Believing the Impossible

Everyone knows there needs to be a little suspicion of disbelief with a story. Some more so than others, but it still needs to be there. I rarely have a problem getting sucked into a story, no matter how outlandish a plot can get. Until this week. I’m not going to name the author or the book, but I do have to say if this hero had been a cat, he would’ve died twice.

The more that happened to him, the more suspicion of disbelief diminished. We are not talking little mishaps either, this man life was in constant doo doo, in the hospital with life-threatening injuries more than not. The more I read, the more I was like, Dude! He should be dead.

So this got me thinking. When is too much, too much? And why, when I usually have no issue with just going along for the ride, I wanted to jump out of the car in this one?

Perhaps it was because this was a contemporary. The hero wasn’t a shifter, vampire or some other creature with special powers that would allow this kind of harm to be dealt to him without repercussions. No, he was an everyday man, living in everyday America, just like you and me. And because of this, I could never get past the thought any normal man would never survive this, much less the other five attempts on his life. I know this is fiction, and we are dealing with alpha hero’s here, but at the same time there is supposed to be a fine line between the fiction and reality. This story crossed the line into unbelievable for me.

Is it fair of me to think that if the story had paranormal elements I could have accepted the things that happened to the hero? Why am I so down on this hero who survived the impossible?

So my question is, have you ever read something that tested your suspicion of disbelief?


In other news, I’m being interviewed at Night of Passion this weekend and will be giving away three e-books. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment. So drop on byJ
http://nightsofpassion.wordpress.com/

Esme
www.esmereldabishop.com

Something to watch for...

by Kristin Daniels

This summer has been a busy one for me. Between writing, family vacations, the RWA National Convention, not to mention just everyday life, it seems like the days have slipped away. But I do have some exciting news to share! I have a new upcoming release--Chasing Eden will be available from Ellora's Cave on August 19th!

Chasing Eden was a fun story to write. I love the rock-star type--the hunky guy with a velvet voice--and my hero Shane Tolan fits the bill. My heroine's a control-freak graphic artist just dying to design his next CD cover, but she's also dying for a little taste of Shane, too. Here's the blurb:

Graphic artist Eden Foster never expected a sexy game of hide-and-seek to turn into the hottest encounter of her life. The erotic dreams she’s had lately starring to-die-for rock star Shane Tolan are almost enough to make her forget how badly she wants to design his next CD cover. Almost, but not quite. And now here he is in the flesh, ready to chase after her.

Shane likes to play dirty, and he finally has Eden right where he wants her—outside on a balcony, tied to a chaise lounge and under his complete control. But he soon discovers it’s not just Eden’s body he wants, but the talented, business-savvy artist, too. Hell, he wants every luscious part of her.

Then naked paparazzi photos from that night show up on the internet. Eden is convinced her peers will believe she slept with the rock star just to design his CD cover. Shane knows nothing’s further from the truth. And in order to prove it to her, he going to have to show her his heart.

Here's an excerpt:

Eden Foster stared between the licks of flames shooting four feet above the bonfire, still unable to believe rock-star bad-boy Shane Tolan, lead singer and sinful front man of the smoldering-hot band Blackguard, sat on the other side. Propped against a huge old oak tree, he lounged on a blanket, casual and relaxed as can be. Long, lean legs were crossed at his ankles, powerful arms over his chest.

Mercy, mercy. What she wouldn’t give to press her lips against the lower portion of that sexy Celtic lion tattoo showing just past the rolled up sleeve of his left arm, or to trace her tongue along the thick black stroke of the tat’s tail where it morphed into a tangle of classic Celtic knots below his elbow.

Okay… A serious diversion right about now would be a good thing. A great thing. A necessary thing. But Eden knew getting any sort of distraction with Shane in such close proximity would be next to impossible.

She certainly wasn’t a stranger to the idiosyncratic world of celebrity, so she could hardly blame being all googly-eyed star-struck as the reason for her sudden inability to breathe. As a highly recognized graphic artist to some of the fastest rising names in the music business, she’d lost track of how many times she’d met and mingled with hotter-than-hot Top Ten performers. But none of them—not a single, solitary one—compared to Shane Tolan.

All six-foot-two sweltering paradise of him.

Thanks for letting me share!

Discovering Story Magic

I'm definitely a plotter and a planner when it comes to my writing. At the first RWA Conference I attended in Reno, before I was published, I went to several workshops to try to find a craft method that would help me plot my books. Somehow I missed the Discovering Story Magic workshop given by Robin Perini and Laura Baker, but I stumbled across it in the handouts that I perused after the Conference. As soon as I read through the material and looked at the examples, I knew I had found a home.

