Is There a Novel in You?

Issue #08
August, 2005

Dear Romance Writer,

As you’ve probably already heard, Helen Buttery, AWAI’s New Product Development Director, and I were in Reno, Nevada attending the Romance Writers of America convention. It was RWA’s 25th anniversary ... and a good time was had by all. The workshops were the best I’ve attended in a long time. (Helen even won money playing the penny slots!)

The conference started off on an uplifting note Wednesday evening when many of your favorite authors participated in a book signing that benefited literacy. The signing was open to the public and drew a huge crowd. As expected, lines for Nora Roberts, Heather Graham, Carla Neggers, and Stella Cameron were long. Local RWA chapters contributed baskets to be raffled. And so did my critique group, many of whom are on our Writing for Love & Money Advisory Board. Our basket was breakfast-themed and filled with teas, coffee, biscotti, Champagne, a teapot, goblets, chocolates, and (of course) our books.

Thanks to a suggestion made by member Cindy Breeding, I had two leis flown in from Hawaii. I used them to promote my recent release, A Taste of Paradise, by putting them up for raffle. So far, our Cindy has been asked by several publishing industry professionals to submit her manuscript (s). I predict it’s just a matter of time before this talented lady gets published.

While Helen outdid herself volunteering, I attended the PAN (Published Author Network) workshops and met with my editors and agent. I also reconnected with several friends, including, New York Times Best-Seller Carla Neggers, who I interviewed for this issue. (See Carla’s interview, below.) Her book Dark Sky; a romantic suspense, is currently on the shelves of your favorite bookstore. The critics love it – and so will you. (For more about Carla, please log on to www.carlaneggers.com.)

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Have you heard about our brand-new website designed just for you?

Your feedback and ideas are important to us. So let us hear from you … your comments and thoughts ... on the Romance forum:

Http://www.theromancewriterslife.com

This website is about you and for you. Your comments are welcomed and appreciated.

Now, on to Part 2 of Romance/ screenplay writer, Marilyn Jordan’s article. (She’s one of the novelists critiquing your work.) This informative article is designed to help you develop those multi-dimensional characters that keep readers turning the page.

THREE SIMPLE TRICKS FOR BUILDING CHARACTERS, Part 2
by Marilyn Jordan

MYERS-BRIGGS PERSONALITY
Another personality system that can be used to generate a character or add depth to one already conceived is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. This system breaks people down into 16 personality types along 4 separate axes:

Introvert vs. Extrovert
Sensing vs. Intuiting
Thinking vs. Feeling
Judging vs. Perceiving

In each pairing, a person will lean toward one or the other preference. The person’s overall type is given as a 4-letter code, such as ENSP. Each type produces a different basic personality.

If you’re interested in playing around with this, an excellent book on the subject is Please Understand Me II, by David Keirsey, which uses Keirsey’s Temperament Sorter (a questionnaire) in conjunction with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Even better, the 16 types have descriptive names to help you get a handle on them. For example, INTJ is also referred to as the Free Thinker – and Free Thinkers are highly individualistic, intelligent, determined, and think outside the box. Sounds like a perfect recipe for a hero.

You can use the Myers-Briggs system to further refine a character, going from a general personality type to more detailed shadings. You can find character traits you might not have considered for an existing character. You can flesh out a skimpy character.

You don’t have to worry about creating formulaic characters using this system. You’ll always bring your own knowledge and life experiences into the mix. Plus, it would be tough to use every characteristic of a type – so as you pick and choose, you can hone your character into something special.

You’ll not only come to understand your characters better, but perhaps yourself and your significant other as well!

ASTROLOGY
Another fun way to create characters is by using astrology charts and books. Most astrology books indicate which signs of the zodiac are the best romantic matches. And each sign has general characteristics that are applicable to your characters in a helpful way – including strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, and so on. This is a good way to go “trolling” for a character if you’re not sure who you want to feature in your story or if you want to add layers to a one-note personality. Something you read may well spark an idea. Of course, you don’t have to believe in astrology in any way, shape, or form in order to use it as a writing tool.

One of the better books out there is Linda Goodman’s Sun Signs. Her section on Love Signs is geared toward romantic relationships and is very in depth. You can set a challenge for yourself and try to pair up a particularly unmatchable combination to see where it takes you. Or use these antagonistic combinations for your hero and villain.

