HIGHLAND REBEL is FINISHED!

Greetings Fierce Friends!

Well, I got the good word from my editor last week that Highland Rebel is a better, stronger, book and that she liked all the rewrites! Whew!! It's very strange to me that after writing romance novels for fifteen years I'm still paralyzed with fear when waiting for my editor to approve or disapprove my writing! But I think most writers have experienced some variety of this, whether published or not. The inner dialogue in our heads goes something like this : "My book is terrible." "Why did I ever think I could do this?" "What if this is the time she sends it back and says 'No way!'" and the inevitable "I don't think I can take one more rejection!"

As a writer I have threatened to stop writing and 1) take up knitting 2) get a real job 3) give up. Believe me, my life would be much easier if I did any of these choices. Writing is hard, hard work, and the hardest part of it is that Life doesn't cooperate. It doesn't matter that you have the flu when you get your rewrites. They have to be in within a week, or if you're lucky, two. It doesn't matter if your family has a major crisis, or death, and you're still only halfway finished with your book and suddenly feel unable to keep writing. Well, of course it matters, editors are human after all, but they also answer to bosses who are pretty much all about business most of the time. Being able to 'go with the flow' is a big part of being a full-time writer. and the keywords are adapt, persevere, and endure!

So why don't I hang it up? Well, because I'm a writer. It isn't what I do, it's what I am. There are all of these stories knocking around inside my head, demanding to be given life and I have to give them all their chance! There's just this true and earnest need inside of me to create, to weave words into the best story I possibly can. To take the glimmer of an idea and develop it into something fun or poignant or romantic or all of the above.

Sure, there are pitfalls and frustrations and at times I feel like this is going to be the time when I say "I quit!" But then I'll be sitting outside just thinking and suddenly I'll get this incredible idea for a new book and I'm caught up again in the whole crazy process. And what about those ideas I haven't had time to write about yet? I can't just let them languish and die. They're like old friends, just waiting in the wings for their chance to come outside and play.

So I may grouse and groan and complain about the writing life, and especially dealing with the publishing world, but the truth is that I'm a writer, and I can't imagine my life without the joy and challenge of using words to paint the pictures inside my head. And if it hurts sometimes, well, a little pain just comes with the territory. But it's worth it.

Keep Writing Fierce Friends, and Don't Give Up!
hugs,
Tess

Coming Clean About a Sentimental Journey

In the summertime, whenever I think of journeys, I think of vacations and hitting the highway for a week of fun with family and/or friends. But I took another type of journey this past week—a sentimental journey. No, this journey didn’t involve revisiting memories of a past romance or pondering photos in a family album. Instead, a trip to our basement stirred my sentimentality.


After living in a home for over twelve years, a great deal of “stuff” accumulates. I’m not a woman who holds on to everything, but I’m also not one who tosses things quickly or at the first sign they don’t hold current value or use. Most of the storage boxes, seasonal decorations and other items weren’t causing any clutter, but there was one shelf where I’d put various paperwork that required sorting and tossing. One glance at the stack showed a manila envelope resting at almost the halfway point. I worked my way down through the papers—most of which were old drafts of manuscripts I’d written years ago—until I reached the envelope. As soon as I noticed the sender’s address, I opened the clasp and sat down on a lounge chair. Tucked inside was the second manuscript I’d written back in 2001 and submitted in 2002. I’d submitted this historical romance to a New York publisher and gotten partway up the acquisitions ladder before receiving a rejection. The reason—this publisher wasn’t buying manuscripts set during or immediately prior to the Civil War. The rejection letter is somewhere in my desk files. The reason I sat there smiling and clutching the book of my heart was the rejection letter contained some compliments on my writing as well as an invitation to submit more of my work. I stared at the stack of paperwork I’d already removed for shredding but vowed I’d never part with the historical-romance manuscript or the original mailing envelope. After I gathered the results of my cleaning spree and headed up the steps, I gave the shelf a parting glance. My historical romance novel remains there. Safe from all future cleaning sprees. Heaven knows, I’d no more part with that manuscript than I’d stop writing.

