The Shoulds and Should Nots

Good Morning. Today I'd like to discuss things we should and should not do when we're writer/authors. I've been around the blogs for a couple of years now. I've followed agents and big name writers, read blogs followed by thousands of people. These people know what they're talking about. I guess. But as with everything, I take what they say with a grain of salt.

We SHOULD blog with captivating content no less than 500 words no more than 800. We SHOULD Tweet and be friendly and engaging. We SHOULD have a Face Book author page and update it once a day. We SHOULD do blog tours when we publish. We SHOULD do this, that, and the other, so our name will be seen and heard and we will sell millions and millions of copies.

Uh, no. We don't. What we SHOULD do is find a place where we are comfortable.

I blog because I like it. I started my blog to meet people, like minded writers who I could engage with. Some of you who have been around with me from the beginning know me. I've written whatever the heck I want. Some days it's about writing, some days it's about romance, some days it's about my daughter, or the fact I'm building another fence. Some days I'm captivating, others I fall flat on my face. But I'm not blogging with specific content because I SHOULD. I'm blogging because I want to.

I've been reading forever about how to do a blog tour when you have a book coming out. You SHOULD set up no less than 15 stops, guests posts mixed with interviews, make sure you reply to every person in the comments etc. etc. I personally, don't do blog tours. Yes, I may do a cozy interview or two when my book comes out, but that's about it. And you know, there have been a couple of books I've released and only mentioned it once on my blog. (One story I never mentioned at all.) But that's me.  I don't have time for all that fuss and bother. Sure I might be missing a whole lot of sales, but you know,  I'm of the old school where word of mouth sells books. The writing should speak for itself.

I read a big name blogger a few weeks ago who said you SHOULD NOT reply to every single comment on your blog -- she said, it's padding the comments. Makes you look like you have 50 comments when you really only have 25. Now I had a "block comment" system in place for years. It's a pain in the butt sometimes. So I decided to go with "reply" comments instead. But you know, that turned into a pain as well, so I'm back to block comments. I'm making life easier on myself.

I also read over and over how I need to be on Twitter 3 or 4 times a day. I need to "engage" with people. I should be friendly and retweet. Then I also read that I should not retweet anything. Makes me look like a brown nose. I should have a schedule for Tweeting, 15 minutes morning, noon, and night. Uh, no. I don't have time to be sociable. I'm a writer. And personally, I don't think people give a fig what I had for lunch, or if Monster is home from school. I get on Twitter when I feel like it. I retweet interesting stuff if I think someone I know might like it. I Tweet because I want to and when I have the time.

And I've also read over and over how I need to get on Face Book so my "fans" can find me. As I've said before, I will never get on Face Book. In the back of every one of my books is my blog link to my Anne Gallagher Regency Romance Writer blog. I update every Sunday. I share what I'm doing in my books so my readers will know what's coming out next, what I'm doing, what's happening in my little writing world. My readers don't give a flying fig what page line edits I'm on, updating my status every 15 minutes. They just want to know when the damn thing will be finished.

I SHOULD do blog hops to find new followers. I SHOULD NOT do blog hops just to find new followers. I SHOULD follow every single person who follows me. I SHOULD NOT just follow someone blindly because they follow me. I SHOULD do memes and writing themes. I SHOULD NOT put my writing on my blog. I SHOULD use pictures. I SHOULD NOT use pictures. On and on and on.

Let me tell you what I have learned from the SHOULD and SHOULD NOT list. I SHOULD be true to myself and do whatever I feel comfortable doing. I WILL NOT do what every one else is doing. I mean, fish all swim upstream together. Why SHOULD I? I can zig zag if I want to. I'll still get to the same place. Maybe not as fast as the other fish, but I'll get there eventually.

Tell me -- What's on your SHOULD and SHOULD NOT list? What else have you seen on the blogs that you SHOULD be doing but don't? Or are not doing, but SHOULD?

Anne Gallagher (c) 2013

CosVogEllGirl Wants to Know -- What Kind of Writer Are You?

We’ve all seen them, all taken them, those quizzes in Cosmo, Vogue, Elle magazines that teach us who we are, but more importantly, who we can be if we change our ways, find our limits, secure our sanity by taking five minutes to choose A – B – C.

Today I’ve put together a little quiz of my own to show you just what kind of writer you are. Answer the 5 questions, and your true writer self will emerge.

1) When meeting your cousin at the airport whom you haven’t seen in ten years, do you….?

A) Know her immediately, give her a big hug, and welcome her with enthusiastic affection.

B) Look around carefully at the other people in baggage claim to make sure she’s your cousin before giving her a stiff hug.

C) Hold a placard up at the terminal exit.

D) Cry when you realize it’s your cousin ELLEN, not EILEEN.

2) Your husband/S.O. offers to go to the grocery store and comes back with nothing you put on the list. Do you….?