For those of you who write historicals, there’s another way to play with astrology. Many astrology programs allow you to make a chart for a character from any time and place. So if your heroine was born in London in 1789, you can pick a month and day, make a chart, and see what kind of character traits you get. The alignment of the planets, etc. from other eras will give you specific results suited to that era – and that may very well spark a unique story idea.

HAPPENINGS:

September 9-10, 2005
2005 Start Your Engines – Southern Tier Authors of Romance
Holiday Inn Downtown, Ithaca, NY
Sherrilyn Kenyon, MaryJanice Davidson, Editors/Agents. Book fair/signing. members.aol.com/starrwa

September 10, 2005
How to Write the Ultimate Keeper – Toronto Romance Writers
Toronto Reference Library, Toronto, Ontario
Mary Balogh will lead a full day workshop on how to craft the ultimate keeper. Book sale/signing. workshops@torontoromancewriters.com

September 23 - 25, 2005
Mystery/Suspense Writing Retreat – Kiss of Death Mystery/Suspense Chapter
AmeriSuites Hotel, San Antonio, TX
Joanne Pence, Joanna Novins, Michel Scott, Maggie Lawson, others
bkroon@hickorytech.net

September 28 - October 1, 2005
Women’s Fiction Festival in Matera, Italy – Chicklit Writers of the World
UNESCO World Heritage Site, Matera, Italy
All genres welcome. Editors, Agents, Booksellers. Booksigning.
www.womensfictionfestival.com

September 30 - October 2, 2005
24th Annual Moonlight & Magnolias: Romance Southern Style – Georgia Romance Writers (home of the Maggie Awards)
Westin Atlanta North, Perimeter, GA
Hear Lisa Gardner speak. Workshops, Agent /Editor appts., Book fair/signing. Literacy raffle. FMI contact Pam Mantovani www.georgiaromancewriters.org

October 1, 2005
Kiss and Tell: Love, Sex, and Writing – Maryland Romance Writers
The Women’s Club of Catonsvile, 10 St. Timothy’s Lane, Cantonsville, MD
One-day conference. Speakers Jamie Denton, Susan Gable, Holly Jacobs.
Fee: $40 - $50
Announcement of winners of 2005 Reveal Your Inner Vixen contest, continental breakfast and lunch included.
FMI www.marylandromancewriters.org or lisajoy419@msn.com

October 1, 2005
Lone Star Writer’s Conference – Northwest Houston RWA
Hilton Garden Inn, Willowchase, TX
Alice Orr will present Get Published Now.
FMI Carla Williard www.nwhrwa.freeservers.com

October 7 - 8, 2005

Put Your Heart in a Book – New Jersey Romance Writers (One not to miss – this is where I got started.)
Woodbridge Sheraton, Iselin, NJ
Hear Mary Jo Putney, Lisa Kleypas, Christine Feehan, Christina Skye, Susan Meier. Workshops, appts., PAN retreat. Book fair/signing.
FMI contact Lena Pinto www.NJRomanceWriters.com

Now it’s time to meet New York Times best-seller Carla Neggers. Carla writes for Mira, a Harlequin imprint. She is a versatile writer with over 50 books to her credit. Carla has been lauded for her suspenseful romances. This popular author is one of the most down to earth and likeable people I know. It is said she will do just about anything in the name of research – even take up karate.

Marcia King-Gamble
Director of Member Services and Editor, Writing for Love & Money
Author of A Taste of Paradise, released July 2005

INTERVIEW WITH CARLA NEGGERS

RY: Carla, you are one prolific writer. It’s impressive that you have 50 books to your credit and that you’ve achieved this at relatively young age. When was your first book published – and what was it about?

CN: Well … it depends on what you want to call my first book. The first book I wrote that got published was The Venus Shoe (Avon Velvet Glove), a first-person romantic suspense. The heroine returns to Saratoga Springs and finds out the truth about her parents’ death. I was writing romantic suspense when editors were saying it’d be back “when pigs fly.” My first published book was Midsummer Dreams (Bantam Circle of Love) as Amalia James. Bantam picked me up to write one of the launch books for its successful romance line, Loveswept – which required us writers to not use a pseudonym. That’s how I ended up writing under Carla Neggers.