Wishing you all many happy reading moments,

Shawna Moore
ROUGHRIDER -- Ellora's Cave
HELLE IN HEELS -- Ellora's Cave
TORMENTED -- Coming soon to Ellora's Cave
Shawna's Myspace
Helle's Myspace

Sex scenes and Cowboys - or - How To Get Your Attention Without Really Trying

When I was eleven years old, for some reason I started watching a lot of western movies late at night with my mom. Soon, not only was I a big John Wayne fan, I was in love with Blue and Manolito on the TV show, High Chapperal. Oh, how I used to imagine myself out in Arizona, on that cactus strewn ranch, riding along side either one of my favorite guys! And of course, because I was a four-eyed book geek, that burgeoning love for westerns morphed naturally over into my first love – reading. On a trip to the library one day I discovered Zane Grey, one of the first popular western authors, and I was a goner. I read everything he wrote, I think, before moving on to become a history nut.

Now, what I couldn’t understand about Zane Grey’s books at the time, was that a lot of the words he used seemed to have some letters missing. I don’t know if this was standard for his books, or if somehow I had stumbled across a specially edited line of his popular westerns, but it made for some interesting reading for a naïve 11 year old.
Here's an example:

“D _ _ n it, Joe,” Black Jack Bishop said, “tie up that sh _ _-_ _ _ ed jack_ _ _.”

I spent a lotta lotta time trying to figure out what those left out letters spelled out. Finally I gave up and just skipped those words, piecing together the stories of cowboys and gunslingers, stagecoach robbers and prairie women done wrong. The next year I even tried my hand at writing a western myself. My heroes were named Billy John and Seth, and I’ll never forget the thrill I felt as I wrote the opening sentence:

“Somewhere in North Texas beside the Brazos River, Seth Davis swung down off his paint pony and dragged his hand through his tousled sun-bleached hair.”

In retrospect, that was the beginning of my desire to become a writer. I only wrote four chapters of that book—I still have it somewhere in a folder—but the love I felt for the two main characters has never waned. Maybe I’ll write it someday.

As I was thinking about this today, with westerns being one of our blog options for the week, I realized something very important--a way the memory of my love for all things western could help me in my writing! You see, as a romance author, the hardest parts (ahem) to write, for me, are usually the love scenes. So what if I stole a page from Mr. Zane Grey’s book? It might go a little something like this:

“Oh, Jack,” Lily said breathlessly as he slid his hand upward to touch her n _ _ _ _ _ _e. “I never dreamed you felt this way about me.”

Jack caressed the side of her neck with his lips, then groaned as she touched his throbbing m _ _ _ _ _. “You’re killing me, love,” he whispered.

Lily had never felt so powerful. She s_ _ _ked his _ _ _s and then lowered her mouth to his iron hard pe_ _.

Well, I think you get the idea. (Don't blush! I might have fooled ya, pardners. What dirty minds you folks have! You might be surprised at how easy it is to imply something slightly wicked with just with a few empty spaces! See the real words that go in the spaces at the end of this blog!)

Okay, in spite of my kidding around, those tall, tanned, cowboys with their lean, hard muscles and five o’clock shadows are still one of my personal three top hero-types in romances. The lineup?

1. Highlanders (of course!)
2. Cowboys
3. Spies

More on these bad boys in another blog, but for now I leave you with the mental image of John Wayne holding that newborn baby in “3 Godfathers”. Now there was a hero!

The answer to my Zane Grey romance scene:

“Oh, Jack,” Lily said breathlessly as he slid his hand upward to touch her necklace. “I never dreamed you felt this way about me.”

Jack caressed the side of her neck with his lips, then groaned as she touched his throbbing muscles. “You’re killing me, love,” he whispered.

Lily had never felt so powerful. She stroked his jaws and then lowered her mouth to his iron hard pecs.

And here's my LOLcat for you for the day--Enjoy and have a good one!

Many Happy Returns

Home is where my heart is, but I also adore traveling. Finding new places that stir fond memories, no matter how many years pass. In essence, destinations that fill my best dreams and bring many happy returns.


Today marks my twelfth wedding anniversary, and one of the best getaways hubby and I ever experienced was when we visited Charleston, SC, two years ago to celebrate a decade of love and togetherness. No matter that rain showers dampened the windshield as we drove. The weather couldn’t dampen our mood or plans. From the moment we checked into our lovely bed and breakfast in the heart of the historically-rich city, we focused on fun and romance. No visit to Charleston is complete without a carriage ride. As soon as Marcus, our carriage horse, started along the tour route, the sun burst through the cloud cover and provided us the first rays of a glorious day. Peninsular majesty. Regal oaks dripping Spanish moss. Breathtaking homes fashioned in the Georgian, Classical Revival, and Greek Revival (my favorite) styles of yesteryear. After soaking up lots of sights and historical details, we returned to the Old City Market and browsed the handicrafts and sweetgrass baskets. While there we chatted with some of the friendly locals and other tourists and sampled Low Country goodies offered by a few vendors. Though Southern cuisine is my favorite, the evening hours saw us sharing some special moments over a candlelit Italian dinner and toasting our union with a fine cabernet. A leisurely stroll near our bed and breakfast found us under the stars, and we capped off our day of sightseeing with a guided tour featuring more of the history and haunted past of Charleston. More tours of splendid gardens and enchanting plantation properties filled our remaining days in Charleston. Even more moments of romantic bliss resulted. I could go on, but you get the perfect picture. As a matter of fact, I believe more wonderful memories resulted than times Marcus clopped his well-shod hooves.

