I’ve spent the last week toying with the first chapter of a new story. I’m trying to find my footing with it, and I’m not doing so well. It feels forced to me, like I’m not connecting with the characters, and if I feel that way, certainly the reader will also.

Part of the problem is that I hopped in the shower (my thinking tank) to work out the premise for this story and found myself completely captivated by something else entirely. I ended up spending about 4 days knocking out a four chapter partial, sent it off, and then sat back down to work on the stuff I’ve been paid to write. And it’s hard to switch gears when I’m itching to work on the other story.

Now, mind you, that’s not to say that I don’t love the story I’m struggling with now, because I do. But it’s a very different experience when the story pours out all by itself and your fingers can only try to keep up. The magic happens all on its own. When you’re pulled away from that–in the middle of that–it’s a bit hard to switch gears.

So that’s where I’m at. I think it’s just part of the adjustment I have to make as a full-time careerist author. I’m a very “in the moment” type of person, so it’s hard for me to: 1) sell a story and then have it sit for over a year before I can finish it, 2) work on a story I sold a long time ago. *g*

Hunk below! I think of him as Aidan from PLEASURES OF THE NIGHT!

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…by how many of my new ideas are contemporary, rather than historical. I can’t figure out why that is. But I’ve kind of reached a point where I seem to have no set plan for anything other than sitting down at my laptop (have to stay away from the desktop, or I spend all day answering mail instead of writing). Then stuff just comes out that I don’t even think about.

My productivity is high because of this, but I end the day looking back going, “huh? where did that come from?”

Anyone see Joe versus the Volcano? I think I have a brain cloud.

Hubby and I really liked the first two Final Destination movies. The gory deaths were always a surprise and the means of death were inventive. I’m not a fan of horror movies, because I’m too squeemish. No one will sit next to me. I jump too much, scream when I’m surprised, I tear people’s arms off, and I have to cover my face and go “What’s happening? What’s happening?”

I don’t have that problem with the FD movies. I thought they were fun, in a sick kind of way.

Hubby and I didn’t like the last one, which we watched last night. They seemed to miss the whole point of the series — the element of surprise. The foreshadowing was ridiculously heavy. Hubby got up after the rollercoaster crash and didn’t come back until the end of the movie. Then, when it was over, he said, “I knew that was going to be lame as soon as it started. The foreshadowing was over-the-top.”

Yep.

Now these covers aren’t recycled, obviously they’re different, but the similarities are there, yes? “Stranger” in the title, bare-chested hero looking over right shoulder, fonts used, font colors used. These two books aren’t related at all, however. Mine is a historical and Alison‘s is a contemporary action/adventure.

I’m blogging over at the Brava Authors site today!

Booklist is the trade magazine of the American Library Association. The September 15 issue “Core Collection” feature is on erotic romance and I’m hugely pleased, honored, and humbled to have been mentioned as an erotic romance “shining star”!

Sex sells; there is no doubt about it. As long as there is demand for erotic romances and erotica, publishers will produce it. For librarians, responding to the preferences of readers is, perhaps, the most practical way of determining whether today’s erotic romances are the right match for their collection. Fortunately, the romance genre offers books with a wide range of sensuality, from the simply sweet to the supersexy. This variety of choices easily allows each library to decide just how “hot” its romance collection will be.

Shining Stars

Although settings and tone vary, and the sensual temperature ranges from steamy to scorching, each sexy romance novel on this list tells a strong, emotionally satisfying love story.

Day, Sylvia. Ask for It. 2006. Kensington, paper, $14 (0-7582-1472-3).

Day’s vividly sensual historical romance involves a coded journal that puts the clever heroine—and her hero, the arrogantly sexy man she once jilted—in danger.

– John Charles and Shelley Mosley, each a former Romance Writers of America Librarian of the Year, are the authors, most recently,of Suffragists in Literature for Youth (Scarecrow, 2006).

Copyright 2006, American Library Association

You know, I’ve said many times on this blog that I’m not an “idea” writer. I don’t have a folder full of jotted down mental images to work off of. I get one idea at a time and I usually have to sit down and really, really concentrate for that idea to come to me.

The last week has been totally the opposite. I’ve had a ton of new ideas strike my fancy. I started writing one down last night while it was still vivid and then next thing I knew, I was totally hooked into it. Thing is, I’m contracted up to my eyeballs. I don’t have the time to go off on tangents with other stories.

I have NO idea why I’m thinking up all this stuff now. I’m not doing anything different that would trigger idea production. In fact, I’m tired, so I should be less creative. At least I would think so. Other odd thing is, they’re all contemporary ideas.