RY: And now all of your hard work has paid off. You’ve made The New York Times Best-Seller list. You’re to be congratulated. Can you tell us what it means to be on this list?

CN: Thank you! Making The New York Times “short list” is a thrill. I’ll never forget the call from my editor and agent when they told me the news. Every milestone in this business is worth celebrating, but making the NYT list is special not only because it means a lot to us as writers but because it means a lot to the people who work so hard to get our books out there. For me, it was a reminder of how many people work behind the scenes and pull for us as writers. I’m not sure readers care about best-seller lists, but they do care about good book. Whether I make the NYT list or not, it’s my job to write the best book I can. That doesn’t change.

RY: Putting out as many books as you have done requires discipline and attention to deadlines. Can you share any tips on how to stay focused? Is writer’s block a challenge for you? If so, how do you get over it?

CN: Knock on wood, I’ve never had writer’s block. If anything, I have too many ideas spinning around in my head! I write because I have ideas. My one tip on staying focused is to not force it. You’ll find other writers – a lot of them! – who will advise the exact opposite. But do whatever works for you. By not forcing it, I mean to pay attention to the creative need not just to get something done and focus on a project … but to walk away from it for a while, let it simmer. It’s the yin-yang of “concentration” and “abandonment.” The trick is not to walk away for too long! A few minutes … an hour … a day – if I realize I’m staring at a blank screen or reading too many blogs, I know it’s time to take a break.

RY: On another note ... you live in a beautiful part of the country, Quechee, Vermont. Tell us about Quechee. Has it been an inspiration for any of your novels?

CN: Quechee is beautiful! I live on top of a hill. We have wild turkeys in the yard and a bit of a view to the east. We’re just a few minutes from all kinds of activities … golf, hiking, kayaking, swimming, cross-country skiing, etc. My newest book, Dark Sky, takes place in this area – during the fall. The contrast of Vermont in the autumn, at its most gorgeous, and the dangers the characters face is striking to me, at least because I live here. The hardest part – we’re 90 miles from the nearest airport!

RY: Which brings me to the topic of your August release, Dark Sky. Your heroine heads off to Vermont. Can you bring us up to date on this new book? Your hero and heroine were introduced to the reader in previous books. What prompted you to give them their own lives?

CN: I knew that Juliet Longstreet, a deputy U.S. Marshal, and Ethan Brooker, a Special Forces army officer, would have their own story the minute they showed up on the page – once I was in their heads, so to speak. They first appear in Night’s Landing. Ethan is searching for his wife’s killer, and Juliet ... well, she’s got five older brothers in Vermont, all cops and landscapers, and just isn’t intimidated. They show up in The Rapids, too, although Dark Sky stands alone – you don’t have to read the previous two books to know what’s going on.

RY: Dark Sky sounds like a winner. You’ve done well in the Romantic Suspense genre. Why write Romantic Suspense? What is it about this genre that speaks to you?

CN: I started writing Romantic Suspense as a kid, before I knew it had a name. I just wrote stories that I liked, and they included a suspense plot and a love story. The best of both worlds! I don’t know what the future holds for my writing, but I can’t imagine I’ll ever not love Romantic Suspense.

RY: What, in your opinion, are the components of a page-turning Romantic Suspense?

CN: The components are the same, really, as any page-turning novel. I almost always start with character. Who are my main characters? What do they want? What’s at stake? What drives them? I don’t always have all the answers before I start writing, but characters are what keep me interested in a story. Also, I like to have a solid premise. With Dark Sky, Juliet’s world as a Marshal and Ethan’s world as a Special Forces officer collide – and her family is endangered as a result. That’s what got me rolling.

RY: It sounds like you’ve done well at Mira. Tell us a little about Mira (a Harlequin imprint) and the kind of books that publisher seeks.

CN: Mira is one of Harlequin Enterprises’ single-title imprints, and I think the editors are very genuine in saying that they want fresh, original, good books. But I wouldn’t think in terms of trying to figure out what they or any publisher “want” – I’d think in terms of my own voice and vision as a writer. What do you want to write? That’s where I’d start.

RY: What about character development? How do you come up with action-driven characters, especially action-driven heroines ... without sacrificing their femininity?