Wishing you all many happy returns,

Shawna Moore
ROUGHRIDER -- Ellora's Cave
HELLE IN HEELS -- Ellora's Cave
TORMENTED -- Coming soon to Ellora's Cave
Shawna's Myspace
Helle's Myspace

What's on the Cowboy's Mind?

For most of the years I’ve been reading romance fiction, rugged heroes have always been my favorites. Those men who fight hard, live with purpose, and love with every bit of energy in their hard-to-resist bodies. Whether on the rodeo circuit or ranching, these guys face challenges head on and refuse defeat. Dirt and sweat help define them and their working ways.

Recently I found this handsome cowboy’s picture and pondered what might be on his mind. Here’s what I’m thinking he’s thinking. Tires churn the packed earth leading to the farmhouse. He turns and is nearly blinded as sunlight blares off the lipstick-red hood of the convertible. But it doesn’t prevent him from noticing the woman sitting behind the wheel, her black hair teased by the wind. She smiles and he shifts the saddle on his shoulder. He swipes a free hand over his sweat-slick chest. Her amber-lens sunglasses come off. They make eye contact and he swaggers closer. The sexy stranger licks her lips. No better time to cool off in Cassady’s Pond. Won’t take long to saddle up and head her down there. Business can wait. He runs his thumb under the waistband of his jeans. The fire inside of him can’t.

What about you, readers? What do you think is on this hunk’s mind?

Wishing you all many happy reading moments,

Shawna Moore
ROUGHRIDER – Ellora’s Cave
HELLE IN HEELS – Ellora’s Cave
TORMENTED – Coming soon to Ellora’s Cave
Shawna’s Myspace
Helle’s Myspace

Are You a Creature of Habit?

While grocery shopping the other day, I must have set a record keeping those cart wheels rolling. A winter storm was forecast for our area. Decent parking spaces were at a premium. The aisles were filled with folks stocking up on necessities. I’d started plotting a new book and wanted to return to that creative world as soon as possible. Good fortune remained with me for a while, and I steered clear of the heavy shopping traffic. Once I reached the Dairy section, Lady Luck sprinted somewhere and left me wondering which yogurt to purchase since my favorite brand and flavor were gone. Okay, I’ll admit mainly being a creature of habit and sticking with the tried and true when it comes to brands I buy and foods I’ll eat. That day I had no choice but to select an alternative and hope for the best. With a week’s supply of my favorite breakfast food in the cart I continued to the checkout. Was I confident my selection would yield a positive result and please my palate? My sureness hovered somewhere around fifty percent since the day was otherwise going pretty well. The following morning as the coffee brewed I opened the yogurt container, dunked the spoon inside and scooped out a rounded serving. Didn’t take long for me to decide I’ll include some of that brand and flavor of yogurt on my shopping list from time to time. Change can be good. Downright delicious. Trying something new can be a positive and rewarding experience.

The same goes for the books I read. I return to my favorite authors time and again. After all, they deliver a solid story and I love their writing style. But some of those favorites have ended up on my bookshelves because I took a chance and purchased something by a new author. Often times the keeper was an author’s first published novel. If I hadn’t broadened my selection process, I might have missed a lot of great books.

What about you, readers? Are you a creature of reading habit or is variety the spice of your life? Do you find yourself reaching for books written by new authors and/or authors whose work you’ve never read?

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler,

Shawna Moore
ROUGHRIDER – Ellora’s Cave
HELLE IN HEELS – Ellora’s Cave
Shawna’s Myspace
Helle’s Myspace

Anticipation

For some reason, Carly Simon is serenading inside my skull. But there’s no zesty condiment being squeezed or tipped on end for this blog’s topic. Instead, an emotional reaction is the core of my subject matter.