A) Say, “That’s okay, honey, I’ve always wanted to learn how to cook Brazilian Thai.”

B) Pull the stuff out of the bags, put it away, and say nothing.

C) Leave the stuff in the bags, and take it all back to the store the next day.

D) Cry when he says, “I couldn’t read your handwriting.”

3) You’ve just finished reading the latest best-seller all your friends have been raving about. It wasn’t all that. Do you….?

A) Find the good scenes and discuss those at your book club.

B) Pass the book along to your cousin, and when she asks, “How was it?” say “Okay.”

C) Go straight to Amazon and write an unfavorable review.

D) Cry because you know your book that’s been in your hard drive for 6 years is soooo much better.

4) At the gas station, fifteen minutes before a huge presentation at work, you accidentally spill gas down your leg and into your brand new $100- high heels. Do you….?

A) Stop off at the mall, grab a pair of new shoes and nylons before heading to the office.

B) Go into the Ladies Room, take off your nylons, wash the shoes, and head to the office.

C) Go to the office smelling like gasoline, there’s no time to do anything about it.

D) Cry. Now you won’t be able to return the shoes.

5) Your mother says she hates your new haircut. Do you….?

A) Say, “Don’t worry, it’ll grow out soon.”

B) Go into the bathroom, wash your hair, and style it the way you normally do.

C) Go back to the salon and have them give you a pixie.

D) Cry because you knew it was drastic and if your mother hates it, then so will everyone else.

If you answered A to most of the questions, you’re a CHEERLEADER –

No one will get you down. Not agents, publishers or your beta/critters. The book you’re writing is fantastic and when it needs work, you do it gladly because you know it’s going to get accepted and will be a best-seller. You’re on every social media site, have zillions of followers, and have done everything you know how to build that platform. Go YOU!

If you answered B to most of the questions, you’re a DOCTOR –

Writing is hard work. You know it and accept it. You’re informed and well read and go about the business of writing your fourth novel knowing some day you will be published. You’ve built a modest following on three social media sites, know what your platform is, and never stray from that. You’re not afraid of rewriting and revising.

If you answered C to most of the questions, you’re an ACUTARY –

You have no need for frills or friends. You only deal in facts. You write doggedly and determinedly, craft books by the bed for light reading. If you can’t get an agent to look at THIS book, you’ll write another. You’ve spent years honing the craft, memorizing genre guidelines, you know who you are and what you want – to be a mid-list author with a guaranteed income. You have a blog with a few followers, and Tweet occasionally. You don’t have time for social media. You’re a writer.

If you answered D to most of the questions, you’re a MESS –

Take some time, do some research on writing and genre, grab some craft books, get on the blogs, become informed. Learn sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, find some beta readers, invest in Kleenex. Getting critiques, losing contests, and finding rejections from agents and publishers in your inbox takes a thick skin. If you can’t handle the pressure, put your pen down and walk away. Not everyone with a great idea for a story can write one.

Thanks for taking the quiz. So tell me, WHAT KIND OF WRITER ARE YOU?

Marketing Quietly

Good Morning. As most of you know I self-published several short stories and two novels to Kindle/Amazon with a third on the way. It's been a truly life changing experience in more ways than one. Yes, I am exceedingly proud of all I've achieved with my writing. I've also learned how to upload, download, fix html codes, and all kinds of other "fun" stuff I never in a zillion years thought I'd ever do. (With the help of some very dear friends, I might add.)

When I first uploaded A WIFE FOR WINSBARREN to Kindle back in October, I had no idea what "ranking" was or "best-seller lists" or any of that. However, as I uploaded more books, I found my ranking was getting higher. Now, one of my dear friends said that being at #63 was an amazing achievement.
I even wrote about it here on my blog.

As of this writing, I'm on three different best-seller lists, with that one book, at #5, #16, and #52 respectively. People are actually buying my books and reading them. (And these rankings change HOURLY so what may have me sitting in astonishment one moment, has me plummeting to the dregs of the earth in another.)

Now there're all kinds of ways to get to the top in a short amount of time. Here are three I've heard about. Put it free, get tons of reviews, do a blog splash. I never did any of those. As a matter of fact, WINSBARREN sat with the same 3 reviews it had, written by dear friends, for the first 4 months it was out. It now has 4. (Two stars I might add.) So reviews don't have anything to do with ranking as far as I can tell.

As of this writing, THE LADY'S FATE has 5 reviews. My other two short stories and novel have none. And quite honestly, I don't care. They're all selling. Quite well I might add. So as far as I'm concerned, word of mouth is selling my books. Either that OR the fact I have so much reading material out there
I did do "free" on one of my other books (A HUSBAND FOR MISS TRENT), but I did that the wrong way, using Smashwords for the "free" instead of Amazon/Kindle, hence, a lesson learned.