A year or so after finding the DSM materials and adapting them to my writing, I found out that Robin and Laura offered the DSM class online. I wasted no time in signing up for an online week-long class that allowed us to bring current WIPs to the discussion table. One of the movies Robin and Laura use as an example is L.A. Confidential (great movie and wonderful example for their method). Robin and Laura switch off between topics/classes and are available to answer questions and review your writing as you apply the DSM techniques. The class was even more helpful than using the handouts on my own and allowed me to put the materials to better use.

I love the way this method works - begins with the characters and the inciting incident for the story, their short/long term goals, their character flaws, relationship barrier, black moment and realization. So the story builds from within the characters, which is essential for romance, and supplies you with turning points that grow from the characters instead of contrived scenes that come out of left field.

I always follow some aspect of DSM when I plan a book. If you're interested in finding out more about DSM, visit the website the DSM Website.

Are there any plotting methods you can't live without? Any recommendations for classes or great workshops you attended at a writers' conference? Would love to hear about them. You never know when something's going to click with you!

Writing the Male Character

Men are not just women with more hair and a …

Men take up more space in the world. In general, they behave in ways to enlarge their presence. They use larger arm gestures, laugh more heartily. When seeking female attention, they will try to stand taller, to throw back their shoulders and to appear stronger and more fit. They know instinctively, they need to be seen as a capable provider. Watch men bonding at a sports game. They pound each other on the back, jump in the air. They make active, assertive gestures to show their approval of each other. (Think of women bonding. They’ll sit close together and talk quietly over a cup of tea.)

When mating and dating, then, men don’t try to be subtle. They will sit or stand with their arms and legs spread wide when trying to attract a potential mate’s attention. They may separate a bit from the crowd so you see them. They will use their eyes aggressively. If they let you catch them checking you out, they are sexually interested. Of course, the man has to be careful not to be buffoonish with his loud jokes and attention seeking moves.

Their active natures mean that men fight differently than women. Men will engage in a fight more easily than a woman, will take more abuse while fighting, and can be proud of the fact they’ve been fighting. When the fight is over, it can be easily forgotten. Watch young boys, who are always roughhousing. Young girls don’t do that. Men also fight to establish who is the winner and who is the loser.

Men are more focused and linear in their thinking. Whatever their object, they focus on achieving it, not on noticing what goes on around it. So if sex is their object, they notice and enjoy a short skirt because it shows off the long legs they like, or the tight butt, or whatever. They don’t think about the color or the designer of the skirt. Unless your male character is a cop or a designer who needs to notice specific details, don’t have him noticing the sunset red color of your heroine’s blouse. If they are in danger, he can notice that the red color might make them more visible. If he’s sizing her up for a pickup, make him notice the way that blouse shows a hint of cleavage. The details he notices should only relate to the track his thinking is on right now.

This linear focus also explains why the dialogue of your male characters is shorter and more to the point. A guy won’t wander around with detailed explanations, descriptions of his motivation, etc. Women seek shared understanding; men want to transmit the necessary information and move on.

Their linear way of thinking means that men gravitate to hierarchical forms of social grouping. They enjoy an established pecking order (think military, large corporation, etc.) Any organization made up of men will possess a well-marked ladder to get from bottom to top. Women organize naturally in more cooperative ways. Female groups can be exclusive; women enjoy status as much as men, but the major question is are you in or out of their group, not how do you climb the ladder of this group.

These statements are all generalizations. There are quiet men and boisterous women. But in writing believable characters, make sure you understand the natural differences between men and women. I’m sure you can all think of other ways in which you differentiate your male characters from your female characters. Share if you'd like.

Blending Emotion and Sex for a Highly Charged Love Scene + I Have a New Contest!

Whether you’re writing a highly emotional love scene between two people who are in love, or one-night stand sex between two people who have just met, emotion needs to be a part of it. Even in erotic romance, some kind of emotion is vital. If you don’t include emotion and characterization then your scenes may be porn-like or mechanical and robotic.

Some scenes will have loads of emotion and some scenes will have a little emotion. But even with the one-night stand variety of sex, you still need some feelings and thoughts blended with the sex.

Why is this so important? You need to establish an emotional connection between your READER and your POV CHARACTER. Without this connection, the reader won’t care. And you must make the reader care or they toss your book aside.

You can add touches of emotion anywhere within a scene, whether it's extremely erotic or not. When I say emotion, I don't mean mushy-gushy type emotion. Basically, it's just little things that keep the reader in touch mentally with the POV character. If you only have physical, external reactions from your POV character, you're missing an opportunity to strengthen the reader connection and you're not staying in deep POV. So with any reaction you have for your character, examine it. Ask yourself, is this reaction from deep inside the character. Or is it something an external observer would notice?

