Thirteen Mistakes Your Hero Should Never Make

Last week, I talked about mistakes your heroine should never make. To give equal time, let’s do the hero this week.

1. And of course, this is the biggie: Sleeping around – the hero must be committed to the heroine, even if this is a historical or in a society where men are expected to have more than one mate. Our heroine is US and we don’t want our man heading off to see another woman and get into her bed. If he did that before he met us, then something’s changed and he won’t do it now, even before he’s in love with us.
2. Being mean – We all like the bad boys. We all like sexy, tough, Alpha males, but just making your hero mean isn’t how you show toughness. Don’t have him pick on someone smaller or laugh at the villain’s misfortune. If he’s going to get into a fight, there needs to be a reason for it, and he should always defend the little guy.
3. Talk about other women - I think this should be self-explanatory, but discussing old girlfriends is a no-no. Maybe if you want to weave this into the story as part of the conflict, okay, but remember don’t go overboard or we’re going to wonder what she sees in him.
4. Put his friends above the heroine - Years ago on Oprah or something I heard a guy say, “Wives can come and go, but a best friend is there forever.” I wonder if his wife came and went. Again, if this is part of the conflict, proceed cautiously.
5. Judge her harshly on her past mistakes - I’m in the middle of a book I’m reading by request and I’m finding it hard to get past the first couple of chapter because all through this so far, the hero has done nothing but accuse the heroine of bad things, some of which he had a part in, and treat her like dirt because she made mistakes in the past. I just don’t like him and I don’t care about reading more about him to see how he gets past this.
6. Assume she’s bad because of rumors – This is a corollary to the last one. In the beginning, he might have heard rumors about her, but as he gets to know her, he should be able to see past all that.
7. Keep telling her “if you knew the real me, you wouldn’t like me” – I will admit that I haven’t read this much, but I did date a guy who said this often, and apparently so has my daughter. It’s annoying. Don’t do it.
8. Take himself too seriously – Let your hero have a sense of humor and let him be a buffoon once in a while. I love Antonio Bandaras because as sexy as he is, he plays takes parts which allows him to be a buffoon once in a while and it’s endearing.
9. Dress too well or be too sophisticated -Few women want a man who knows more about fashion than she does. Even fewer want one who looks better than she does.
10. Be all good looks – You might think this is the same as the last one, but this one means give your hero a brain. Let him have something to talk about with the heroine. Some day all that muscle and good looks will fade, and the conversation will be boring.
11. Be too confident or too insecure - Overconfidence comes across as arrogance and too much insecurity is creepy.
12. Announce right off that he’s not interested in marriage – Neither is she, probably, at the beginning of the book, but to have either one say it is very off-putting and a little cocky.
13. Talk down to her – He may be smart and cute and all that, but if he treats her like a slow child, she should walk away and not look back!

I’d love to hear if you have any other “rules” for our heroes.

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Romance Writers of America is considering changing the rules for its RITA and Golden Heart contests.

Two things concern me.

First the proposed change to the inspirational category:

9.2.11. BEST INSPIRATIONAL ROMANCE – romantic novels in which one or more characters’ religious or spiritual beliefs (in the context of any religion or spiritual belief system) are a major part of the developing relationship between the hero/heroine. These books may be set in any time period or setting. The level of sexuality is usually non-explicit but may range from sweet to extremely hot.

Judging guidelines: In this category, one or more characters’ religious or spiritual beliefs (in the context of any religion or spiritual belief system) are integral to the hero/heroine relationship.The end of the book is emotionally satisfying. These novels may or may not contain a high level of sexuality.

No one I know believes this change should be made. Inspirational romances have always been Christian romances or at least “religious” romances. Apparently, in this year’s contest, there were a few entries by Wiccan authors and those were entered in this category rather than paranormal because Wicca is a religion. As my husband pointed out, you can find a definition on Wikipedia.

Christian writers will find themselves without a category, I believe, if this change occurs. The contests are supposed to mirror the marketplace, and if other belief systems, with no taboos against unmarried sex, graphic sex or even any kind of sex at all, continue to label their work “Inspirational,” I believe that Christian publishers will stop putting that label on their work.

There may come a day when a reader, stepping into a commercial bookstore and finding a book labeled “inspirational” may shy away from picking it up. She will have no way of actually knowing how much sex is inside or even what kind it will be!

I would be hesitant.

