Romance and Halloween. Not so much, right? Think again. If costume-less teenaged punks sinking their meaty fists into your candy bowl sounds less than appealing, grab your loved one tomorrow and try one of these ideas:
A Twilight/Midnight Graveyard Picnic – Arrange to meet there, if you dare.
A Walk in the Woods – Take along a blanket and flashlight and find the perfect spot to swap ghost stories or Halloween memories.
Fright Night at the Movies – A standby, but who can argue with popcorn, candy and many, many opportunities to clutch your loved one?
Secret Costumes – Arrive at a party or large club where everyone will be in costume, but don’t tell each other what you’ll be. Find each other through clues of body language or behavior-the way they dance, move, speak to others, drink.
Costume Party for Two – no elaboration needed.
Haunted Bedroom – Stage a halloween bedroom using candles, black rose petals, spider webs and red wine.
Midnight Pumpkin Patch - Carve a few pumpkins long after the trick or treaters have gone to bed, spread autumn leaves on a blanket in the backyard, light the jack-o-lanterns and have a picnic of wine or dessert.
Moonlight Maze – Corn field mazes aren’t just for kids. Let the moon guide you and your loved one, no flashlights allowed. Be sure to bring a blanket and a thermos filled with your favorite hot drink to share.
Who Needs Marshmellows – when you have pumpkin seeds? Why not secret away to a place you can build a campfire, roast seeds and read Edgar Allen Poe stories?
Love Letter or Poem – Write a love poem about all the ways your life would be scary without your special someone in it. Burn the paper’s edges and roll it up with twine or black ribbon. Found haunted love poems work well, too. Or, carve out a special message to your loved one, one letter per pumpkin, and line his or her walkway with them.
What’s the most romantic way you’ve ever celebrated Halloween?
Anyone who has known me for more than, oh, five minutes, knows that I’m a big geek girl when it comes to sci-fi shows and movies. I mourned the loss of Firefly when it was canceled before it even had a full season. Don’t even get me started on the powers that be who made that decision. SyFy is one of my favorite networks — home to Battlestar Galactica, the Stargate series, Warehouse 13 and Sanctuary. Even so, I hated when they canceled Stargate Atlantis after last season. But they got back on my good side with the new Stargate Universe (SGU), which is darker and more Battlestar Galactica-ish than SG-1 and Atlantis.
One of the tag lines for the show, spoken by Col. Everett Young, the ranking officer among the group that finds itself far, far from home, is “These are the wrong people in the wrong place at the wrong time.” What he’s referring to is the fact that an odd grouping of people find themselves aboard an Ancient ship billions of light years from Earth when they are attacked and have no choice but to escape through a Stargate (a stable wormhole, for the uninitiated). It shoots them out on a ship called the Destiny, and each week there is some new challenge to be overcome. But what did he mean by the wrong people?
Well, many of these people aren’t trained for a mission of this type. There are only two pilots among them — Young and Lt. Matthew Scott, who is very young for the amount of responsibility he suddenly has to shoulder, especially when they arrive on the Destiny and Young is badly injured. Then there’s Lt. Tamara Johansen, who literally isn’t supposed to be there. A medic, she was on the verge of leaving for medical school when the Icarus Base was attacked. Now she’s forced to become the chief medical officer on the Destiny without the appropriate training. Chloe Armstrong, an aide to her senator father, was just visiting Icarus when the attack came. She feels like she has nothing to contribute to the new situation since there’s not a lot of call for political aides. Add a bureaucrat, a math boy wonder who is there because of his video gaming success (trust me, it makes sense), a certifiable genius (played by the wonderful Robert Carlyle), and you have an interesting group of people flying through space on a ship they largely don’t understand.
Of course I like the show because it’s sci-fi, but it’s also the fish-out-of-water aspect that’s appealing. All of us who are writers have probably written such a story. Readers lap them up, and moviegoers seem to appreciate the story type as well. We like to see characters who are really out of their element find their way to success and happiness — whether that be a happily-ever-after love or a way back to Earth.
Anyone else here a big sci-fi fan? Are you watching SGU? What do you think? And if not, how about the fish out of water story? Do you like them? What’s your favorite?