For example, if your heroine has insecurities about her body when she's naked in front of the hero, show that from deep within her psyche. It's another opportunity to make the reader empathize with your heroine, care about her, and make her even more likable. The hero could pick up on her insecurity and say or do something to make her feel better. This would be a touch of emotion that makes him more likable. It shouldn't be cliché at all. And an alpha hero can stay alpha and still do nice things. You will hopefully make a character empathetic when first introducing them, but you also need to keep that empathy going throughout the story, building on it, making it stronger so the reader completely identifies with the heroine. And falls head over heels with the hero. And that links back to who the character is inside, their thoughts and emotions.

I'll be teaching my online workshop Writing Hot Delicious Love Scenes in September for Yosemite Romance Writers. The above is an excerpt from it. You can learn more about this workshop at my website: http://www.nicolenorth.com/ then click on my workshops page.

I have a new contest starting! This goes until the end of August. I'll choose winners Sept. 1.

Tell-a-Secret Contest
Help me spread the word about my first book and you could win!!

Prizes (one prize per winner):
*an autographed copy of Secrets Volume 27 Untamed Pleasures (2 winners)
*a print copy of Terry Spear's paranormal romance Heart of the Wolf (2 winners)
*a pair of handmade sterling silver, semi-precious stone earrings (2 winners)
*2 new romance novels (you choose your favorites from a list I'll provide) (3 winners)
(I may be adding more prizes, especially if I get a lot of entries.)

This contest is easy to enter. All you have to do is place my Secrets Volume 27 Untamed Pleasures book cover, Devil in a Kilt blurb, link to video, buy links for Amazon and B&N, my bio. (The blog can be anywhere: Blogger, Wordpress, personal website, Myspace or other social network, etc.)

Once you post the info about my book, contact me via email nicole @ nicolenorth . com (without the spaces) or post your info in a comment here and send me the link of where you've posted the info. I'll respond to each entry I receive. So if you don't hear from me, please contact me again to be sure you're entered. I will draw winners at random from all names submitted on September 1. There will be several prizes, so you have a better chance of winning! Thanks!!!

To enter the contest, here is what to post on your blog:

Secrets Volume 27 Untamed Pleasures, an anthology of four erotic romance novellas out now from Red Sage. Nicole North's story in this anthology is Devil in a Kilt. A trip to the Highland Games turns into a trip to the past when modern day psychology professor Shauna MacRae touches Gavin MacTavish's four-hundred-year-old claymore. What she finds is a Devil In a Kilt she's had erotic fantasies about for months. Can Shauna break the curse imprisoning this shape shifting laird and his clan before an evil witch sends Shauna back to her time?

Link to book trailer video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1oOOvTomv4

Available at:
B&N http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Secrets-Volume-27/Leigh-Court/e/9781603100076/?itm=1

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-27-Pleasures-Leigh-Court/dp/1603100075/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241557838&sr=8-1

Bio: Nicole North writes sensual and erotic romance novels and novellas. She is the author of paranormal erotic romance novellas Devil in a Kilt, Red Sage Secrets Volume 27 Untamed Pleasures, July 2009; Beast in a Kilt, Red Sage Secrets Volume 29; and (contemporary) Kilted Lover. She lives with her husband in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, but wishes she lived in the Scottish Highlands at least half the year. Though she holds a degree in psychology, writing romance is her first love. Visit her at http://www.nicolenorth.com/

Keep It Sensual

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve received about writing was to remember to keep all the senses on the page. And then show the character’s reactions to those sensory experiences. Not only does using the senses of sight, taste, smell, touch and sound make the scenes more real to the reader, but describing how our hero and heroine react can reveal character as well.


Sight is the most used – and perhaps overused – senses in writing. I find it too easy to use the words look, gaze, saw, eyes, etc., but who can deny their descriptive value? When our hero sees the beautiful heroine and remarks about the sparkle in her eyes or the rich color of her hair, the reader can see what the heroine looks like through the hero’s eyes. But when he catches a glimpse of her firm breasts and his body hardens, the reader understands the hero is attracted to her as well.


Touch is another well-used sense, especially in romances. Silky hair. Smooth skin. The soft brush of his lips against hers. The passion-rough embrace as he pulls her soft body against his hard one. As a reader, I know I live for these descriptions in the stories I read. Because I want to experience them with my characters. When we go into sensual detail, our readers will feel the hero’s calloused hands as he tries to be gentle with our high-born heroine, and they not only vicariously experience the erotic scrape of his fingers along their skin but admire the man all the more for his hard-won restraint.