Related to this concern is this one:

9.2.5. BEST YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE – Novels with a strong romantic theme geared toward young adult readers and in which the level of sexuality may range from sweet to extremely hot.

Judging guidelines: In this category, the love story is an important element of the novel, and the end of the book is emotionally satisfying. The minimum word count for YA novels is 40,000 words. These novels may or may not contain a high level of sexuality.

I have the same concern here. One of the first people I heard do a workshop on YA was Niki Burnham and she said that if you don’t want to write sex, YA is a grew place to go. Also, P.C. Cast, in a workshop at RWA Nationals last year, said that in her YA’s, she is always aware that some of the girls reading her books (she is a high school teacher) don’t have good role models and she feels a responsibility to her readers to not suggest that teenage girls are ready, emotionally, for an “adult relationship.”

I don’t know what will happen when and if these changes go through, but I fear it won’t be a good thing for the hordes of readers out there who have told me and other writers that they enjoy reading books that DON’T have graphic sex in them and the mothers who want their daughters to read good books without graphic, casual depictions of sex.

What’s your opinion?

Back with I wrote about Sexual Tension in the Sweet Romance, I said that this was workshop I will be giving on the cruise in July.

I will also be doing a workshop on older heroines. Let’s see what you all think about that.

The earliest heroines were sweet, young things – 18 to 20 years old. The heroes were generally much older, say around 30, and very successful in their careers. Look at Jane Austin heroines or those of the author I grew up on, Victoria Holt.

To Victoria Holt, the heroines were generally women of breeding but no money and what was left to them was being a companion or a governess and thus, this sets up the story.

Times have changed.

You still find romances about young women, but now they tend to be in their mid-20s to possibly early 30s and are in their own careers, either just starting or beginning to be settled. Heroes are likely to be closer to the same age. Rarely do we see an 18 year old woman being courted by a 30 year old man.

I think our society tends to look at such a relationship differently than we did once. I have a 17 year old daughter and if she were thinking of dating even a boy in college, I’d be concerned!

As romance readers, and authors, age, heroines have begun to age as well. I, for one, am thrilled by this. I’m at an age where I’m more concerned with hot flashes and mortgages and school tuition than I am about designer shoes and worrying about being fired from my job or finding Mr. Right. It’s getting harder and harder to relate to younger heroines.

Older heroines have different issues to deal with than their younger counterparts.

Young heroines are usually struggling to get established in their careers. They are generally single and have no one depending on them. Even if they have a roommate or a pet, their income and time belong pretty much to themselves and they’re free to travel, shop or do whatever strikes their fancy, within the bounds of the guidelines of their particular book.

Older heroines have lived through that phase of their life. They normally do have people dependent on them — children, a husband and possibly even parents. Their time and money is designated for other people and their needs as often, if not more often, than it is for themselves.

Most older heroines are not looking for Mr. Right. They may already be married to him.

So, maybe you’re asking, “How can it be a romance if there isn’t a “love story”? What about the Happily Ever After?”

Stories about older heroines don’t have a cute name like chick lit. Someone coined the term “Hen Lit,” which I HATE. Mom lit is okay, too, but doesn’t cover all of them. Right now I’ll call it “Lady Lit,” but I hope someone more clever than I am will come up with something better!

Lady Lit is like chick lit, in that it is the story of a woman’s journey to discovering herself. If she finds a man in the process, that’s fine, but he is the icing. The Happily Ever After comes when she finds herself at the end of her journey.

Older heroines has many more opportunities for stories than younger women do. As Harlequin describes their NEXT line, “These are stories about women in the next phase of their lives.” Whatever that next phase might be.

It could be the story of a woman dealing with the empty nest as in Off Her Rocker (Harlequin Next) by Jennifer Archer.

Maybe our heroine discovers that her husband was married to another woman — while he was married to her! This is the story in The Other Wife (Harlequin Next) by Shirley Jump.

Our heroine might inherit a business from her mother as in Knit Two Together (Harlequin Next) by Connie Lane.

Also, stories about a group of women together can fit into this category as in The Sisterhood Of The Queen Mamas (Steeple Hill Cafe) by Annie Jones.

Lady Lit is a broad definition that can cover a myriad of story of ideas. The amount of sensuality can be just as varied. I attended a workshop given by a NEXT editor and several authors and I asked if sex scenes were required n these books. The answer was that there didn’t even need to be a romance.

