These Wicked Games Read online

  So let’s hear it, any of you have research tips?

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  September 6, 2006

  Elizabeth Boyle

  Contests, Writing, and Winning

  I suppose I am the best person to write to you on the day before Avon FanLit launches the competition. Why is that? Because I won my first writing contract in a writing contest. But instead of telling you why this will be your big break or your only hope of ever publishing (which it isn’t), rather let me tell you what will separate you from the pack:

  1. Pacing. Nothing is worse than a story that clunks. That goes nowhere. Pacing is what draws readers along, compels them to continue reading. A great story leaves unanswered questions at the end of every scene. When a reader gets to a scene break, they should ask themselves, “What is going to happen next?” not “What Netflix movie have I got?”

  2. Prose. Here is something that I don’t think can be taught, and is truly a matter of talent. Being able to write great prose. Good storytellers do just that—they tell their story using their heart and soul. They draw their scenes like an artist paints. A scene should be like walking into your grandmother’s kitchen and the scents of cookies and roasted chicken make your mouth water. A writer creates an entire world—sights and sounds and emotions—all with words. Great writers keep the picture clean and focused, but at the same time draw readers in so that they really believe they are there.

  3. Characters. Let your characters breathe. Don’t shove them onto the stage and push them around like puppets. Listen to their stories and let them guide you. And make sure they are likable. The sort of people you’d like to have as good friends. If you find them compelling, their stakes important, chances are readers will as well.

  So now that I’ve shot off my opinions, I want to hear yours! What do you think makes a great book, especially a romance?

  If anything, in the coming weeks, keep writing!

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  September 7, 2006

  Eloisa James

  How I Learned About Sex

  No, it wasn’t in the backseat of a four-door, two-toned Buick, registered to…That was another life. And it wasn’t in chorus class either, when everyone passed around copies of The Flame and the Flower, with the best pages tagged for our observation.

  It was from a Barbara Cartland. The book didn’t answer many questions, but I perused them with zeal. When the heroine and hero finally married, he kissed…her…a…few times and then…she…floated up to the skies…in a bed of thistledown.

  Really?

  What the heck was thistledown? Obviously, we were talking about a metaphor. I spent an enormous amount of time trying to figure out exactly what that hero did to the heroine. Now there’s a point in every novel when I think: it’s time for THISTLEDOWN!

  Unless you’re writing erotica, sensual metaphors have to become part of your writing tool kit. Here’s one of my thistledown moments. It’s from The Taming of the Duke, and in the point of view of an alcoholic, now sober duke:

  There are some women who are more powerful than whiskey, more potent than wine, who take a man’s self-control and shred it to the winds.

  The metaphorical gestures there go in several directions: toward the fact that the hero is a recovering alcoholic, toward the fact that he can’t maintain control anymore in the face of my heroine’s entrancements, and toward the larger fact that he’s in love. When it comes to that thistledown moment, I suggest that you try to make it gesture in several directions at once: toward sex, toward love, and perhaps toward a bigger theme in the novel, such as alcohol or loss of control.

  Go on—we all have romances piled around our studies. Open one up and see if you can find metaphors in the sexy bits. Let’s see if we can decipher how they work, and why!

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  September 8, 2006

  Saralee Rosenberg

  I Am Loving this FanLit Experience…

  The creativity, the interaction between authors, editors, and readers, the chance to win prizes! Sure it’s amazing to be an Avon author, but who doesn’t want a shopping spree at Saks and a development deal with Fox TV? Not gonna lie. I’m thinking of submitting an entry under a pseudonym. Maybe Daniella Steal??? Shhh!!!

  Meanwhile, about the story premises. Sorry, much as I love a good, oh-I-wish-that-was-me romance, I’m not a Medieval or Victorian type of gal. That’s so yesterday, lol. But Regency England should be fun (and challenging!) too. Nothing like a woman of intrigue to set the stage!

  And here is my two cents about character development. I’m always asked what my novels are about, to which I respond, the better question is who is the book about. Doesn’t matter how much intrigue a plot holds, if the story doesn’t have believable, compelling, memorable characters to drive the bus, if those characters don’t make readers think and worry about them after they put the book down, that bus is staying in park. Keep this in mind when you submit your entries and I promise you great results or your money back, lol.

  Am very curious who are some of your favorite, memorable heroines? Personally I will never forget Sheila Levine (from Sheila Levine Is Dead and Living in New York) because she inspired me to become a writer. Who inspired you???

  Good luck and good living.

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  September 11, 2006

  Christina Dodd

  Romance Writer Confesses

  Romance Writer Christina Dodd Confesses

  I’M NOT ROMANTIC!

  Shock Waves Ripple Through the Publishing Industry!

  Dr. Phil Appalled and Pompous!

  Oprah Gleeful!