As for a blog splash (or marketing blitz) nope, didn't do that either. Not that I couldn't, but quite frankly, I just didn't want to. With so many people complaining (myself included) about people shoving their books in your face on every social media site known to man, I just couldn't do it. As a matter of fact, I hardly did anything -- I believe 2 interviews and a guest post and that was it. Some very nice people wrote some very nice things about my books and posted them on Goodreads, but I didn't ask them to do it. I Tweeted once and only once for each book release. That's it. I posted once for each book release on both of my blogs. That's it.

(The one thing that I haven't done, that I really want to do, is get bookmarks and/or postcards made. I'm waiting on my third novel to go out before I do that.)
As for my actual stats on how many I've sold, well, that's kind of personal, like asking what religion you belong to, or if you ever inhaled. I want to tell you, really I do, but I'm not going to. You know why, because my sales will be different than yours. There are all kinds of reasons why -- different genre, different publication dates, different marketing strategies, hey, even different covers. And we can't compare. ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY CANNOT COMPARE. It wouldn't be fair to you or I, or any of the other writers out there.

Yes, some people have sold 50k in the last year. Some only 100 books. You have to find what works for you to be able to sell. You have to find your own marketing groove and go with it. J.A. Konrath suggests playing with pricing. David Gaughran suggests putting books out for free. K. K. Rusch suggests putting excerpts up on your blog. And all of these are really great ideas. And yes, I've done them. Some worked, and some didn't. But only you can make the decision of what works best for you. Sometimes it's just the difference of changing the cover.

What I do know, however, is that putting out great content, with a pretty decent cover, keeping the typo's and mistakes to a minimum, and keeping that momentum going, will see your sales grow over time. This isn't a race. There's a long tail on this roller-coaster. What sells today, might not sell next year, or even next week. Who knows. Then again, even if you don't sell this year, in five years, you might be the next gazillionaire.

I guess what I'm saying is, you don't have to beat people over the head to buy your books. I didn't and I'm making a nice living now. I keep my nose to the grindstone and write. I guess you could say I "Market Quietly", and just do what I think is best and let the chips fall where they may. But then again, I'm not you and you're not me. We each have our own way of looking at things.

Tell me -- What are the most effective ways you've seen writers market? What are some of the most detrimental? What are some of your marketing techniques?

I'm Just Not That Into You

Good Morning.

Last year, before all my falderal, I had a schedule for this blog -- Monday's were about love, Wednesday's were about writing, and Friday's were at the Piedmont Grille. I liked that schedule and I think I'm going to try and go back to it since I'm not crazy busy anymore.

So here we are on Monday, and I'm going to write about love. Or should I say my lack thereof. For long -time readers of my blog, you know I'm a single parent, and some of you may also know my ex- finally got his act together and moved back to NC to be near our daughter. What most of you don't know, however, is that my ex- has moved back into our home.

NOT to be with me. To be near our daughter. Let me repeat that -- NOT to be with me.

Right from the get-go, I made it quite clear in no uncertain terms that WE were not a couple anymore. I had no desire for us to try and work things out and we would maintain separate bedrooms. (Which, luckily I had an extra one.) So far this has worked out well.

HOWEVER, I am approaching my 50th birthday in April and I keep wondering if I'll ever fall in love again.

One of the big internet dating sites had a "free" weekend this past weekend and I toyed with the idea of online dating. No, I didn't join. I mean, seriously, what would my ad say?

SWF, 50, w/7 yr. old daughter, seeks companionship one or two days per week to meet for coffee/chat. Cannot travel, cannot date at night, cannot bring you home because my ex- lives with me. Hobbies include -- BBC adaptations of Jane Austen, writing, reading, and trying to get a grip on housework. Must be between the ages of 45-60, single/divorced, like old rock and roll, be sober, have a job, and vehicle. Looking for long term commitment with no foreseeable future.

How many men do you know would answer an ad like that? Besides the crazies.

And truth be told, I don't even know if I'm actually serious about getting into another relationship these days. I've got my career going on, The Monster is my top priority, and I've gained so much weight, well, I'm not exactly comfortable in my own skin.

But with spring right around the corner, and the (almost) promise of returning to the beach in RI again this summer, my thoughts have turned to the men I met on vacation last year. The guy on the beach, the guy in the fish department at Stop & Shop, and the chef at the restaurant where we ate like 6 times. (There are no men in NC that attract me. NONE.)

I've been in this "love limbo" for about 6 years now. It's not fun. And as the clock ticks closer to my big birthday I have to wonder if I'll ever fall in love again. I mean, I'm not looking to get married. I've remained free from the nuptial noose for this long, why bother. One in two marriages end in divorce anyway. Why be a statistic.