These are stories about older women, women who have lived the bulk of their lives and are dealing with things that “real women” deal with. Weight, health, loss, loneliness, disillusionment, all things we can relate to.

If you’re getting older, and we all are, and you’re finding it harder and harder to relate to the “sweet young things” who are running around New York City or Chicago or even Dallas in designer clothes and searching for the perfect pair of shoes, maybe it’s time to look at the older women who are still vital and have lots to experience and to say.

The market for older heroine books is growing and maybe, just maybe, your story is the one we all want to read. I can’t wait for it!

Get out there and get that book written! The world is waiting!

To avoid the dread TSTL (too stupid to live) syndrome, please avoid these mistakes when creating your heroines:

1. FLEEING UPSTAIRS: The murderer is on the first floor of a building, so our heroine, naturally, runs up the stairs to get away. Eventually, honey, you’re going to end up on the roof and that’s not a good place to be if he’s following you. Your choices, then, are jump off or get caught. I think this is what my sister and I labeled “stupid rule #1.” It often applies to guys as well.

Remedy: Head out where there are lots of people, down a busy city street and then, ideally, into a store. Crowds of witnesses makes the villain’s escape more difficult, and it’s easier to hid.

2. Running in High Heals: Whether you’re running across the moors or that rooftop from earlier, dump the high heals. Those fancy Jimmy Choos or Manolo Blahniks were not made for running. They may have cost a week’s salary, but you can wear them if you’re dead!

I knew this was stupid when I saw Stella Stevens climbing the Christmas tree in the Poseidon Adventure. I was about 13 years old then!

3. Confronting that Sound without a Weapon: You know this one. Our girl is home alone, there’s a murder after her, she hears a noise upstairs and heads up there without a weapon “to see what it is.” Just don’t do it.

4. Talking too much: When you’re running from the bad guy or when the good guy is trying to be romantic, close your mouth. Too much explanation can get you killed or keep you from getting kissed. Neither one a good thing.

5. Sleeping with the Wrong Guy: Just to make Mr. Right jealous or to get back at him for an affair. No, please, don’t. It just makes things worse.

6. Heading out of the house without ID: This applies only if you’re actually getting in the car to leave your property. Jane Does are not attractive.

7. Storming out of the room when you see him hugging a co-worker/friend: Honey, unless their lips are connected or his hands are below her waist, check first to see what’s up. This is a standard way that soap operas and other shows “up the conflict.” She assumes something’s going one, but usually the other woman lost a family member or her job or had some other tragedy and our hero is show sensitivity. Give him the benefit of the doubt.

8. Rejecting Mr. Right for an insignificant reason: An author I knew once told me she had a writer friend who wanted to write a book where the main conflict was that he had a tattoo and she hated tattoos. Our heroines are bigger than that.

9. Describing themselves by looking in the mirror: Let’s be honest. How many of you look in the mirror, even on your wedding day, and think about your “full, wavy hair the color of chestnuts and your deep blue eyes?” Or even that your eyes look sad?? If we’re sad, we know it without looking at ourselves in the mirror. If your heroine does this, she sounds more than a little self-centered.

10. Running away from an unwanted marriage and taking refuge in a brothel: Granted I don’t see this in a lot of books, but I read it in one and that was in the first few pages. Of course, she was “raped” before the first chapter was over by a customer of the brothel who, understandably, believed she was an employee. Boy was she sorry. I didn’t finish the book.

11. Letting someone else deliver her message of love to the hero: He’s bound to fall for the messenger instead of Ms. Heroine. Tell him yourself, sweetie. He’ll be happier and so will you.

12. Dressing up as a man: Okay, this “cliche” has its place, but I never found it particularly believable. Julie Andrews did NOT look like a guy in Victor/Victoria and Keira Knightley didn’t last long as a pirate.

13. FINALLY: Sticking around: When the hero saves you from the bad guy and he tells you to run, honey, DO IT! It’s for your own good!

My husband and I watched a movie where a monster snatched a woman (already we knew she was an airhead) and carried her off. Her hero (not the hero from the story however) rushes off to save her. He distracts the monster who releases her. Hero says, “Run.” She runs…to a near by group (read: 2) trees and “hides” while watching the monster and the young, untrained man fight. The monster flies away after leaving “hero” lying on the ground. She runs over to hero, sobbing.

