well.  Things didn’t quite work out that way, though.  Simon, and his heroine, Amanda, refused to go away.  At first, they popped up at odd moments—little pieces of dialogue I couldn’t resist.  Then they invaded my dreams, and then, one day when I was writing a different Superromance, I kept typing their names instead of my current characters’ names.  That’s when I knew I had to write their story.

From the Beginning isn’t the easiest read (it starts with Amanda on the verge of a nervous breakdown over the loss of hers and Simon’s daughter) and Simon isn’t the easiest hero (he’s a lost soul who buries his own grief and doesn’t know—but has to learn-- how to be there for the only woman he’s ever loved as she stops being able to outrun her own sadness).  But by the end, he’s become a truly extraordinary person, one I am very proud to have written.

So, who is your favorite kind of hero?  Do you like the bad boy or the lost soul?  The warrior or the swashbuckler or the professor?  Leave a comment to be entered to win a copy of From the Beginning, or any one of Tracy Wolff/Tessa Adams/Tracy Deebs’s backlist.