If you’re like most people, there are times when you feel there are just not enough hours in a day. I’ve always felt this on a certain level…but lately I feel compelled to squeeze as many things as I can into every moment, every hour, every day! I turned 50 this year, which could have something to do with my sudden flurry of activity. Not only am I writing, I’m making jewelry, learning Spanish, and practicing the piano. I also planted a garden this summer and I grew watermelon and sunflowers and zucchinis. What a thrill to watch something grow from a seedling and then cook it and eat it, too! I’ve spent hours working on the front walkway, too, trying to make the pathway look like an English garden. I used the cover of a magazine as my muse. It looks pretty good, but the big question is why didn’t I do it 15 years ago when we first moved into this house?
What have I been waiting for? Is it the age thing? Three of my four children have moved out–three down, one to go–could that be the reason for my eagerness to try new things? Or maybe my sudden compulsion to do eight things at once is a writing-for-fourteen-years-and-not-being-published-yet thing. I think I might be on to something here. For the past fourteen years, I’ve spent every free moment writing…until recently. OR, maybe I am instinctively trying to find balance. Just saying the word “balance” makes me feel at peace.
How about you? Do you ever go through spurts where you find yourself trying to do a zillion things at once?
As writers, we know that transitions are very important. Keeping a readers’ interest as we move from one subject to another can sometimes be tricky. This is a point at which, if we are not clever, the reader may put our books down and go and do something more important — like the laundry. We want to avoid this at all costs.
But writing the next, “Great American Novel,” is not the only time we have important transitions in our lives. As a single person we make a HUGE transition when we marry—at least hopefully we do! When children come along we morph from a jet-setting-couple to more cozy, stay at home dwellers. As these life changing evolutions take place we usually go with the flow and embrace them as the next stage of our lives. From toddler to school goer, married to divorced, life into death, from one job to the next, from unpublished to published, from depression into happiness and the cycle goes on and on, thousands upon thousands of times.
I now stand at the threshold of a new transition that I would categorize as an adventure extraordinaire. A move from the only state I’ve lived in for my entire adult life, across the country. But, this is not the only adjustment to make. Before, I lived in the boondocks of California where a planned visit was the only time someone came knocking on my door. It was solitary, but never lonely. The new place is a beautiful cul-de-sac in Kentucky filled with wonderful neighbors, eager to get to know us. The plethora of leaves have changed and are now raining down in a gorgeous display of golden and crimson. It’s a delightful switch and I’m enjoying it very much. Thank goodness my excitement has chased away my nervousness.
What big transitions have molded your life? Or, what advice, tips or funny and unusual stories have you for a newbie on the block?
First things first. I have to congratulate fellow NWIB blogger and friend Robin Kaye for winning the Golden Leaf in the Single Title category for her book, ROMEO ROMEO! Congrats, Robin. I’m so thrilled for you!!
Robin’s hot book cover got me thinking about covers in general. I think most readers are aware of the fact authors have little to no say in the covers publishers design for their books. If we’re lucky, like Robin, we get nice, sexy art that reflects not only what we write, but the characters and stories we’ve created. I’ve been lucky. My first three books have had great covers, and I love each of them for different reasons.
When I got the cover art for STOLEN FURY, I think I screamed. First book, awesome cover. I loved the mix of mystery/suspense in the red bottom half, and the sexy couple embracing on top. I also love covers where you don’t get a full face shot because often the cover models look so different from the way I envision the characters in my head, I don’t want the cover to contradict that. Then I got the cover for STOLEN HEAT, and again, I loved it. It has the Egyptian feel I wanted, and although you can see the faces of the couple on top, the guy looks EXACTLY the way I envisioned Pete when I was writing the book. Two for two. I was on a roll. And then I got the cover for STOLEN SEDUCTION. My first reaction was split. I love the bottom tropical scene. The book is set primarily in Florida, so it works well. But while the couple on top conveys the sexy feel I love about the book, the models don’t look at all the way I envisioned those characters when writing. (Although interestingly enough, most people who see all three covers together like the one for STOLEN SEDUCTION the best, so go figure.) The more I’ve looked at this cover, the more I like it, and it’s become one of my favorites. Overall, when I step back and look at these book covers together, I’m very happy. They go together. You get the feeling these books are sexy romantic suspense reads, which is exactly what they are.