Well, folks, the monster came back and snatched her again. Another guy (why they cared is beyond me other than her long blonde hair and her, presumably, blind acceptance of whatever tall tales they told her) comes to save her and LITERALLY the same thing happened, except that he defeated the monster. She ran to the SAME group of trees which appeared to be maybe fifty to 100 feet away from the battle.

GANG: Don’t do this. It was supposed to be suspense full and thrilling. We laughed and laughed!

Okay, that was my list. It was a little hard to come up with 13, but I’d love to hear any you have!

Get out there and write that book! The World’s waiting!

Fan Fiction

Okay, maybe you’ve heard of it. Maybe not. Essentially, fan fiction is just that: fiction written by fans, generally about movie or television show characters. A person who just loves, say, Stargate: SG-1, thinks a lot about the characters and usually has an idea for something that might happen that may or may not contradict what actually happened in the series and he/she sits down and writes a story.

Now, because writers are like this, we want other people to read our work and comment. We hope the comments will be positive, but regardless, our desire is just to share our work, or can I say, our vision? with others who love what we love.

Science fiction and fantasy shows and movies tend to generate more fan fiction than say something like ER or Law and Order: SVU. I think that’s because those “real” shows need less imagination and more research to make them “real.” It’s easier to figure out something that Harry Potter could be involved in, at least for me, than to come up with a situation that the cast of Bones or House could deal with.

Fan fiction stories abound on the internet. Just a search on Google for “fan fiction” will show you what I mean. It’s a good bet that whatever show you like, especially if it’s in the “paranormal” realm.

Now, legal savvy readers will say, “Doesn’t writing stories about characters created by someone else without their express permission constitute copyright violation?”

In a word: Yes.

However, in every case that I know of (and I am not, by any means, an expert), no one is making any money off their fan fiction stories. They’re done out of the love of the characters and the universe. There are a few copyright holders who will send “cease and desist” letters if they find anyone using their characters in an unauthorized story. Anne Rice is the most well-known one, I think, and J. K. Rowlings will send such a letter if her characters are used in a NC-17 way. AND a vast majority of fan fiction is that – Very Adult, Very Porn.

I love to read good fan fiction for the universes I adore. I have a couple of “new” Harry Potter “books” saved on my computer that I downloaded from Fiction Alley, a great place if you’re looking for more Harry Potter to read. Time is the issue here. I just don’t have enough of it.

I’ve tried my hand at some fan fiction and there are still some ideas in my head I’d love to write, if I had time. I do think that crossover between Quantum Leap and Cheers could be cool. Sam Beckett leaps into Norm’s body…hmmm.

Writing fan fiction can be a good way of starting to write fiction of your own. If you’re interested in writing by intimidated by the whole process, fan fiction gives you a head start. Much of the work has been done for you already.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Get out there and write your story. The world’s waiting!

As regular readers of this blog know, I’m going on a writer’s cruise in July. I hope some of you will join me!

I’ll be giving two talks and one of them is about Sexual Tension in the Sweet Romance.

I asked my inspirational writer friends for some help and advice for this and in spite of the fact that this is a very talented group of women, I think the lack of response is more about the difficulty of adequately explaining what this is and how to do it. In fact, one respondent said she thought it was a great topic and hoped I’d do an online workshop about it sometime!

Okay, so this morning, I decided to do a little Google research to see what else has been written on this subject. One of the things I found was an interview here where Susan Krinard says that she doesn’t like books that don’t have sexual tension in them so sweet romances wouldn’t appeal to her at all.

Well, I’ve never met Ms. Krinard and I’ve never read any of her books, but checking out her website made me think there are a couple I’d love to read. However, I would like to argue just a bit that because a book is “sweet” doesn’t automatically mean there’s no sexual tension.

To begin, let me just define my terms so we’re all on the same page.

A sweet romance is a story about a man and a woman’s relationship where there is no unmarried sex and certainly no sex “onstage.” I’d like to divide sweet romances into two types:

1. Inspirationals – these are, for lack of a better, less cumbersome definition, Christian romance. Now someone can email me or comment that there are Jewish romances and/or Muslim romances or even Wiccan romances, but I’ve never seen them and I don’t believe they make up a large part of the market. If I’m wrong, and you have evidence of that I’ll stand corrected, but for the purpose of this essay and just to make things simpler, I’m going to stick to my statement.
   • Inspirationals are books where a couple’s relationship with God plays an important role in the romance. These can be the story of one partner’s conversion, but that’s not necessary or even, nowadays, the norm. Often God, and a Christian world view, with all the moral code that goes with that, is part of the people’s lives and they live out their faith and values fully onstage.
   • By virtue of this, there is no sex in these books because sex before marriage is a sin and modesty is important. These characters are people and their private lives remain private.
2. Secular romances – To put it simply, these are books where a faith element isn’t prominent but there is still no sex scenes “visible” to the readers.