There’s something unique and unrelenting about love, when it’s new and when you know it’s true. A couple meets and realizes their attraction. Then anticipation kicks in. As someone who believes love can solve so many problems, I enjoy reading romance novels and living the story vicariously through the central characters. The first romance I recall reading was ROMEO AND JULIET. What a tormented and sensational tale played out on the pages involving that amorous pair. Even though only ten years old at the time, I pondered what passion and love would hold for me when the time was ripe. After all, Shakespeare’s memorable characters gave their lives for love. Faced with a stellar conflict, they made the ultimate sacrifice. The Bard tapped the dramatic depths and stirred strong emotional reactions in his readers. Of all the romantic stories I’ve read over the years, I’ve never experienced more anticipation over the outcome than I did while reading R&J. From time to time I re-read this classic and marvel at the scope of the story and how it remains a timeless literary treasure. What kept me turning those pages was the hope to which I clung as their struggles and the sexual tension mounted.

What about you, readers? Do you delight in the rush of adrenaline and the surge of emotions as you embark on a romantic journey with those characters in romance novels? Do you find yourself eagerly anticipating the point where the couple has overcome their conflicts and earned their happily ever after?

Feel the heat in erotic fiction,

Shawna Moore
ROUGHRIDER -- Ellora's Cave
HELLE IN HEELS -- Ellora's Cave
Shawna's Myspace
Helle's Myspace

Have an Umbrella? From Drizzle to Deluge

Late last year I decided to allow for more spontaneity in every aspect of my life in 2008. Some would deem this a resolution, but I prefer calling this a new approach or outlook. Instead of resorting to advanced planning I’d let Life surprise me from time to time. Go figure. The moment I let down my guard, Life turned nasty over the past several days. All was going along smoothly and then—Wham—certain events threatened to veer me off course in a major way. I was thankful I hadn’t lost my fondness of contingency plans. The resulting reality check—no matter how much I want to slacken my grip on those proverbial reins, I can’t toss them aside for extended periods of time. Remaining flexible, while recalling and utilizing past successful strategies, is the best way for me to navigate emergencies and devastating news or events. This also holds true for my writing. Sometimes freestyle works well, sometimes a more choreographed method works better.

For the past seven years I’ve been writing full-time. Over those years, my process has changed and morphs with each story written. In the beginning, I surrendered completely to my creativity and didn’t use plotting sheets or a white board. Before I wrote the first sentence, I knew the story’s beginning and ending and some of the rising action scenes, but I didn’t script anything formally. On reflection, that process didn’t work and cost me more time during the self-editing of subsequent drafts. Currently I prefer plotting most of the scenes in advance, but I allow for spontaneity and don’t mind tossing out scenes already jotted in favor of ones that work better for the plot and/or characterization.

What about you? Are you an advance planner, a go-with-the-flow type, or a person who favors an approach somewhere in between?

Feel the heat in erotic fiction,

Shawna Moore
ROUGHRIDER – Ellora’s Cave
HELLE IN HEELS – Ellora’s Cave
Shawna's Myspace
Helle's Myspace

What Makes a Book Memorable

Do you have at least one bookcase filled with books with which you couldn’t bear to part? Books that are keepers in every sense? I’ve mysteries, romances, historicals, erotica, women’s fiction, medical suspenses, literary classics, etc. But one of the books I read this past fall definitely earned an alphabetized spot in my master bookcase. CAN’T WAIT TO GET TO HEAVEN by Fannie Flagg is memorable in every way. Her keen storytelling ability, humorous fictional “voice” and characters made this tale come alive for me and I couldn’t put the book down. I read this novel from cover to cover in one sitting and plan on re-reading it a couple times a year. Elner Shimfissel ranks right up there with the most well-written, clearly-defined characters I’ve ever read. Her exploits and insights, as well as those of other characters, will tap your emotions on every page. Fannie has also provided her readers with a stellar cast of secondary characters, each a fictional persona you won’t forget. I remember watching Fannie during her guest panelist days on MATCH GAME. While reading CAN’T WAIT TO GET TO HEAVEN, her authorial “voice” rang loud and clear. This is a skill we authors strive to master and one that puts an author on my auto-buy list. Can’t wait to read Fannie’s next novel.

What about you all? What book do you find memorable and pull from your bookshelf time and again?


Blessings and all the best,


Shawna Moore's Website
ROUGHRIDER -- Ellora's Cave
HELLE IN HEELS -- Ellora's Cave
Myspace
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