But what do you do when you see a cover that either doesn’t fit the book or doesn’t grab your attention? As a reader, do you pick it up? Or do you pass it by? And who’s to say what makes up a “good” cover anyway?
Last week there was a discussion over at Border’s True Romance blog about romance covers. Specifically, Sue Grimshaw wanted to know if romance readers prefer male covers, female covers, male/female covers or none of the above. Here are a few examples of each:
Male only romance covers:
Female only romance covers:
Male/female covers:
And then, of course, there are the no-people covers:
I have to say, these are all gorgeous covers for different reasons. I like them all. But which ones draw me the most? Either the male covers (I am a heterosexual woman after all) or the male/female covers. All three of the female covers are striking and totally fit the books, but I might not have read them if I hadn’t known the authors or if friends hadn’t recommended these books. (And I’m glad I did read them because I would have missed out on some awesome books otherwise!) But for some reason I’m just not as drawn to female-only covers as I am ones that have men on them. As for the no people covers? These three are also beautiful, but I didn’t read these books because of the cover art. I read them because of the authors’ names. Would I have picked them up if they were covers for no-name authors? I honestly don’t know.
I have a new paranormal series starting in May, and I’ve been very curious what the cover art will look like for those books. Last week my editor sent me the cover for the first book, MARKED:
Obviously, this one goes in the all male section. Am I happy? Uh, yeah. I love this cover, especially since these books are a little hotter than my romantic suspenses. But I totally didn’t expect it. Am I glad it’s the cover style *I* prefer? Absolutely. That’s just a bonus as far as I’m concerned.
How about you? What kind of covers get you looking, especially for new-to-you authors? Which covers do you not like at all, and which ones do you prefer most?
HI all! Connie Cox here! I’m new to the blog. Thanks to everyone for letting me play! I want to blog today about a huge event that brought all of us together at Nobody Writers It Better. We are all 2007 Golden Heart Contest finalists. It’s a sisterhood I’m very proud of. I’m a prodigal and have only been back in the fold for a few months, and already I’ve received all the camaraderie and support I could hope to find.
Want to know more about this Golden Heart thing? Let’s start at the beginning.
What’s the Golden Heart® Contest?
Here’s official definition, from the Romance Writers of America’s website: The purpose of the Golden Heart Contest is to promote excellence in the romance genre by recognizing outstanding romance manuscripts.
What do I get if I win?
Here’s the cool part–you don’t have to win to benefit from the Golden Heart Contest.
First off, you need to have a complete manuscript to enter. Right there, you’ve got incentive to finish the book. A real deadline, testing your mettle as a pre-published, yet professional writer. Are you up to the challenge?
By entering, you’re joining a sisterhood of hundreds of other writers who take their work seriously. Pssst. If you’re not a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA), considering joining. You’ll be glad you did.
Should you become a finalist, a whole new dimension is opened to you. First, there’s the special acknowledgment of RWA and all our members. Then, there’s the parties at the Nationals Conference that make you feel like royalty. And, perhaps the best part is adding Golden Heart Finalist to your signature line and agent/editor correspondence giving you instant prestige and credibility.
That’s for the finalists. What about the winner?
The winner gets a very cool charm that is exclusive to Golden Heart winners. But I’ll let you in on an insider secret. From my experience, being a finalist gets you all the benefits except the charm. The experts know that if you make the finals, your manuscript is outstanding. Your peers who judged it said it was. I’m a 2007 Golden Heart finalist and I’ve been able to take advantage of all the same benefits offered to my friend, a Golden Heart winner.
Incentive to complete and polish my manuscript; support and community with fellow writers just like me; a chance to have an extra nudge with agents and editors all sounds great! How do I enter?
PS Will the Golden Heart help to sell your book?
Maybe. Mine sold the same week finalists were announced. Pretty spooky coincidence, wouldn’t you say? Check it out, Taking Flight by Connie Cox.
Do you have a view on soul mates? Are you destined to meet yours or do you think it’s a matter of luck?
I tend towards optimism and believe in fate whereas my sweetheart believes life is based on chance.
My hubby says, “I don’t believe that love is fated. I could never have received a fate as good as the woman I got.”