A baby’s cry. A dog barking in the middle of the night. A soft moan. A wicked chuckle. The wind howling as a storm approaches. Sounds are all around us and can be used in a variety of ways to make our scenes come alive. Our readers can relate to the sounds our characters are hearing and picture the scene more easily in their mind. But here again, how the character reacts to the sound can tell the reader a lot. Is he annoyed by the dog barking? Or alarmed? Is our heroine thrilled by the hero’s wicked chuckle or angry? And don’t forget how the quick mention of ragged breathing or that soft moan can add more detail to a love scene.


Smells often call to memories deeply buried in our subconscious. Adding a scent, odor, aroma, stench to your scenes can quickly put your reader in the middle of the action. Who doesn’t recognize the soft scent of baby powder? The foul odor of garbage? The mouth-watering aroma of warm apple pie? The musky scent of arousal? And remember when you add those details to your scene, do it in your character’s point of view, so we know what that smell says to him.


Taste is probably the least-used sense in writing. I mean, if your characters aren’t eating, what is there to mention, right? How about the salt from her tears? Her strawberry lip gloss when he kisses her? The faint hint of mint when she kisses him? The smoke so thick he can taste it on his tongue? Taste is a bit more of a challenge, but when you can add a detail here and there, it can make your reader feel as if she’s right there. And that’s what we want, isn’t it?

Some of this may seem so elementary, but I often find I have to remind myself to go back and add more sensory detail to my scenes. My first draft of a scene is usually heavy on dialogue and movement, and not much else. So I need to layer in not only the mention of the senses, but the characters reactions to them. To me, it can make all the difference for making the story come alive.

What do you think?

Natasha
www.natashamoore.com

Come Dance with Me...

I have to admit that I couldn’t wait to write this blog post. Why? Because I’m a ballroom dance FREAK! Way before Dancing with the Stars, I was completely smitten with the rhythm and smooth dances, including rumba, cha-cha, swing, merengue, samba, mambo, foxtrot, waltz, tango, and even quickstep (once I figured out how to not fall down after stumbling across the floor).

My husband actually seduced me with rumba. He took me to the local reservoir, and, as the twilight descended, he taught me the rumba basic--two bodies pressing close in a slow, quick, quick, slow rhythm--and I fell in love. With my husband, too. lol

All of these dances can be sooooo romantic, but they don’t have to be. Ballroom is also just a fun activity that friends and family can enjoy together. The greatest aspect of ballroom is that it is a great way for people of all ages to enjoy movement and music, and I think this is why so many families enjoy watching Dancing with the Stars together.

I don’t watch DwtS very often, because I’d really rather just watch people dance than watch them compete. I’ve been a DanceSport competitor, and while it was great fun, it also shouldn’t be confused with ballroom as a social dance. I much prefer social dancing because my husband has no qualms about improvising from the basic step to fit the music, and to me THAT is dancing. Some ballroom dancers are purists who can be very adamant about how a basic or pattern should be done and about which dance should be done to which kind of music. If you watch DwtS, you can probably perceive this in the judges’ comments occasionally. What I do enjoy about the show is that the competitors are willing to dance to music that people wouldn’t think of as typical ballroom.

For example, many times people get the impression that Swing can only be danced to 1940s Big Band tunes, but it’s one of the most flexible dances around and can be danced to much of what’s played on the radio. Think you’re not hip enough to dance to Hip Hop or Rap? Think again. All you need to know is how to do a basic cha-cha-cha, which is the rhythm often used in this genre of music. Disco is the same way. You don’t have to know the hustle to dance disco, even though it is the ballroom dance most often associated with that era. A basic swing or cha step will get you moving, and for the slower tunes, a nice rumba basic will get you by nicely.

I remember my mother teaching me a basic waltz box step when I was just a kid, telling me that it was a social grace I needed to know. Ballroom basics are great for teaching social skills and etiquette to children, as well as poise, balance, and good exercise habits. Especially in the current times when kids (and adults) are faced with so many body image issues, ballroom has a way of helping many individuals learn to accept themselves while keeping in shape at the same time. At first, it is easy to feel awkward and think everyone is watching just you. However, it becomes evident that everybody is watching everybody. You’re part of a group of people enjoying and interpreting the music, and there are so many different ways to do it that you can’t go wrong if you just get up and dance.

And that’s the key. Dance for me is a metaphor for life. The important thing is to participate. Go with the beat, the rhythm of all living things. You control it. It doesn’t control you. Work from the basics. If you forget what you’re supposed to being doing, go back to a basic until you figure it out. Of course my favorite ballroom saying, and I don’t know who said it first but it bears repeating, is this: “If you’ve got it, flaunt it. If you don’t got it, flaunt it anyway!” lol

Learning to dance has been a precious gift my husband gave me for which I will be eternally grateful, because dancing of all kinds can bring people of all ages together in fellowship to make precious memories and sometimes even promote healing. If you don’t believe me, just watch this video clip. Happy Dancing!