  My husband and I have a wedding anniversary this week—Scott and I were married the same year as the great dinosaur extinction—and if he can’t figure out what to buy me, I won’t care. Because the fact is, although I got him a gift this year, lots of times I can’t figure out what to get him. We probably will go out to dinner for our anniversary, but very possibly not on our anniversary. It depends on what’s convenient.

  Worse, we never were romantic. We didn’t pick out a china pattern. I almost broke my mother-in-law’s heart by declaring I didn’t want silver-plated anything. We didn’t go on a honeymoon until a year after our wedding. And we went to Yellowstone Park (there was an earthquake while we were there—we’re almost sure we didn’t cause it).

  On the other hand, when we married, we were in college and so poor our rings were simple gold bands. I’ve never wanted another ring. I don’t lust after a big diamond to symbolize our love. That’s what the kids are for. Scott and I hold hands when we walk. I listen to his stories even though I’ve heard them all four hundred times (at least). He lets me sing in the car even though, according to everyone who’s ever heard me, it’s a painful ordeal. Sometimes he buys me a present just because. And vice versa (nothing says love like a combination flashlight/tire air pressure/ key ring). When we go out and he has a great dinner, he likes to feed me from his plate. Once I asked him why, and he said, “I don’t get to see that look of ecstasy on your face often enough.”

  Yes, he makes me laugh.

  Quite frankly, we’re still stupid in love with each other.

  So—what signs do you look for that prove a couple is in love? Is true love the same as romance? Do you think the kind of love we write about and read about in our books is possible in real life…and if you’re a writer, how do you show the reader that your hero and heroine are in love rather than tell?

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  September 12, 2006

  Erika Tsang

  Favorite Scene Stealers

  My twin nephews are two and a half years old and I marvel at the time I can spend just watching them. I love watching as they chase each other around the coffee table laughing their heads off. I love watching them turn the TV off and on because they like seeing the screen flicker. And I especially love when they realize they’ve done something they shouldn’t, then run and hide under the dining room table.

  Kids are such scene stealers, and I love reading
about them as much as I love watching them. For instance, Suzanne Enoch’s Sin series features Lady Penelope, who, at seven years old, can say the cleverest things. She’s already counseled her aunt and uncles in their love lives, and is about to do the same for her father, the Duke of Melbourne.

  Who is your favorite scene stealer?

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  September 13, 2006

  Sari Robbins

  Heroes Wanted: Sexy, Deliciously Tortured Alpha Males

  People ask me all the time, “How do you come up with your ideas?” The answer: I have no earthly idea. All I know is that it’s magical, miraculous, and electrifyingly exciting. When fresh ideas come to me, I can’t type the keys fast enough or keep the ideas from jumbling out on top of one another. It’s like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle for weeks and then finally knowing what it’s supposed to look like. Where do the pieces come from?

  For me, it’s all about the hero. I like a sexy, deliciously tortured Alpha male in need of the one woman who can help him be the man he can truly be.

  He brings me back to my computer time and again.

  Which heroes have you loved passionately? Which men have kept you dreaming at night, desperate to continue their story? I just finished writing my April book, When Seducing a Spy, and crave my next hero fix. If you’re willing to share—HEROES WANTED, PLEASE!

  * * *

  September 14, 2006

  Kathy Caskie

  I Love a Great Cute Meet

  Have you heard the term? Hollywood uses it to describe the moment the heroine and hero first come together (and into conflict) in a way that promises more to come.

  For us, that more to come is romance.

  But it’s not just the circumstances of this meeting that “makes” a memorable scene. It’s that all important micro-moment—within the first meeting—that sets up the promise of a truly great romance.

  It’s that moment when the hero and heroine get a glimpse beneath the other’s mask. It lasts no more than an instant, but in that all important click of the clock’s hand, for the first time they see one another for who they really are.

  They recognize each other’s true self—and connect at that level by accepting one another for who they really are inside.

  The second this occurs, it resonates within the characters, and BAM, they begin to change.

  For the hero and heroine, it’s the start of romance, whether they realize it or not. For the reader, this moment promises delicious things to come.

  So, how did you and your significant other (past or present) meet?

  I bet there are some very memorable Cute Meets out there. Moments in life that can inspire some very original opening scenes. Come on. Dish!

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  September 15, 2006

  Sylvia Day

  The Sixth Sense

  The best books are the ones where the characters come alive. They become our friends. We root for them to succeed, agonize when they don’t, and applaud when they manage the impossible. When we turn the last page and the story is over, we mourn the loss of people we want to spend more time with. That depth of connection is the hallmark of a great book.

  One of the ways you can achieve this in your own writing is to use the five senses when building the world your protagonists live in. Suck us into it.

  Hearing: Let us hear the rattle of harnesses and the steady clopping of horses’ hooves.

