I’m going to admit right up front I arranged for this book to come to me. I got this mysterious email that I very nearly deleted, but then realized, “Wait, these are books I can request to review if I think any of them sound interesting.” And this sounded like a much more efficient plan for book reviews. I realize not all book reviews necessarily have to be “great” reviews, but I don’t want to review books negatively that simply didn’t work for me when they might work for everyone else. You know me, I can ruin a perfectly fine book fast if I didn't care for it, so for the last couple books I've gotten, I've played the "Discretion is the better part of valor" game, if you know what I mean.

However, I looked at the email and this book cover leaped out at me, as did its title. ARRANGED by Catherine McKenzie. Here is where the book sang to me. ARRANGED’s premise is a thirty-something woman who is sick of the dating game (and the obvious pattern she has for picking exactly the wrong kind of man) and decides to embark upon the very unconventional-for-Americans idea of having an arranged marriage. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve sat on my couch on a Friday night, irked by yet another bad date or bad situation, and wish—just wish—I could forgo dating (which always struck me as rather useless) and have someone picked for me to marry. Except that much like this character, I too am rather afraid I’d end up with someone not very attractive and it totally wouldn’t work.

I understood this character. She leapt into reality for me before I even read the first page; and her failed relationship and subsequent realization that she keeps falling for the same sort of man made me want to call her up and commiserate with her. The tipping point was her best friend calling to say she was engaged. It just brought home she was 33, single again, and destined to repeat this pattern indefinitely.

What’s humorous is that when the heroine—Anne—calls the company, she believes she’s calling a dating service. She’s thrown for a loop when she realizes it’s actually a company that creates arranged marriages. Don’t worry—the company, Blythe & Company works a lot like eHarmony, matching on all these personality profiles and professional screenings, and they even make their clients go through individual and couples counseling. Sounds all very plausible.

She meets Jack, the man they’ve picked to be her husband, and suddenly all this is very, very real. Normally, Anne tends to fall for the Pierce Brosnan types (the young version), but Jack gives me more of an impression of being a more Russell Crowe type. Not as sleek or suave, but handsome in his own way. Plus he has a bit of a temper problem where the therapist is concerned (but don’t worry—no telephones are thrown!)

They click. And then despite her reservations—because she does prefer the Pierce Brosnan type—she agrees to marry him. And what follows is this swept-away sort of romance. The company is totally against romance; the philosophy is built about basing a marriage on friendship, not love.

Of course, you know where this is going. She breaks the cardinal company rule: she falls in love with him. And what happens? The Big Bad Secret becomes the Dark Black Moment.

I was biting my nails the whole time. There is conflict on every page: with her parents, her brother, her boss, and her best friend—especially her best friend. There’s conflict with Jack. There’s conflict with herself. Page turner.

I started the book Friday at lunch and got hooked enough that I loathed returning to work to work the rest of the afternoon. I had a function that kept me out until nearly midnight, but once back, I was in bed reading, and I stayed up until 3 am reading it. In fact, if I’d had my typical Friday night, I would have had it read by midnight, not kidding. Instead I finished it Saturday morning and immediately lent the book to my friend who is always on the lookout for books.

I’ve been missing chick lit books but over the last few years have gotten tired as they seem to be the same hookups and bad behavior as many romantic comedies seem to be leaning on. I think this is the chick lit that many of us chick lit fans have been lamenting about and missing. A protagonist we can sympathize and empathize with; a hero who is normal and real and easy to fall for; and a happily ever after you wouldn't mind arranging for yourself.

Do you like “chick lit” in the romance genre? Have you ever been curious about arranged marriages and love matches? Would you do just about anything to get married so long as you could forgo dating?

The Daring and Dangerous World of The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard.

Thanks to MsHellion (Fran) for inviting me to Romance Writer’s Revenge. Fran suggested that I might blog a bit about The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series, and share a few world building techniques and supporting character writing tips. You never know––what works for me might also be helpful for you, as well!

It all begins, with a little backstory.

My debut novel, An Affair With Mr. Kennedy, is the first in The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series. As you can tell from the title, I decided to focus more on working class characters. But what was it about these “gentlemen” that initially intrigued me? And why did I choose to write about the emerging middle class and not lords and ladies?