But the thought of remaining for the rest of my life without another someone to kiss good-night really has me bothered. The thought of never having sex again is kind of disturbing. (Then again, it has been 5 years, what's a few decades more. Sorry, that might have been a little too much information. But you know, this is my reality.)

The things I miss about men are subtle -- a shared joke, a mid-day call just to check in, bringing home a gallon of milk without me asking, help with the dishes. But that kind of stuff takes years to achieve. And I'm feeling like I don't have too many years left, before the looks completely fade, and the arthritis really sets in.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy being single. I'm too independent and too set in my ways, I think, to really have what I might have wanted back in my 20's. But a nice lunch every now and again would be great. A walk through a museum or a night out at the theatre would be swell.

(And for those of you who say or think I should give my ex- another chance -- hush your mouth. THAT will NEVER EVER happen. I may have forgiven him, but I will never forget what he did to me and our daughter. There is no trust or respect left in that relationship.)

So tell me -- Do you think love after 50 is possible? Or am I more likely to get hit by lightning at 12,000 feet in an airplane?

Pen Name Revisited

Well, if you were here on Monday, you saw that I'm thinking about a pen name for my women's fiction books.  Robynne Rand was the clear winner, with all the rest coming in a close second. I didn't realize Ann Coulter was who she was, so that name is definitely out of the running. (Although I wonder who would get more publicity out of that kind of book??)

Anyhoo, Anne R. Allen brought up a really interesting point -- about how I've already spent so much time building up my author name as my brand, and with my covers, and how long it's taken me to do this, then why would I want to start again from the bottom. And she's right.

However, here's my itch -- I know how I felt when I found out Lisa Kleypas (of Regency romance fame) wrote a contemporary romance, and used her own name. I wigged out. Yeah, I did. I don't know why, but I did. I did read her contemporary stuff, and truth to tell, I didn't like it all that much. It was a good book, I guess, (It was a long time ago, I really don't remember it all that well.) but I know it definitely wasn't her finest hour. I don't know if I was expecting something else, if it had to do with the publisher, the editor, or what, but I didn't like it. The sad thing is, I haven't read anything else by her.

Which isn't fair, but that's how I feel.

The same thing happened with Susan Wiggs. I loved her historicals. I hated her contemporaries.

Now these are just two authors that I know of. And I'm not saying it's a bad thing to want to branch out, hey, I'm all for it. It's just that once you brand yourself to a particular genre, you should keep the name that made you famous, and if you want to write something else, then you should change your name. I mean, what if Stephen King wrote romances under Stephen King? He'd probably get laughed at by some people. And other people wouldn't read it. Because it's not what he's known for. But I bet if he wrote under Stephanie Kingston, then nobody would know or even care.

Because I don't know about you, but I just read an authors' name and don't even wonder who they really are. I had absolutely no idea that Nora Roberts and J.D.Robb were the same person. Honest. That goes for a half dozen other authors too.  They brand themselves and as far as I'm concerned, that's what they write under that particular name.

Which is where I'm waffling. I've made a successful branding of my name, Anne Gallagher, to my Regency romances, right? And for however many fans I have, that's what they expect of me. Regency romances that are exceedingly sweet, and predictable, with just enough twists and turns to make you really wonder if the hero and heroine are actually going to make it to their happily ever after.

Now suppose, I released a book about a rape victim, incest survivor, and a wife-beater? Do you think I'd lose some of my Regency fans? Especially if there were f-bombs and gruesome beatings, and full on rape scenes? (I mean, not that I am going to release that kind of book, I don't have it in me to even THINK about writing something like that.) But I mean, can you get my drift here?

So my question to you is -- Do you think that authors who brand themselves in one genre, should rebrand themselves in another? Or do you think it's possible to keep your same name and be successful in both?

Paperback Writer

Good Morning. No, this post isn't about the Beatles, but you can thank me later after the song has been in your head all day.

Today's post concerns the idea of putting my books into paperback form. I've been thinking about this for a long time. A LONG time. Probably since I was a kid and dreamed of becoming a famous author. There I was in braids and braces, holding MY book, accepting an award for writing the best durn book in the world. I think I was maybe 11, so Pulitzer wasn't in my vocabulary. Thinking back on it, the book probably had to do with horses (Misty of Chincoteague and The Black Stallion), and maybe a girl detective (Trixie Belden) who saved a town from the villainous villain. You get the drift.

Anyway, since I published to Kindle, the thrill ride has been amazing. I still get goose bumps every time I see the covers when I click to Amazon (about 8 gajllion times a day). Pulitzer is not in the picture, nor would I want it to be, I'm not that smaht, but something's been missing. And I finally figured out what it was.

The fact is, it's not a "real" book. I mean, sure, it's there, you can download it and read it, my name is on it so I know I wrote it, I even formed my own publishing company to do that. But I can't hold it in my hands. I can't smell it. I can't stick a bookmark in it, write in the margins, or kill a fly with it. I can't FEEL it. It's not tangible to me.