Yes, folks, he’s a keeper!
Some say meeting a soul mate, or any occurrence in life, is coincidence, and how we arrive at the point we are today is simply a series of random events.
Some might say that but not me. Sure, we make choices that affect our outcome, but rightly or wrongly I believe one’s life mate is prearranged.
Certain religions support the concept of a soul mate. There’s a Jewish belief that says forty days before a foetus is formed, heaven decrees which girl will marry which boy. Talk about divine intervention!
Perhaps I left myself more open to opportunities for meeting my love because I knew he’d eventually show up. Of course depending on your point of view you might interpret that as making my own luck.
One could write a Ph.D. thesis on the subject of destiny versus luck. Instead I’d rather take a mini poll. Which outlook do you prefer – destiny or luck?
Good fortune (or possibly Google) provided me with this sweet song about waiting for one’s soul mate.
One lucky (dare I say fated? *G*) person who comments will receive Michael Bublé’s upbeat CD, Call Me Irresponsible. No, it’s not his latest. Hey, I don’t have that one yet. However I’m optimistic that with a few subtle hints, my dearest love will buy a copy for his ‘wife by chance’ someday soon.
I didn’t used to be. I loved paper books. Didn’t everyone? How wonderful it was to curl up with a well-loved, 3-D, real book. I turned my nose up about the electronic versions. Who would want to read books on their computer? I spent enough time on mine as it was, thankyouverymuch, and had the sore butt and nearsightedness to prove it.
And the thought of reading a book on an even smaller screen, backlit glare and all, gave me a pre-emptive headache. None of the e-readers I’d seen held the least of my interest.
And then the Kindle appeared in November 2007.
Oh, believe me, I ignored its siren call…at first.
But as a hardcore Amazon slut, I couldn’t avoid it. The image was right there on the Amazon home page. But I had a spine of steel jello, so six months after it appeared I finally considered getting one. After all, it was expensive ($359 at the time). But I kept hearing good things about the Kindle. That it was a whole different technology than the usual device screen, and reading on it was much easier on the eyes than a computer screen. (Very true, as I can attest from staring at a computer screen as I type these words.) That the Kindle was…fun. A pleasurable experience.
Woah. Really? Ebooks? How?
I glanced at the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves cramming my office, then peered over the stairway to the ones lining our living room.
Hmm. You mean I could store everything I wanted to read on this handheld device…and carry it with me without needing a gigantic suitcase and a back brace? I could someday move all my belongings from one city to another without taking up half the U-Haul with books?
I sucked in my breath, gathered up my savings, and bought one just to try it out. Yeah, that’s it. Just to try it.
I was a goner as soon as it arrived. The original Kindle was uglyhomely unique, but the aesthetics didn’t bother me. I’m a practical girl. I downloaded the samples of several new-to-me Amazon books (you mean I can read part of the book to see if I like it before I buy it? Sign me up, Sparky!) read a few, and promptly bought one.
I devoured the book. Lois McMaster Bujold’s The Curse of Chalion. A superb fantasy, and one of the things I loved most about the experience was that after a few pages, I didn’t realize the Kindle was there. I was reading.
For the first time, I didn’t need bookmarks; the Kindle always saved my place. I didn’t need a bookweight to hold open the pages as I ate or brushed my teeth, and I didn’t have to push the bookweight around just to read the whole page. (Yeah, so I’m hardcore reader. Bet you are, too.) And even when I was flossing, I could nudge the “next page” button with my elbow and keep reading. Ha, try that with a paper book!
I was hooked.
When the original Kindle sold out before the Christmas season in 2008 and the Kindle 2 was rumored from several sources, I took a deep breath and listed my Kindle 1 on eBay. It hurt, but I did it.
I auctioned off my K1 for more than I’d paid(!) and plunked the money down on a K2 pre-order. I had to wait until February of 2009 for my newest delight to arrive, but it was worth the wait. It goes everywhere with me, and heck, so does the Amazon store, thanks to the free Internet on the Kindle.
I don’t buy paper novels any more. Really. It’s all e, unless the publisher is behind the times and offers no Kindle version. In that case, I might buy a book I’m desperate for, but I’ll hold a grudge.