Okay, all that said, the question then becomes, “Well, if you’re not going to show sex, how can there be sexual tension?”

My answer to that is, “Without sex, all you’re left with is sexual tension.”

All romances have sexual tension if they are successful. I add these last few words because I’ve read a few books labeled romances where the couple was together, even married, in the beginning of the book, and there was no real conflict between them.

So, you’re asking, “Are you saying that sexual tension is conflict?”

Yes and No.

The major conflict in your book should NOT be the sexual tension. In another post I’ll deal with what conflict ia and how it works.

However, the sexual tension can add to the conflict. Almost always, the hero and heroine in a romance are not looking for a relationship and in addition, a relationship will only wreck his/her plans, so the sexual tension serves to keep the conflict going.

Again, I want to emphasize that sexual tension shouldn’t be the only or even a major part of the conflict, especially in a sweet romance.

Now, sexual tension is tough to define but easy to show.

You may remember the TV show Moonlighting, with Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepard. This was a romantic comedy about private detectives but for me, and for most people, I’m willing to bet, the detective work was secondary. I watched the show because (1) Okay, I’ll admit it, I thought Bruce Willis was cute and (2) because of the sexual tension between the two characters.

For about four seasons, David Addison (Bruce) and Maddie Hayes (Cybil) bantered back and forth, flirting, moving together and pulling back.

That is sexual tension in all it’s glory. We, as viewers, waited, almost breathlessly, to see if their relationship would move to the next level.

As a side note, I believe that when the writers took the relationship to the next level (because Cybil Shepard was pregnant in real life), and the sexual tension was broken, the show began to decline. No longer were we, the viewers, intrigued with the question, “Will they or won’t they?”

The same kind of scenario went on with Cheers, especially during the Sam and Diane years. Sam and Rebecca had some tension when Kirstie Alley took over for Shelley Long, but they didn’t have the same chemistry that Sam and Diane did. And if you think about it, even though Sam and Diane got together, the writers were smart enough to pull them apart and allow the flirting to continue.

Now that we have examples of sexual tension, you probably want a definition.

Sexual tension is simply, awareness and anticipation.

We are in the “showing, not telling” business. You can’t just tell your readers, “She wanted him. She wanted him bad.”

Show that she did, but remember in a sweet romance it’s not about tearing off his clothes and tossing him into bed. It’s about emotions, love, slow seduction.

Focus on the emotions, not the physical, although the physical is important. Just be careful not to get too graphic in the physical. For sweet romance, stay above the shoulder and in the head. Below that area, the physical reactions tend to get graphic and beyond the boundaries of “sweet.”

One tool to help in knowing how to build sexual tension is the Twelve Steps of Intimacy. I’ve linked where I found this list, but you can find it on many sites. I’m adding my own notes to the list.

THE TWELVE STEPS OF INTIMACY

1. Eye to Body – This is the fist time your characters see each other. This is a fairly “safe” place, but it is the beginning of an awareness of one another. Pretty self-explanatory.

2. Eye to Eye – This is where your characters actually become aware of one another. Eyes are important, and generally this kind of contact occurs very early in the book, probably immediately after #1.

3. Voice to voice – This is obviously a simple step and very casual. Through these three steps, we haven’t reach a high degree of intimacy. It’s possible that our characters, while they are aware of one another at this step, may not be attracted to one another or even realize that their paths will cross again. This is how we deal with most of the people we come into contact with on a daily basis.

4. Hand to Hand – This is the place where things begin to heat up. The touch of skin on skin is intimate and requires a sense of trust. This touch can leave a lasting awareness. There’s a scene in Pride and Prejudice – the 2005 version. Mr. Darcy helps Lizzie into a carriage. They touch hands. As he walks away, the camera focuses on his hand which he flexes and at that moment, you know that he is very aware of Lizzie and could still feel her presence.