And so I've been scouring the internet looking up POD (print on demand) companies, looked at pricing, and royalties, distribution models, and percentage mark-downs. It's a lot to take in. Most companies are about the same. That's not the problem.

The problem is the consumer. When you can buy digital books for so much less, would you really spend the money on a paperback? I've seen prices from small publishers and self-publishers run the gamut from $9.99 to $15.95. (Most traditional publishers for the 5x8 mass market paperback are still hovering around $7.99 but that's with a 50K print run.) However, after looking at the POD models and how the companies do it, with the cost of paper, ink (not only for 273 pages but also the color covers), staff, electricity in the plant, all that, I can actually see how they would come up with the price they do to print one. Which is actually fair. (Working in a restaurant all those years really makes it easy to see the wholesale/retail mark-up.)

I guess the question I'm asking is, do people still buy "books"? Real books made out of paper. I mean, I wouldn't expect people who have the digital version to buy a paperback version too, that would be crazy, but I'm thinking of Aunt Martha who wants a nice Regency but without the sex, and maybe cousin Joyce who doesn't have an e-reader yet. If you're stuck in an airport, or dentist office, maybe a day at the beach. Do people still buy books as gifts? How much is too much for a paperback? (I know what I pay and how I read, so my opinion doesn't count.)

Tell me -- your opinion. I really want to know.

PS   I have another novella coming out shortly. (Like within the next few days.)
You can read all about it here.

Love and Marriage

Good Monday Morning. And because it's Monday and I now write about romance on Monday, I thought I'd give love and marriage a go. It seems I got hit with an S.N.I. (shiny new idea) last week and it pertains to our topic.

Now, all of the books I've written so far, the hero and heroine (or H/H) have found their way through love, to marriage. In this latest book, Robert, (our hero) finds himself at gunpoint (literally) and must marry Fiona (our heroine). The reason -- well, it's a compromising position that wasn't intended as such. Fiona was actually trying to keep Robert from killing himself (accidentally). Unfortunately, her father found out and well, let's just say that Laird Fionnghall Stewart was not a happy camper. Hence the shot-gun marriage.

Robert's intention is to have the marriage annulled after a time. And if that doesn't work, then he'll get a divorce. He's rich, he's a duke, he could do it. Now, being a romance, you KNOW that's not going to happen. We need a Happily Ever After. And I'll get it. After all, this is a book.

However, in real life, since my last birthday in April, I've been giving a lot of thought to marriage. I have never been married. In my 20's and 30's, I thought I had all the time in the world to find Prince Charming, Mr. Right, or The Soul Mate. Then when I hit my 40's, I was despairing of ever meeting THE ONE. It was easier to get struck by lightning in an airplane, than a woman in her 40's to get hitched. My biological clock was ticking, faster and faster and well, you can't make a baby by yourself. (Well, you can, but not without a trust fund.) When I met Monster Child's father, and without getting into it, I thought I found HIM. For all intents and purposes I THOUGHT he was a good man. And he was, still is, sort of. His family had a lot to do with our break-up. We had intended to get married before Monster Child was even conceived, but that didn't happen. (For reasons too numerous to mention.) And then again, after she was born, but well, it's a long story.

I don't know if this is a subconscious idea or not, but I truly don't think I was ever supposed to be married. Sure, I've fallen in love, I've been engaged four times. But the one question that always brought me crashing back to reality was -- Can I look at this person for the rest of my life over breakfast every morning? Yeah, that's it. Sounds stupid, but that's how I think. And my answer, every single time was no. So, I remain a spinster.

I envy those of you who have found your hero and have been married for EVER. I do long for that closeness, yearn for that synchronicity of familial bond. I miss having a man around the house. Even if he does watch football every single freaking Sunday from August to January. Even if he does leave wet towels on the bathroom floor, and never puts his dishes in the dishwasher.

I miss the shared smiles, the fleeting touches, the phone calls at noon, just to see what I'm up to. And well, truthfully, I miss the sex. Orgasms are a dime a dozen, but making love to a man you love is just truly mind-blowing. It transcends everything.

Yes, love and marriage are hard work. And I've never been afraid of that. What I was always afraid of was divorce. I never wanted that. And going back to the breakfast thing, if there was ever any question in my mind that it would come down to it, then why bother getting married in the first place.

Do I regret not being married? No. Do I want to be married? I don't know. I suppose if I met the right man, I wouldn't say no. I deserve to find a good man. I'm a good woman. I think I deserve a Happily Ever After.

Tell me -- Did you know you would be with your significant other for always? Do you believe in Happily Ever After? How hard is it really to make love and marriage work?