First off, I knew I wanted to write historical romance, but Regency seemed like a crowded field (filled with very talented writers). And I didn't want to write about dukes and earls sitting around in gentlemen's clubs making wagers. I began to notice that a few romance authors were writing in the Victorian period. I was particularly drawn to the Amanda Quick novels, which were historical romance but incorporated mystery, suspense and occult elements. Then I got to thinking about Scotland Yard detectives. It seemed to me that Yard men were always portrayed as bumbling inspectors, five moves behind Sherlock Holmes.

Was there an opportunity here? From my days as an advertising creative I have learned to  look for the exceptional opportunity, something that has been overlooked or goes against more conventional thinking or traditions. So I thought, what if there was an elite group of detectives?

Research. Research. Research.

So, I began to do some research and found out that there was a division of Scotland Yard created in the 1882 called Special Branch to thwart anarchist attacks on London. (A bit like our Homeland Security.) I dug deeper and soon became fascinated with late nineteenth century London. Worker’s rights and emerging trade union strikes, women’s suffrage, the industrial revolution were all going full tilt, and I thought what an exciting time to set a series of historical romantic suspense novels. I added a dash (as in dashing) of James Bond Steampunk and that was the start of The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard.

There’s no getting around it, if you are going to write historical fiction, you really have to enjoy research. A reasonably good working knowledge of the period helps bring your plot and characters to life. By the way, this is true of any time period, even contemporary. Think about all the things your characters can interact with in a town you know well, versus a town you don’t know at all. A lot of elements go in to bringing a character to life, and one of them is the environment and props a character interacts with. This does not mean you have to be a slave to accuracy, historical or otherwise. If you have to bend a few dates and rules to make the story work––just do it.

Example: An Affair with Mr. Kennedy is set in the Spring of 1887. At one point, there is a chase scene that takes place high up in the Eiffel Tower, which was under construction at time. In the novel, the tower is partially built, but in actuality the tower was probably not much past the ground breaking stage. (See photo) But I couldn’t move the date up because of a conflict with Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee procession which happened at the end of June, 1887. I figured it was safer to fudge the tower construction than Victoria’s celebration. So the Eiffel Tower remains half completed in the novel! 

Most all writers I’ve spoken with agree, you will always do more research than you’ll ever be able to use in your novels. However, I’ve noticed that the better researched I am the more comfortable I feel in the world I am creating. One of the advantages of setting a historical book in London is most of the streets, buildings, residences are all still there! I was able to visit 11 Lyall Street where Mr. Kennedy and Mrs. St. Cloud live in London. Walk the neighborhood. See how far away they live from Hyde Park.

Fun exercise: Go to Google Maps: 11 Lyall Street, London and select Street View. You can see where Mr. Zeno Kennedy and Cassandra St. Cloud live! (Hint: Grey roof, 2 black doors. Window boxes have pink flowers. Mews entrance appears to be closed off now.)

Why Supporting Characters Are So Important

Since the release of An Affair with Mr. Kennedy and The Seduction of Phaeton Black the supporting casts of both novels have received a good bit of attention, especially in reviews (including MsHellion’s) so I thought I might include a few tips and comments about secondary characters.

I spend a lot of time thinking about supporting characters as I am writing them into the story. Just as a craft device, I love how useful they are. They give your protagonists someone to talk to, which gets the hero and heroine out of their heads. Anytime you can tell your story through dialogue, I say do it! And FYI, even when your character is ruminating in his/her head, always write the narrative in character as internal dialogue.

I try to give every supporting character a distinct voice and personality, and make a point of adding something quirky to bring them to life quickly. Maybe it’s a peculiar speech pattern, or a physical handicap or an odd, repetitive behavior. And, don’t be afraid to let them steal the scene once in a while!

Scene by Scene Immersion World building

So, I’ve developed something I call immersion world building which helps me to fully realize a scene as I’m writing it and also in rewrite. World building is pervasive to plot, character, staging and pacing. Basically, as I write a scene I use three different types of world building: specific, supporting and sensory.