5. Arm to Shoulder – This is not a casual contact, but it is non-threatening. Friendship is implied at this point, and from this point things change. Even if the embrace is a form of comfort in a tough, emotional situation, something changes because of it. The relationship has moved from casual to close.

Up to this point, our couple could go their separate ways with no real pain or loss. However, enough has changed that if the relationship continues, separation is harder and will cause increasing pain as the steps progress.

A line has been crossed at this point, and expectations have begun.

When you’re writing a sweet romance, or I venture to say, any romance, take your time with the emotions. Explore and show us what she’s feeling, what he’s feeling and their emotional state now and immediately after the contact.

Without sex scenes to take up pages, you have the time and space to heighten the emotional stakes in your book.

6. Arm to Waist – This is a higher level of trust needed for this act and it is also a sign of protectiveness or even a sign of possession. If the act isn’t rebuffed, those signs are accepted and agreed to. Feelings escalate here.

7. Mouth to Mouth – This is as far as sweet romances go, and in the words of an Avalon editor, “We go as far as kissing but not tongues.” Now this step does mark as significant step in the heightening sexual tension, instead of releasing it. Our couple will generally be shaken by their responses and probably take a step back.

8. Hand to Head – I will include this step because I think this one and the previous one can go together without slipping out of the sweet romance boundaries. This contact increases the intimacy of a kiss.

—————————

I will list the rest of the steps just for your information, but understand these never appear in a sweet romance.

9. Hand to Body – Generally, a body part that is not exposed in public.

10. Mouth to Breast

11. Hand to Genital

12. Genital to Genital

———————————-

Think about how you felt when you were first dating. The anticipation of HIM coming to pick you up for your first date or the anticipation of that first kiss. Those are the feelings you want to explore and expand on to show us the sexual tension in your story.

Remember, sweet romances may not have sex scenes, but there MUST be sexual tension. Our couples are humans and humans are sexual beings. Regardless of their convictions or values, they will still feel those emotions and reactions. Don’t cheat them or the readers, but remember to respect their modesty!

Have fun and get your book written. The world is waiting!

Nine Writing books I love and Four that inspired me to become a writer.

1. Goal, Motivation and Conflict: The Building Blocks of Good Fiction – by Debra Dixon. After I read this book, it changed the way I thought about my plotting. I got to hear her speak about this in September and got her to sign my copy. I still use it all the time and if I’m out of the house with my AlphaSmart, writing, I have this book with me.

2. No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Chris Baty. The “official” book of NaNoWriMo, but I think it has a lot of offer writers even when they’re not driving themselves crazy trying to write a whole book in a month. I think the best thing I got out of this book is that it’s just fiction, not rocket science. Don’t stress so much and have fun!

3. The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes and Heroines by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever and Sue Viders. I saw Tami at a NJRW conference and I was hooked after hearing her talk about the 16 Master Archetypes for heroes and heroines. I still analyze characters in movies and TV based on my limited understanding of the archetypes. This is a book I’m still trying to study. I wish they’d come out with their villain list. As I remember, that was just as interesting.

4. The Writer’s Journey, Second Edition: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler. Another book that changed the way I plot books. It’s kind of the standard that most writers are familiar with.

5. Beyond Jennifer & Jason, Madison & Montana: What to Name Your Baby Now (Revised and Updated) I have an older edition of this book I still use, but I have a newer version, too. What I like about this book, and I used to have several baby name books, is that instead of just a listing of names with meanings, this has names organized into many interesting categories, including Handsome Rogues, Nice Guys, Creative Power Names. It’s so much easier to pick out names for characters based on their personalities rather than going through a whole book and trying to figure out if their parents named them that because of the name’s meaning or the sound. Also, this book makes it easy to name siblings and have the names make sense together. There is also a section in the back with hints on naming your babies. Reading this gives you a better idea of how your character got that name.

6. Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need by Blake Snyder. Yes, this is a screenwriting book, but our readers are accustomed to the visual style of film and we have to think cinematically. This book offers a humorous way of looking at plotting and the idea of the logline alone was worth the price of the book (okay, I got it as a Christmas gift but you get my meaning!). It helped me get a handle on a book plot I was struggling.

7. On Writing by Stephen King. I had heard so much about this book that finally I had to buy it and see what it says. Actually, once you get past the kind of raw language, it does have a lot to say about King and writing. Basically, like the No Plot book, it’s just fiction. Have fun and when it’s not fun anymore, maybe you’re doing something wrong.