PS My guest post will appear on Natascha's blog The Las Vegas Writer, tomorrow, Tuesday if you want to swing by and take a look.

Calling All Men

Good morning gentle readers. Do you like my new lay-out? I thought it was highly appropriate since I'm a certified Coppertone Beach Baby. I only found it the other day and said, "Oh yes, this one is mine." I need to find an audio of a fog horn or ocean song to play while you read and then I'll be all set.

So onto other news. After my very unusual post on Saturday, Sunday I could barely move. I have to remember I'm not as young as I used to be and I can't do all the things that I used to. And that's so sad because I still think of myself as 32. Which I'm not. And with the birthday coming in 2 weeks, I'm reminded how old I will be and I don't want to be. You're only as young as you feel. Yesterday I felt 105. Today, maybe in my early 60's. Tomorrow, hopefully, I'll be good as new.

Also, it was brought to my attention thrice, that I need to show pictures of all my hard work however I don't have a digital camera. Hopefully the birthday fairy will buy me one. We'll see what happens.

Any-hoo, it was also brought to my attention that Tony (my character from REMEMBERING YOU) would not cry in front of Genna when she tells him all she needed to tell him. I maintain,
1) Tony is Italian, and as we have all watched the Godfather numerous times, Italian men DO cry,
and 2) I think Tony would cry anyway just from the sheer exhaustion of finally relieving himself from the burden of carrying all that guilt around for the last ten years.

So, MEN, tell me, (and for those of you who haven't been following the entire story, I'll break it down for you) -- Your high school girlfriend whom you SAY you love more than life goes to Italy for a college graduation present for 6 weeks and when she comes back she finds out you've married someone else (because you're stupid and married this other girl for her money) and she (girlfriend) runs away for ten years. She finally comes back and you have the opportunity to tell her why you did what you did. You empty your heart and tell her everything, all your insecurities back then, your dreams, your love, and why you married this other woman (only for the money). And what happened to this other woman, she died of breast cancer. Would you cry when you told her?

After you tell her, she (ex-girlfriend) drops a bomb on you, saying she was pregnant when she ran away. You ask what happened to the baby, she tells you, "It didn't make it, just like us." Would you cry?

I know this isn't the best set-up and I'm sorry, I'm not going to re-run the scene (because I'm paranoid that way) but dig deep and think about it. Being stupid in our teenage years can cause untold grief and heartache (I know I've had my share but I'm a girl. I cry all the time.) Would you sob uncontrollably or would you let tears trickle down your face or your throat feel like you've swallowed acid? Be honest, I won't hold it against you. I happen to like men who cry. Makes them more human.

And okay, the women can chime in on this too. Do you think Tony should bawl like a baby, or be a man and suck it up?


I also have to start Act 2. I need to find something to post for Thursday. In Act 2 we find out a little bit more of Fortuna's illness, and Sally's surprise. We still have to deal with Angie's hysteria and Nana Rocco's bombshell (which you guys don't know about yet) and the working up to the 4th of July party. How much fun is that going to be? Oh and Genna meets a new man, actually an old friend from the neighborhood...what will happen at the Beach Bar I wonder????

If you don't hear from me over the course of the next couple of days, you'll know what I'm doing. However, you know how much I love you and can't stay away so I'll probably be around. Have a lovely week.

Natalie Says/Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Over the weekend I was looking for my index cards and ran across a box of things I haven't seen in years. There were little gems in it like this:

"Sit down in the middle of your wild mind. This is all about a loss of control. This is what falling in love is too: a loss of control.

Can you do this? Lose control and let wild mind take over? It is the best way to write. To live too."

Natalie Goldberg Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life

So tell me gentle readers, do you WRITE in the wild mind? Do you LIVE in the wild mind?


****Okay, how stupid am I? Obviously, but I'm not blaming this on me, I'm blaming it on Simon, he held his Love Scene Blogfest on Monday, which pushed my pre-written posts back a day, and today is St. Patty's Day. And even though I didn't participate in the Drunk at First Sight blogfest hosted by Jon Paul, It is still St. Patty's Day and I should have realized that. You can't get any more Irish than Gallagher now can you. (Okay, I won't blame Simon, Simon I'm not blaming you, I'm blaming my own lack of looking at the calendar.)

So, to everyone out there, here's a
BIG FAT WET SLOPPY DRUNK IRISH KISS FOR YOU!!
It wards off evil, keeps unpleasantness at bay, and will help you write whatever it is that's been blocking you.

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Misinterpretation

I just finished reading Peter Mayle's A Good Year. For those of you who don't know his writing, most of it is set in Provence and is smattered with French words and phrases, has a lot of food and a lot of wine. Makes we want to go there, like right now.

Anyway, a movie was made out of this book and it's one of my absolute favorite, favorite, favorites. It stars Russell Crowe, Marion Cotillard and Tom Hollander. I've seen it (have it on DVD) at least 100 times. (Told you I loved this movie.)

