Big announcement!!
My first in a series of writing workshops will go live tomorrow at http://www.prismbookgroup.com. Check out their blog for a free lesson a creating vivid characters.
Category: Uncategorized
Love Blooms Hop
And Spring arose on the garden fair, Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere; And each flower and herb on Earth’s dark breast rose from the dreams of its wintry rest. –
These words by Percy Bysshe Shelley remind me of what a wonderful time Spring is to fall in love, whether its with a person or a book. The grass is green, the flowers are blooming in bright vibrant colors, the birds are singing their merry song. The sun shines brighter and the days are longer, giving us more time to love.
Has your heart ever skipped a beat when you read the moment the hero and heroine fall in love? Or has your heart melted when the characters first realize they love the other? Have those very characters stayed with you long after you finished reading the book? That has happened to me. For those of you who follow my blog you know that my all time favorite romance author is Judith McNaught. Anyone who loves romance needs to read at the very least one of her books, but I guarantee you will not stop at one.
My favorite is Whitney My Love. I have read that book multiple times and still read it occasionally when I need a Clay and Whitney fix. It is a historical romance that will sweep you in and keep you reading. When I finished reading it the first time I actually missed the characters because they felt like old friends. She also writes contemporary romance that is just as mesmerizing. My favorites are a tie between Paradise and Perfect while Remember When is neck in neck for that top spot.
I predict that in another 50 years Judith McNaughts novels will rival those of Jane Austen, with movies made for every one of them.
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Know Me Better
If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? On a beach, any beach.
Favorite Literary Characters? Mr. Darcy (of course) and Clayton Westmoreland.
In your wildest dreams, which author would you love to co-author a book with? Judith McNaught, she is an amazing author.
Things that bring a smile to your face? My teenage daughter and my husband, occasionally our dog (I really am not a dog person) Children laughing always bring a smile to my face.
Do you have a favorite saying? “Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are.” Good friendships are so important, and not just the virtual kind.
Related articles
- Unforgettable Fictional Couples (bookishtemptations.com)
- Know Me Better 2/23 (iamareader.com)
- Romancing the Westmorelands (theminorproject.wordpress.com)
Home is Where the Heart is Hop
Candlelight reads is hosting the Home is Where the Heart Is Blog Hop. My entry can be found on the Prism Book Group Blog, along with several other great authors. Be sure to hop to each blog for more great reads.
February 15-18
You’ve heard the saying “Home is Where the Heart Is.” We all have, and most of us know what constitutes home for ourselves. We all know who – or what – holds our hearts, and that is where home is for us.
But, some of us may not have a home. We may be wanderers. We could be anything really. Just like our characters or the characters we’ve read about.
So, eight bloggers have joined forces for four days, February 15-18, to give you an insight into what makes a home for our characters or characters we’ve read about!
Some of these characters have a home. Some don’t.
Related articles
- Home is Where the Heart Is Hop! (ebarnes23.wordpress.com)
Love Blooms Hop
Candlelight Reads features all types of genre fiction rated from G – PG13, which means it’s clean, that’s my kind of novel. They also host several blog hops throughout the year. Their next one is Hearts Home which takes place in February. I am signed up to participate in the Love Blooms blog hop in May. Check it out. You might find a good, clean book to read.
May 24-27:
Title: Love Blooms:
Topic to blog about–We love to talk about love. We love to read about love. What is a better time than in May, when the scent of new grass and flowers are in the air? When did you fall in love? Tell how it happened! Tell how your characters met, what attracts them to each other, and what is keeping them apart!
I thought I knew Point of View
I’m a writer, I should know everything there is to know about Point of View, right? We all know the difference between first person and third person POV, third person omniscient vs third person limited. I figured with that knowledge under my belt I could write a bestseller. Boy was I wrong!
One day, after critiquing a piece of my work, one of my critique partners, Nancy LaPonzina, recommended a little book to me. Little did I know that small book would change the way I view POV and in the process improve my writing skills. The book is Rivet Your Readers With Deep Point of View by Jill Elizabeth Nelson. She started the introduction with these powerful words: “Have you ever read a book that melded your mind with the main character’s psyche? No vague sensation of an invisible narrator inserted itself between you and the point-of-view character. Line by line, scene by scene, you lived in that central character’s head. Even if the story was not written in first person, the hero or heroine’s every experience became yours, and your reading pleasure intensified. Why? How did this happen? What did the writer do to gain this effect? The technique is called Deep Point of View.”
Wow! What writer doesn’t want to inspire those types of feelings in people who read our books? One paragraph and I was hooked, I had to read the entire book before I wrote another word. Apparently, it worked because I was offered a publishing contract from Prism Book Group for the novella I wrote right after reading that little book. It changed everything I thought I knew about Point of View….
Related articles
- On Characters Coming to Life (justinelarbalestier.com)
- An Easy Fix for a Tighter Point of View (writersinthestorm.wordpress.com)
Keep it Clean or Turn up the Steam?
I was reading a romance novel on my lunch break the other day when a coworker stopped by my desk and asked me if I had gotten to the steamy parts yet. I told her it was a sweet romance and there were no steamy parts. She looked at me as if I’d grown horns and said, “I only like the steamy, naughty novels. Without steam it isn’t any fun.” There is no shortage of steamy romance novels to satisfy her desires so more power to her.
But for me, I prefer to see characters falling in love, not lust. I want to feel those tender emotions that bring them together, that call out to each others hearts until they are head over heels in love. Two people who display mutual respect for one another. Romance novels have gotten a reputation for the steamy sex scenes. However, I have recently found several authors who write clean romance. Two of my current favorites are Stephanie Bond and Rachael Anderson. Stephanie Bond writes romantic comedy, and while her books are witty and funny they also contain all the problems, twists and turns needed to move the plot forward. Rachael Anderson’s novel, The Reluctant Bachelorette was laugh out loud funny, yet heartwarming.
I have not read every single novel these two authors have written, I can say that the ones I have read I have loved. I recommend them to anyone who reads Sweet Romance.
So to answer the question, I say Keep It Clean!!
Does anyone know any other authors who write Clean Romance? Which are your favorites?
What Inspires You
What Inspires You? My debut Novella, Homerun, is set to release February 25th. I’m so excited I’m bursting. When I started writing Homerun I wanted to create a fun sweet romance with funny, witty characters, so I had to find inspiriation. It came from a TV show on USA called Fairly Legal. Sadly it was cancelled. Fairly Legal’s Kate Reed’s wit and humor were my inspiration for Cynthiana Davenport. I was looking forward to another season with Kate’s witicisms and adventures while writing my next novel but alas, I will have to find new inspiration. Tell me what inspires you?
Ruth Roberts 