  Sight: Let us see the sparkle of light on water, the gleam of candlelight on glossy hair, the shimmer of satin.

  Scent: Let us smell the mouthwatering aroma of food (or your hero’s unique scent).

  Taste: Let us taste the things your characters do, whether it be a delicious tart or the flavor of a passionate kiss.

  Touch: Let us feel the texture of their clothing, the smoothness of carved wood, the heat of a sun-warmed bench.

  If you take the time to go over each scene and make sure you’ve covered all these things, you’ll have created a believable world the reader can live in.

  So what’s the sixth sense I mentioned in the title? That’s the one inside you, the one that adds emotion to the story and tells you whether you’re on the right track or not. The one that says it’s okay to take things in an unusual direction, or points out something about your character you didn’t realize, or offers a suggestion that surprises you. It’s also the one we doubt most. Try to trust it. Follow it. If you use the six senses, you can rarely go wrong.

  So let’s talk about your sixth sense! Have you ever followed it in a new direction? Would you mind sharing what it was? And if there was an outcome, would you share that too?

  * * *

  September 18, 2006

  Lori Avocato

  Laughter Is the Best…Yada Yada Yada

  I love the romance, the suspense, the paranormal, and the historical in books, but let’s not forget humor. Humor, to me, is such a pleasant jolt to a story. Hey, who doesn’t like to laugh? Or make that, who doesn’t need to laugh? We all do—especially in this day and age.

  So, since I write with humor in my work, I’m getting up on the “funny” soapbox and encouraging everyone to give it a try. To write humor, it must be universal in appeal. That’s why comedians like Jerry Seinfeld have succeeded. He talks about everyday stuff that we can all relate to.

  One of my favorite lines from my main character, thirty-something Pauline Sokol, is, “When I was born, I weighed in at ten pounds and five ounces—but in my defense, the nurses told my mother I looked much thinner.”

  Who can’t relate to a weight issue! How universal is that?

  So, what’s one of your favorite humorous lines from a book, from life, or even your favorite comedian? Let’s start out the week with a laugh while we wait to hear who the first FanLit winner is!

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  September 19, 2006

  Cathryn Fox

  Avoiding the Old Cliché Trap

  As writers. we must use fresh language and paint a picture with words. It’s pretty easy to fall into the old cliché trap and say “He was green with envy” or “She had butterflies in her stomach.” These clichés don’t draw readers into your story, nor do they help convey the emotions of the scene. It is our job as writers to find new, fresh language to take our readers on a satisfying emotional journey.

  Let’s look at the cliché “He was as mad as hell.” Hmmm…just how mad is hell anyway?

  Instead of telling us he was as mad as hell, show us.

  Telling:

  Joe was as mad as hell. He was going to make Bill pay for his lying, cheating ways and he was going to make it hurt.

  Showing:

  Joe shoved the front door open, not caring if the excessive force ripped it from its hinges. He’d tear the whole damn house down until he found that lying, cheating son of a bitch. Instead of hanging his prized saddle bag on its polished brass hook, he tossed it into the corner, and swiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. He stomped into the hallway. The sound of his heavy boots pounding on the planked floorboards echoed through the old farmhouse and even had the dog ducking for cover.

  “Bill, where the hell are you?”

  A noise on the upper floor gained his attention. Hands fisted, he glanced up the stairs. Good. At least now when he tossed him out the window, the fall would break his neck.

  So tell me, what clichés are you tired of hearing?

  And have you read any descriptions that stayed with you long after the story?

  * * *

  September 20, 2006

  Liz Maverick

  Writing Tip 5,888,903: Be Sure to Set Your Bore-O-Meter to Zero

  It’s difficult to sparkle in only two hundred words. I feared rendering you comatose with a diatribe on semicolon usage or something. So, I said, “Screw the rules. I’d rather write four hundred entertaining words than two hundred boring ones.” Which is what I did. And which is why I was asked to try again. (Heh. Fair is fair, though.)

  The way I see it, all sins will be forgiven as lo
ng as you are not boring. And not just the ones in your book. For example, grab an editor’s *** at a writing conference (not that I did), get your stiletto stuck in the elevator after a workshop (It wasn’t me, really), or give your manuscript a pretentious ten-word title everyone says won’t fly. (Actually, it was eleven words.)

  In other words, just do your thing.

  The readers are the ones who matter, and they will believe in you if only you write them a book that sparkles. Because in the end, it’s the stuff that’s not diluted with “should” and “must” and “that’s how it’s done,” and the writers with unique voices and ideas who entertain us the most.

  You can’t get away with breaking every rule…but I figure you can always try.

  * * *

  September 21, 2006

  Sarah Webb

  Finding Your Voice

  Don’t try to hide who you really are. We all have our own unique writing voice, and it’s this voice that makes us different. Let your personality shine through; pour your heart onto each and every page.