Here's the thing, because I liked the movie so much I decided to read the book to see if there was anything in the movie I missed, some backstory, or maybe another plot twist. What a big fat freaking surprise when I finished it last night.

The book is nothing like the movie. Or should I say, the movie is nothing like the book. NOTHING. The main characters are shown in a completely different light. The plot in the movie is nothing like the plot in the book, not even remotely, the setting is different, the secondary characters are different, even the damn dog's name is different. I wanted to scream, "Who wrote the screenplay?"

Now I understand that a director/producer/screenplay writer will take a certain "creative license" with the material, but to completely change the whole story, well, wow, that kind of blows my mind. I think the only thing that stayed the same was the title. Don't get me wrong, like I said, I LOVE the movie. I also loved the book.

It got me thinking though, what would have happened to Gone With the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harry Potter, if the "creative license" was given free reign.

My question to you gentle readers is this -- If you are so fortunate as to have someone ask you if they could make a movie from your book, would you allow them to do whatever they wanted with it, or would you insist on having creative control?

It's a Dog's Life

I've been reading some whacked out stuff lately, I won't bore you with details, however this has led me to a question for you all...

What kind of a dog are you?

Not the kind you want, or the kind you want to be, or the kind you THINK you are, but the true dog that you are.

Myself, I would have to say I'm a cross between a German Shephard and a Labrador Retriever. My shephard instincts make me loyal and true, a boon companion, yet champion guard dog, I take my responibilities very seriously and disregard people who don't. My Lab instincts make me fat and lazy, with attempts at humor and playfulness. I love the water and all things associated with it.

Now, sometimes in my strange little universe, I can see poodles (those women who are certainly high maintenence with squeaky voices) or bulldogs with their pushed in noses (generally where men are concerned, their flabby jaws and unkempt air) or even those small Jack dogs (mostly children, over excited and yapping at everything and nothing).

So tell me, what kind of dog are you?

March Madness

Good Monday Morning to everyone. Happy March.

Some quick business first. Query Tally Stats have remained the same: 16 out, 3 partials requested, 1 rejected, plus four other rejections = 5 total rejections. 11 Queries still out. There is hope.

As I was blogging around this weekend trying to catch up on all the wonderful writing I marked for reviewing, I found several interesting things.

Chuck Sambuchino at Guide to Literary Agents is having another of those agent contests on his blog for Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance. It's a fabulous opportunity to get your work before an agent. Prizes are amazing. Go Go Go check it out!!!!

Sarah Jayne at Writing in the Wilderness is having a contest for reaching 50 followers. Go check it out. Prize is a $20- gift card.

J.Koyanagi had a splendid post for name recognition, (as well as blogs or web-sites). She has given herself a crescent moon over her name as a logo, which is beautiful. I wish I'd thought of it first, but alas, I didn't. I don't know what, if anything I could put over my name for recognition as I write romance. I don't think a heart would do at all. Perhaps my family crest. Seems a bit silly. I'll have to think on it. For those of you who write fantasy or sci-fi, this might be a little easier, no? Question #1) If you wanted a logo, what would it be?

Elle Strauss at Elle Strauss Books is going to do a March Madness writing accountability fest. Kind of like a NANO but not. It's all about the accountability that you say you have for your writing -- finish a WIP, start a new one, 1000 words a day, whatever you want to be held accountable for. I think it's great and would love to do it, however I know I wouldn't be able to. My life is already madness and I don't write the way normal people do. But did I mention prizes, yes, yes there are, so go check it out.

Carolina Valdez-Miller at Carol-in-Printhas also mentioned she will be going on hiatus to finish up some edits before she sets out to query. I think gentle readers, that I will be doing the same soon. Masquerade has been sitting for quite some time. The first three chapters have been polished until they shine, and although the book is good enough to be accepted as a full, I have been worrying that it's not good enough to be published. Maybe it's my imagination or the fact I've been reading so many other great writers out there but I want it to be the best. Question #2) After you get to the end of the revisions, do you think your book is done? Is it good enough? Or do you go crazy trying to make it great?

Thanks again for all the great movie suggestions. I've forgotten about many of them (we don't have tv) so when I go to the cheap movie store, I'll stock up.

I'm also on the hunt for a book for Caroline at Carolinebyline. The Black Whippet by S. Sutton-Vane c1957. Right now it's going for between $30- and $125- on book sights. Which I can't believe, but it is an oldie but goodie. When you are cruising your used bookstores if you wouldn't mind taking a look for it. I got mine for $2- at a book fair. Let me know if you find it for really cheap and we can work out the details to get it to her. Thanks.