8. First Draft In 30 Days: A Novel Writer’s System for Building a Complete and Cohesive Manuscript by Karen Weisner. I read an essay she wrote about this topic and I loved what she had to say, so I bought this book. I have to admit I’m still trying to figure it all out, and I don’t think I could get a rough draft out in 30 days, but she does admit that her method is more geared to suspense. In fact, romance is barely mentioned and then just as a subplot. I don’t know that I’ll use the forms and the techniques the way she describes, but there is still a lot I don’t understand. I’m willing to give this another try when it’s time.

9. The Writers Complete Fantasy Reference: An Indispensable Compendium of Myth and Magic Okay, this isn’t so much a romance writing book, but I do also write fantasy and this is a fabulous book for that. There’s sections on what a castle really looks like and includes so you can make yours realistic, as well as a description of medieval clothing and occupations as well as a section on fantasy creatures. Great book!

10. A Campaign For Pam by Teresa Holloway. I can’t believe I found this book on Amazon. Okay, it’s a used copy, but still it helps me make my point. This book came out in 1970. I was about 11 years old! I don’t think I read it then, but both my sister and I read it and we both thought it was terrible. I knew I could write better than this and get published someday!

11. On the Night of the Seventh Moon by Victoria Holt. My favorite book written by the master of the Gothic. I must have read this book two or three times and wish I had a copy of it now to read again. I LOVED this book at a time when I thought romance novels were beneath me. I know many people love Mistress of Mellyn and I know I read that one, but I don’t remember it as well. Oh, I need to read Victoria again.

12. Princess Daisy by Judith Krantz. I actually read this book out loud to my husband when we were first married because I loved this book so much. I know it’s not a “romance” by the definition I posted before but there is a lovely story.

13. What a Girl Wants: A Novel by Kristin Billerbeck. I want to be this woman when I grow up! She writes funny, Christian books and I WANT TO WRITE THOSE!

What books do you have to have with you when you write or which ones inspire you to write???

Now I can see who links to me and how people find me! Thus, I found another Meme I was tagged for by Esther. Thanks again, honey!

Aprons – Y/N?
I don’t have any but I keep telling myself I need to make a few. I think they would make me feel more like working.

Baking – Favorite thing to bake:
Cookies.

Clothesline – Y/N?
We don’t have one. I think I’d like one, but would I really want to go out there and use it??? Hmm??

Donuts – Have you ever made them?
When I was a kid, my mother had this recipe for potato donuts and we kids would eat them as soon as they were cool enough. I can still taste them. I’ve asked but she doesn’t remember the recipe. I’d love to have it.

One homemaking thing you do every day:
Making my bed and doing a load of laundry.

Freezer – Do you have a separate deep freeze?
No

Garbage Disposal – Y/N?
No

Handbook – What is your favorite homemaking resource?
FlyLady!

Ironing – Love it or hate it?
Never do it. My iron is part of my sewing equipment!

Junk drawer – Y/N? Where is it?
Sometimes I think the whole house is a junk drawer. There are two in the kitchen.

Kitchen: Design & Decorating?
There isn’t a lot of places to do either here. The walls in the breakfast area are a deep blue and I keep thinking I need to make some blue and yellow (or blue and red depending on the design) wallhanging or quilts to give it a kind of French Country look. Or something.

Love: What is your favorite part of homemaking?
Cooking and just being able to stay home and focus on my family.

Mop – Y/N?
That’s The Girl’s job.

Nylons – Wash by hand or in the washing machine?
When I have to wash panty hose I put them in a pillowcase and toss them in the machine.

Oven – Do you use the window, or open the door to check?
I love my oven. It’s at eye level with a nice light so I use the window.

Pizza – What do you put on yours?
Pepperoni!

Quiet – What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?
Read, sit down with a glass of iced tea and maybe watch a bit of something I’ve DVRed.

Recipe card box – Y/N?
I have a recipe card file I made at a Stampin’ Up Hostess Club and I’m slowly getting my recipes in there.

Style of house -
Ranch

Tablecloths and napkins – Y/N?
Tablecloth and paper napkins.