CN: Character is in the details. I try to create well-rounded characters with virtues and flaws. Juliet Longstreet in Dark Sky adores her vegan, home-schooled niece and runs interference between her and her brother, her niece’s father. I think that gets at her femininity. She also frets about her hair. Show me a woman who doesn’t fret about her hair!

RY: I read somewhere that you’ll do whatever it takes to get into the heads of your characters. You’ve even taken up karate! What are some other exciting ventures you’ve undertaken to keep your characters real?

CN: Well, one thing I won’t do is jump out of a helicopter. My pararescueman in Cold Ridge does that kind of thing, and that’s where I draw the line! But I headed to the White Mountains for research for that book – to help me understand not only my PJ hero but also the Winter siblings, whose parents died on a fictional peak when they were little. It helped me understand them better as characters. Now I’ve decided to try hiking all 48 peaks in the White Mountains, over 4,000 feet. It’ll take a while! Delving into Juliet Longstreet’s character got me into karate. I’m still at it, learning something new every class and practicing hard. I’ve also taken shooting and self-defense lessons from an instructor who teaches police recruits. We’re set up for another set of lessons this fall. Even if I’m not a great student, I learn a lot from the experts who are so gracious with their knowledge and skill. And I guess I just like to try new things.

RY: What’s next for Carla? How many books do you have coming out in the next year or so – and what are they about?

CN: I just finished Breakwater, due out in February ‘06. It’s about an expert in international crime who finds a friend dead and gets mixed up in a federal undercover investigation. I’ve seen the cover already – fabulous! Now I’m working on my summer novel … my hardcover debut. I don’t even have a title yet. I need to get busy! I’m very excited about this story …

RY: Many of our romance writers are getting their feet wet in a relatively new genre. What’s your advice to them? Any conferences or contests you think they should enter?

CN: The romance genre is a genre comfortable with its traditions and yet always ready for something new, isn’t it? I love it. My advice is to keep writing and to be open to learning, asking questions, trying new things. Even after all the books I’ve written and have had published, I still love to read about how other writers work. I just finished Elizabeth George’s how-to, Write Away. I love her writing, and this book has lots of good insight and nuggets of wisdom. Don’t ever be afraid to ask a question. Most of us writers will discourage you from “chasing trends,” but the truth is – if I had stuck with Romantic Suspense early on, because that was what I wanted to do, I’d never have been published when I was. The market for Romantic Suspense was dead and buried. I loved writing Category Romance. That’s what was selling, and it got me a foot in the door. But I approached every book the same way I do now – trying to write the very best story I could.

RY: And, finally, is there anything else we should know about Carla? Do you have parting words of wisdom?

CN: I think I’ve said too much as it is! Thank you for this opportunity – and good luck to you all.

WHO’S ACQUIRING:

Harlequin – Executive Editor Paula Eykelhoff is actively acquiring for Epic, a brand-new 75,000-word Contemporary Romance series. Guidelines are available on eHarlequin.com. Submissions should include a detailed synopsis and 1-3 chapters.

Harlequin – Associate Senior Editor Mavis Allen is actively acquiring for the brand-new 70,000- to 75,000-word African-American Line. A variety of traditional themes welcomed. Also looking for projects incorporating the hip humor of “Girlfriends” and the cable network series “Soul Food.” Family dramas also welcomed.

Kensington Publishing – Seeking erotic romances for a new line being launched in January of 2006. Submissions should be sent to Audrey LaFehr or Hilary Sares. Various lengths considered.

COMING NEXT MONTH:

In September, we’ll interview Waldenbooks Best-Seller, Linda Conrad. You heard her on CD when you first signed on for Writing for Love & Money. Now hear why this successful novelist gave up life as a stockbroker to pursue romance writing ... and what’s next for Linda.

ABOUT ROMANTICALLY YOURS

Romantically Yours is a FREE monthly newsletter for students of American Writers & Artists Inc.’s Romance Writing Course – “Writing for Love and Money.”

We want to hear from you. Please send comments, news, research, or story ideas directly to Marcia King-Gamble at romanticallyyours@awaionline.com.

American Writers & Artists Inc.
245 NE 4th Ave., Ste 102
Delray Beach, FL 33483
Phone (561) 278-5557
Fax (561) 278-5929
studentservices@awaionline.com

CHANGE OF ADDRESS?
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Romantically Yours

Issue #08 August, 2005