1. Specific: Details, factoids, actual newspaper items of the period, use of proper names

                  Example in bold:

                                    Contagious Diseases Act

2. Supporting: Supporting world building is descriptive, and often expository to the specific.

Example underlined:

With venereal disease rampant, and the Contagious Diseases Act repealed, men of means found the idea of a virgin, even if less bawdy, certainly a healthier amusement. It seemed the baser instincts of gentlemen of privilege would continue to find ways to avoid the pox at any cost, both to their pockets and to the lives of the innocent juveniles conscripted for such harsh duty.

                 

3. Sensory: Directly sensory or evoking the sensory/visceral

                                    Example in italics:

A low groan and squeaking bed springs drifted through the wall. Zeno raised an index finger to his lips and gave a nod to the adjoining room.

By the way, there is no set number of “gotta have” elements. These immersion techniques should ebb and flow through the manuscript. There are scenes I want to write very spare, and scenes that require more atmosphere. I tend use fewer supporting/descriptive elements when the pacing is fast. I want the reader to get caught up in the suspense!

I’ve included several opening paragraphs of An Affair with Mr. Kennedy, which utilize all of these immersion techniques. Once you get used to identifying the specific, supporting and sensory elements of world building, you can start checking your work!

Key: Specific is in bold.  Supporting is underlined.  Sensory is in italics.

London’s West End, 1887

Detective Inspector Zeno Kennedy unbuttoned his collar and pulled out a shirttail. “What have you got for me?”

Scarlet, aka Kitty Matthews, reclined on the mattress and struck a seductive pose. Propped on her elbows, the girl lowered and raised sultry green eyes in a brazen inspection of his person. “You blokes from Scotland Yard are a handsome lot.”

She arched her back and thrust her breasts up and out at him. Quite a robust figure––ample bottom and curvy topside. Studying her, he decided she could not be more than seventeen or eighteen years of age. A shapely little thing with chestnut colored hair, big green eyes and a button nose. She could easily raise a man’s temperature.

Zeno did his best to ignore the girl’s bountiful charms as he took up a post at the end of the bed-frame. “Actually, I work for Special Irish Branch.” He leaned over the brass rail.

Scarlet gaped at a bit of exposed chest. “Blue eyes and dark hair—Black Irish, are you?”

Zeno hastily pulled his shirt closed and admonished himself to be patient with his newest recruit. “Special Irish Branch is a division of Scotland Yard aimed at investigating anarchists. Fenians mostly. We’re after the blokes who want Home Rule for the Irish at any price, by any means.”

Her eyes grew wide. “The dynamiters?”

A low groan and squeaking bed springs drifted through the wall. Zeno raised an index finger to his lips and gave a nod to the adjoining room.

The budding beauty in front of him typified the adolescent female offerings of this pleasure house. Mrs. Jeffries’s, as it was referred to in hushed tones among gentlemen at their clubs, was a popular brothel marketing young women––very young. Some were girls who had not yet been spoiled, for a steeper price.

With venereal disease rampant, and the Contagious Diseases Act repealed, men of means found the idea of a virgin, even if less bawdy, certainly a healthier amusement. It seemed the baser instincts of gentlemen of privilege would continue to find ways to avoid the pox at any cost, both to their pockets and to the lives of the innocent juveniles conscripted for such harsh duty.

Scotland Yard’s Criminal Investigations Department of the Metropolitan Police had moved on some of the worst offenders, but there had been tremendous pressure from the top echelons to keep the safer brothels open. As for the use of young girls, Zeno’s position was well known. Turning a blind eye to their plight made them all dirty.

“You sent an urgent wire, Scarlet. Anything to report?”

Commenters: Do you have any questions? Or any quick tips and techniques you’d like to share about world building? Please share and let’s chat! I have a signed copy of An Affair with Mr. Kennedy for a commenter chosen at random.

Watch for: A Dangerous Liaison with Detective Lewis, the second novel in The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series. This one is a rip roaring adventure and road trip story featuring a pair of estranged lovers. Release date: August 28.

About the author: In 2010, Jillian Stone won the RWA Golden Heart for An Affair with Mr. Kennedy (The Yard Man) and went from no agent or publisher to signing with Richard Curtis and being offered a three book contract by Pocket Books. She lives in Southern California and is currently working on a special Pocket Star e-novella for The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard.