Under the kitchen sink – Organized or toxic wasteland?
Kind of organized

Vacuum – How many times per week?
Probably once

Wash – How many loads of laundry do you do a week?
About 7

X’s – Do you keep a daily list of things to do and cross them off?
No, but I should

Yard – Who does what?
DH or The Girl mows. That’s pretty much it.

Zzz’s – What is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed?
Feed the guinea pigs.

I will now pass on the fun. I tag:

Jane

Sue

and Karin

Have fun ladies!

I got this from Esther. She apparently tagged me in March and I missed it, so here it is now!

1. Where/How did you meet?
I saw him in the choir of the church I was attending. We were both Lutherans at the time. My roommate was the deaconess and she asked his mother how old he was. Since he is four years younger than I am, I wasn’t interested (I had just gotten out of two relationships with guys 4 years younger – the “curse” of having been in the army and starting college later). However, a few weeks later he was at a bowling party my roommate and I were attending and since he still was cute, we talked and…the rest is history. I like to tell people we met in a bowling alley.

2. How long have you known each other?
Well, we just celebrated 20 years of marriage and we dated for 13 months before that, so, holy cow, 21 years!

3. How long after you met did you start dating?
We met at the bowling party and within a week or so I asked him to a concert at the church (Christian rock band) and that was it.

4. How long did you date before you were engaged?
We knew we wanted to get married within a month of our meeting (which was 1 Mar) but he “officially” asked me in Sept and I got my engagement ring 3 Oct (my sister’s birthday and my last day at a job I LOVED!).

5. How long was your engagement?
Six months

6. How long have you been married?
20 years last month

7. What is your anniversary?
4 April

8. How many people came to your wedding reception:
I don’t know; maybe 50 or so.

9. What kind of cake did you serve?
Your basic yellow wedding cake with a fountain.

10. Where was your wedding?
Calvary United Methodist, Lawrenceville, PA (I was a Methodist growing up).

The reception was at the:
Holiday Inn, Painted Post, NY

11. What did you serve for your meal?
A buffet, with roast beef I think.

12. How many people were in your bridal party?
Two bridesmaids, a maid of honor, a best man and 4 groomsmen/ushers

13. Are you still friends with them all?
One bridesmaid was my sister-in-law and the other was my best friend, so yes to those. My sister (my maid of honor) died in 1990, so I like to think that she’s in heaven listening when I pray and praying for her niece and the nephew she never met. My husband’s best man was his dad, and of the four groomsmen, two we are close to and I don’t think he hears from the other two, but he knows how to get in touch with them, I think.

14. Did your spouse cry during the ceremony?
Yes. It was so sweet.

15. Most special moment of your wedding day?
The whole day was special but I guess just seeing him at the end of the aisle waiting for me.
16. Any funny moments?
My mother left my veil home and DH left his cummerbund at the motel and my brother who walked me down the aisle as my father died when I was 25, three years before I got married, drove seven miles back to get them. My best friend, as we were waiting, asked if I was okay and I said, “Hey, they can’t start without me.”

17. Any big disasters?
It snowed that morning, but I didn’t care.

18. Where did you go on your honeymoon?
A Windjammer Cruise to the Carribean.

19. How long were you gone?
a week

20. If you were to do your wedding over, what would you change?
Make sure the DJs were competent, played what we wanted, and DIDN’T try to catch the garter!

21. What side of the bed do you sleep on?
Left, but my husband says I sleep closest to the bathroom wherever we are. I don’t know why, but that’s kind of the “rule.”

22. What size is your bed?
King

23. Greatest strength as a couple?
We share the same values. Teaching and practicing NFP together and having to stick together when none of our relatives are Catholic has really bonded us. We talk about everything and never grow bored with each other.

24. Greatest challenge as a couple?
Probably my health issues and moving all over the world for his work.

25. Who literally pays the bills?
He does.

26. What is your song?
We once realized that we never had a song, so we picked one. “Walk Like an Egyptian” by the Bangles. It’s just goofy enough that we love it. If I hear it on the radio, I turn it up real loud and find him and beg him to dance with me!

27. What did you dance your first dance to?
I can’t even remember, but I know it wasn’t what I thought I’d told the DJ, but my DH said, “it doesn’t matter” so I didn’t make a big deal about it.

28. Describe your wedding dress: I’m bad at description so here it is:

29. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding?
See picture

30. Are your wedding bands engraved?
Nope.

I tag:

Faithful Mommy
Geri – my RomVets friend
and
Tara