I do still prefer some things in print. Anything I’m likely to take a ton of notes on — writing books and the like — I usually buy in p. And I wouldn’t buy a book of beautiful color photographs for the black & white Kindle screen. But you’re unlikely to find any available, since the publishers already know that.
Is the Kindle 2 perfect? HECK NO. It’s still expensive and I can only read the book I bought on the Kindle or an iPhone (which I don’t own)…unless I do something illegal with the book’s file. I can’t share my book with anyone, unless that anyone has a second Kindle bought on the same credit card. And no one can buy a Kindle book for someone else as a present. (Amazon wish lists everywhere are suffering, I tell you.)
But will these restrictions last forever? I doubt it. The Kindle was fated to be challenged by younger competitors bearing shiny new features. There have been an explosion of new e-reader announcements in the last few months, and just yesterday, Barnes and Noble announced its own contender, the nook. The nook (yes, B&N spells it with a small n) will even let you “lend” your B&N ebooks to other people for two weeks, and they can read them on a variety of devices.
Am I worried that the Kindle will lose out? Nah. Competition’s generally a good thing. I figure Amazon will have to keep up, so I eagerly await the next Kindle generation. No doubt it will be even cheaper than the current price ($259). Within two years, I bet there will be a Kindle under $99.
And if Amazon drops the ball with innovations, well, my next batch of savings may go to some faster, hotter young e-reader. There will be plenty to choose from, and with the E-Reader Wars heating up, more features are on their way for less moolah.
So ’scuse me while I go dive into an ebook.
How do you feel about ebooks and ereaders? Do you have an ereader you love, are you putting one on your holiday wish list, or will you be one of the last paper book holdouts? Spill it.
The title of my blog paraphrases Bill Holm, one of my mentors in college and a great Minnesotan/American writer. Bill’s words came to mind as I spent the weekend in Washington, D.C. with my family. I like to travel, really I do, but I have to admit that I’m a homebody. That’s one of the things that travel shows me – that I enjoy being at home.
Another thing I reinforced is my love of history. I could say I love all things historical, but that’s not accurate. I love medieval history (not much of which can be found in North America!), Civil War history, and genealogy (isn’t our own history the most exciting to us?).
The first day of our trip we headed to Gettysburg. Wow. Three letter word, and terribly overused, but I was just in awe. The size and scope of the battle, the terrain, the utter devastation of troups….I have read extensively about the Civil War, but standing up on Little Round Top and looking down over that valley towards Devil’s Den…it’s hard for me to find the words to describe the feelings of being on the battefield.
The new visitor’s center and museum are wonderful, with great hands on exhibits for the kids. My daughter immediately searched for the famous Minnesota 9th and found their location in the battles. She also packed up her haversack with needed supplies, staying under the weight limit of 45 pounds but only having 4 of the required 14 items she would need to survive.
We drove much of the auto tour, again amazed, this time by the sheer number of monuments to the different regiments. I could easily go back and visit many times!
So if we do really “travel to see what’s inside us,” how have your travels impacted you? What have you learned about yourself as you explored new destinations? Share your “aha” moments with me! Kayla
The song says that diamonds are a girl’s best friend but I think her best friends are actually worth more than diamonds. My best friends cheer me on, cheer me up, say cheers and I’m lucky to have them. Writing, like trying for any big life goal, can be a lonely and frustrating path at times, so I need my BFFs!
I’m very lucky that one of my best writing buddies is the very talented Keri Arthur, author of the Riley Jenson, Guardian, books, as well as many others. I met Keri seven or so years ago when she was writing for Imajinn, a small press. At the time, the paranormal boom hadn’t happened but she knew what she loved to write and stuck to her guns. Amidst the chocolate eating, margarita drinking, sci fi TV ogling, critiquing, giggling, long plane trips and fun we’ve had since then it’s been wonderful to watch her career go from strength to strength (as well as pretty inspiring in terms of my personal writing goals to have a friend become a New York Times bestseller). And she’s remained the same lovely person she always was. So here’s a glimpse into the (sometimes a little twisted-in-a-good-way if the number of times her books make me go “Ewwww” is any measure *g*) mind of one of my best friends.
You’re most famous for the Riley Jenson series – what’s up next for Riley?