I also wanted to say that the little Something-Something I posted last week about the funeral has gotten into my head and won't leave. I've written another 3,000 words for it over the weekend with still more to come. I don't know what it means, it wasn't even anything I planned, but Kate won't leave me alone. Question #3) Do you find when you write a piece of, (I suppose for this post we could call it flash fiction) flash fiction that there is more to it than what it really is? Do you ever want to persue it as far as it will go? Does it drive you to the brink of frustration because you know you should be working on the "something else" that you're supposd to be working on?

I've also written another 3,000 words for Richard and Amanda's story. I think I've over written here and it will probably come out in the final revision but I won't be able to see it fully until the book is finished. I'm following my story arc but, well, I don't know. I think I might have to play around with chapter placements or something for the final draft -- you know, chap. 1 = Richard & Amanda, chaps. 2-7 Richard's story, chaps. 7-12 Amanda's story, chaps. 12-19 Ricahrd & Amanda, then the epilogue. I don't know though. We'll see. It wasn't how I envisioned the book but it might serve the purpose. Question #4) Do you ever do something to your book that was never in the way you originally saw it?

I also did another 2,000 words on the contemporary romance Genna & Tony which some of you may remember. (I really need to find titles for these.) I've also begun playing around with the query for this, well, because I can. I waited too long to write the query for Masquerade. Now I know how to write one, I think it might be easier to do it while the work is still in progress. Question #5) Do you ever do this? Write the query or synopsis before the book is even finished?

Okay gentle readers, I think I've said enough. Have a lovely day.

Fridays at the Piedmont Grille

Okay so I've designated Fridays for a bit of fun. Last week you all got to ask me questions, and for those of you who missed it (because there were awards going on) I give you another opportunity to ask me any question you want, about -- writing, my craft, the Regency, cooking, whatever you want.

This week I think, I would like to ask you a question. What is your favorite romantic movie? Or two or three or six.

Mine are:
LadyHawke with Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer (the cinematography is amazing)
The Wedding Date with Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney (such a cute story)
Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant (Jane Austen, who doesn't love Jane?)
Bull Durham with Kevin Costener and Susan Sarandon (baseball, who doesn't love baseball?)
The American President with Michael Douglas and Annette Bening (soundtrack -- I also loved the one she made with Warren Beatty, Love Affair)
A Good Year with Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard (favorite favorite favorite all time favorite)
The Story of Us with Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer (this is so much my fairy tale with a man I'll never marry)

So what's yours?

Fridays at the Piedmont Grille

Summer over at Andthistimeconcentrate! has given me this award where I'm supposed to list 7 random facts about myself. Hmm....

1. I have hazel eyes. When I wear a purple shirt, they turn green. When I wear a green shirt, they turn blue.

2. I've only broken one bone, my third toe, in my whole life. It got run over by a telephone pole. (We were playing on one that was used as a stop guard for cars in the school yard.)

3. I live in total chaos, until I can't stand it anymore then I have to scrub, clean, and organize like a mad woman. The euphoria lasts about 2 weeks.

4. I once gave a Christmas party at the beach house and invited 50 people. The night it happened, it began raining, then snowing, then sleeting. I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off, cooking, setting up the bar, decorating, making sure everything was perfect, just in case 20 people showed up, you know my stalwart friends. Because you know only a third invited will show, and besides I lived at the end of a dirt road, in the rain and snow, yeah not so good. In the end, 85 people showed up. It was the best party I ever gave and I had more fun than I ever intended, especially as the hostess.

5. I love trees and refused to move to NC if there were no trees in my backyard. I think tree cutting should be outlawed.

6. I can tie a cherry stem into a knot with my teeth. (Lots of practice at the bar with that. Back in my bad old days I used to make money off it too. $5- bucks a stem.)

7. I didn't know my brother's name was Robert until I was in second grade. I always called him Brother. (Because my mother would say, "Go play with your brother" not "Go play with Bobby".)


And in some cosmically amusing way, this brings me around to today's post. I don't know if I'll be doing this every Friday but I thought it might be fun to try it out and see how it goes. I know a few other bloggers do this and, to me, it's kind of interesting. Here goes -- Ask me a question. On anything. Writing, my personal life, my stories, the crazy thing I call my craft, cooking, what I would do with a 6-figure contract -- whatever you want. I will answer it.

I love when the Awards come around (ha ha see this post was actually written last Sunday and I had already decided to do this) and you get to find out a little more about the person behind the blog. I figured, why wait. This could be kind of like internet dating, only not, you know.

So whatever you want, (although I should put in a disclaimer and say I will only answer in a generalized way any questions asked about my Monster Child. Need to keep some form of privacy.)

I also need to pass the award on to new blog friends so: The Award goes to --
Roxy at A Woman's Write
Steena at Chocolate Reality
Shelley at Stories in the Ordinary
Lindsey at Dangerous with a Pen

So fire away with the questions, I'm ready.