If you are a romance reader and/or writer, you’re well acquainted with the “formula” for a romance novel – boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back and lives happily ever after.  The very formula that makes these stories so popular also constitutes its largest points of criticism.  How can any book that follows such a close formula be any good?
I think we all know that isn’t true.  Most of write and read wonderful books with that prerequisite ending attached.  In fact, the “happy …

Writers read. You’ve probably heard the advice many times — you can’t expect to write well in a genre you don’t read.
But I’m going to add a caveat. Great writer’s don’t just read. They analyze.
I recently attended Donald Maass’s Fire in Fiction workshop, and among other things, he “deconstructed” Susan Wigg’s romance, Just Breathe. He chose Just Breathe because it’s an “out-of-category” book, a novel that was a huge success among readers who don’t typically read the genre.
But he did more than just note a few things that worked or didn’t work. He …

I imagine for most of us, books are as much a staple in our houses as furniture (and heck, the former may even be used upon occasion to prop up the latter.)  And if you’re like me, you have some sort of organization (no matter how loose a word that is) to your books.  At the very least, you’ve probably separated the “To Be Read” pile out of the read pile.   (And if anyone tells me they have their books alphabetized, I might just send Fred to T-P your house.)
I …

Since we were children, we have been told not to "judge a book by its cover." Of course, when you're six years old that means not to assume that the girl in the corner who looked and dressed different from everyone else is icky.  Or perhaps it means not assuming the boy sitting next to you has cooties, simply because he's a boy.  On the aspect of not judging a person based on their appearance, it's a solid idiom. People are much deeper than what you see on the outside, …

Our regularly scheduled blogmate, Cheryl, had some difficulties getting here today, so I'm going to fill in.  She will be back next month.
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So last night, I surprised myself.  Or perhaps, I should say my character surprised me.  I sat down to work on my characterization for the main protagonist of my thriller WIP. (I have two currently in progress: the 2nd book in the Willoughby Family series and when I need a break from that, I work on my thriller.) 
I wanted to write out my heroine's story, her …

Weird title, huh? But it's a debate that's been coming up lately so I figured–what the heck, why not address it?
I've critiqued many love scenes and a lot of them have the same impact on me. Right in the middle of an emotional, passion-filled narrative, the action stops so the hero can grab a condom. Nothing pulls me out of a story faster.
I've read love scenes where the author does a wonderful job of incorporating this obligatory act. Usually it's done with a touch of humor and it gives me …

When we see a crack head on TV or watch an alcoholic destroy themselves and their family we shake our heads and ask why? Why would they ruin their lives and the ones around them? They are addicts and addiction comes in many forms. I’m not just talking about drugs, cigarettes and alcohol. I’m not even just talking about food addictions, anorexia or even being a shopaholic.  Addictions also come in the form of emotional addictions and I learned that first hand when I separated from my destructive and dysfunctional …

Harlequin Goes All E-Book / Borders Expands Sony Reader / E-Books Corner Niche Markets / Borders and Sony to Launch E-Bookstore 
These are just some of the headlines I’ve seen on my literary travels in the past year. Articles from Discover Magazine and Scientific American, to RWR publications and more.  Now, I’m usually pretty dense, but even I can pick up on the pattern here. E-books and e-book technology are becoming big news. BIG.  
An e-book is, of course, the digital media equivalent of a conventional printed book. And sure, we all …

This will be my last entry before the new year. My next blog falls on January 1st and I'll be celebrating the new year in San Antonio, Texas!
I'm very excited about taking this trip, but as I look back on 2008, I can't say I'm very excited about the year gone by.
I'd fashioned a list of goals I wanted to achieve, and while some of them were unrealistic, I have to admit, I didn't do much to make them a reality. Here they are in no particular order:
Find an agent.
I …

Why are so many women interested in the bad boy? This is the fixer-upper.  Cute, sexy but rough around the edges. This is the type of dude guys like me can’t stand because instead of dating someone that’s good for them, women (or even men) will sometimes choose the ones that treat them crap. This is also the type of love relationship that always leads to a break up. Why?
I tease my female friends that most women seem to want a “project”, a boyfriend they can work on and …