Next up is Bound for Shadows, the 8th book in the series, and one that finally starts providing answers. I’m betting there will be tears. <g>
Sadly for fans of Riley, this isn’t an open ended series, so where are you taking your fans next?
After the final book–Moon Sworn–I’ll be writing an offshoot series that will feature Risa, Dia’s little girl. It’ll concentrate more on the Aedh and Reaper side of things, but there will still be lots of vampires, werewolves and shifters hanging about and causing problems.
What’s the attraction of writing paranormal & dark fantasy?
Basically, it’s being able to write about anything my weird imagination can come up with. And I love being able to write about kick-arse chicks who can look after themselves and who can give as good as they get–but who also aren’t afraid to admit when they need help.
Where do you get the inspiration for your worlds?
Did I mention my weird imagination?
You write series set in Australia and the USA….which is easier?
Australia, definitely. I find the words flow better, probably because I’m familiar with the settings. Even if I haven’t been to a particular place, it’s a lot easier for me to check an Australian setting than an American. Plus, we might both be English speaking countries, but the differences in the way we see things and what we call things is often quite astounding.
Who’s your favorite character to write?
If I didn’t love writing Riley, I wouldn’t have taken her to 9 books. She’s such a fun character to write. But right now, I’m loving writing Risa. She’s been trained by Riley, but she has a whole different set of skills and quirks.
You write gorgeous, hot, sexy heroes who often have a bit of a dark side…where do you find the inspiration for them? Do you base them on real people at all?
Occasionally I’ll see an advertisement or a picture featuring a man that strikes me as being perfect for my hero, but more often than not, they come out of my imagination. I just find it easier that way. Although, I will admit to watching certain movies just to get inspiration. For instance, that end scene in Kiera Knightly’s Pride and Prejudice– how sexy is Matthew Macfadyen when he’s walking across that field, coat billowing behind him? Now, if that doesn’t give a writer inspiration, nothing will J
What’s a typical day in the life of Keri Arthur?
A typical day is getting up about 6.30, eating breaky while reading emails, then off for an hour walk with the dogs. Then it’s gym for a couple of hours. After lunch, I settle down for the afternoon to write. I aim for 5 pages a day unless I’m on deadline, and then I’ll do whatever is needed to get the book done.
To finish, five fairly random questions –
Favorite word — tea Favorite TV show – Supernatural. Love the boys! Favorite junk food — chocolate. Or French Vanilla Slices from the evil Kilmore bakery Favorite book you’ve read this year — Lord of Scoundrels or Private Arrangements Favorite thing to do other than write — It’d have to be a toss up between going to the gym (shocking, I know) or going for a drive on a warm summer day.
If you want to know more about Keri, check out her website which has all the skinny plus links to other places she frequents.
To celebrate the release of Bound to Shadows next week, Keri’s giving away a signed copy of Full Moon Rising (the first Riley Jenson book) to one lucky commentor. Hopefully we can pry her away from her busy writing schedule to answer some comments too!
So tell us about a friend who inspires you or ask Keri a question and you might just get lucky! NB as usual, Keri and I are on Aussie time, so we’ll be responding when we wake up!
I now stand at the threshold of a new transition that I would categorize as an adventure extraordinaire. A move from the only state I’ve lived in for my entire adult life, across the country. But, this is not the only adjustment to make. Before, I lived in the boondocks of California where a planned visit was the only time someone came knocking on my door. It was solitary, but never lonely. The new place is a beautiful cul-de-sac in Kentucky filled with wonderful neighbors, eager to get to know us. The plethora of leaves have changed and are now raining down in a gorgeous display of golden and crimson. It’s a delightful switch and I’m enjoying it very much. Thank goodness my excitement has chased away my nervousness.
I’m new to the blog. Thanks to everyone for letting me play! I want to blog today about a huge event that brought all of us together at Nobody Writers It Better. We are all 2007 Golden Heart Contest finalists. It’s a sisterhood I’m very proud of. I’m a prodigal and have only been back in the fold for a few months, and already I’ve received all the camaraderie and support I could hope to find.
Yes, folks, he’s a keeper! 
Sure, we make choices that affect our outcome, but rightly or wrongly I believe one’s life mate is prearranged.