Links for Jillian :

Website: http://jillianstone.com

Facebook: Jillian Stone

Twitter: @gJillianStone

Pinterest: Jillian Stone

Purchase links: Amazon  Barnes & Noble  Indiebound

I find myself feeling lately as if I stand at the horizon of a new planet. I am filled with platitudes regarding the challenges ahead and struggle to keep my spirits up as I face the prospects before me.

As Terri spoke a few weeks ago, the publishing industry is in flux. It’s a ripe ground for missteps and full of landmines. It also holds vast promise, but it ain’t gonna be easy.

I’m not sure it ever was easy for writers. We can all wax nostalgically for the days of yesteryear, when all an author had to do was write, edit and cash the checks.

Right.

In reality, it was never like that. Everyone stacked up rejection letters, everyone was told no, everyone was informed that this would never sell. Margaret Mitchell, Harper Lee, Stephen King, Leon Uris, Danielle Steele, Nora Roberts…name an author and they all went through it. None of them is going to stand up, or communicate from the grave, and tell us how easy it was.

Nope.

If it were easy everyone would be doing it and everyone would be cashing those checks and… Be a rock star! A bestselling novelist! An award winning artist! Stack up the Oscars/Grammys/Tonys…you name it.

It is harder than it used to be? Maybe. But the novelists of the decades past sent off their books and waited months and months and sometimes years for that rejection to role in. Then they started over again. Years. I can remember querying an agent a few years ago from Starbucks, and by the time I got home the rejection had arrived via my in-box. Disappointing? Yes, but it also left me free to keep going.

We who write, need to be innovative and fight to command our ships. Yes, the NY Publishers have the distribution. But other opportunities are so numerous; it’s overwhelming for authors right now. Agents can be our allies, or they can be a locked door guarding the castle. Big e-publishers, little e-publishers, self-publishing, podcasting…the choices are incredible. Graphic novels, comics, YouTube videos, book trailers…

I sat with several authors at RT and a discussion began regarding how do authors make money on their written works when the reading pubic is growing more and more accustomed to paying little to nothing for the product? With the vast choices available for their entertainment hours, how do we get them to pay us for what we do? When they can watch movies for free on their iPhones? When they can catch up with television series on their laptops? When they can listen to music all day online?

How does Hollywood make money? How do the bands do it? How do songwriters survive? How do graphic artists? Painters? Dancers?

Innovation.

What can we provide that the rest don’t? Or how can we partner with them to make the experience of our book, our story, our worlds unique enough that the public will do that tappity-tap with their credit card number and help us pay our rent so we can keep them entertained?

Not that long ago, we had a guest who offers photographs of her story as the reader reads. That is one way. What about…a soundtrack? What about a video of interpretive dance? What about a virtual tour of the places/times/characters? T-shirts? Auction off a character name? How do we add value to our stories? Solicit funds for a future product, promising to name contributors in the ‘credits’?

Don’t be scared. I want to brainstorm today… Books aren’t dead, they are changing. What can we do to reap the benefits of this change? What is the wildest thing you can think of?

Open your heads, step into the future…what will books be able to offer in the next ten years? Twenty? Tomorrow?

Moriah Densley sees nothing odd at all about keeping both a violin case and a range bag stuffed with pistols in the back seat of her car. They hold up the stack of books in the middle, of course. She enjoys writing about Victorians, assassins, and geeks. Her muses are summoned by the smell of chocolate, usually at odd hours of the night. By day her alter ego is your friendly neighborhood music teacher. Moriah lives in Las Vegas with her husband and four children and this week she celebrated the release of her debut novel, Song For Sophia.

This talented writer is also one of my fellow 2012 Golden Heart® finalist so I am extra excited to welcome her to The Revenge for the first time. Raise your mugs and give a warm welcome to Moriah Densley!

Following My Hero Down the Rabbit Hole

When I created Wilhelm Montegue, I bit off more than I could chew. An autistic savant with a photographic memory and a talent for mathematics and music, he was exploited by the army during the Crimean War as a spy and assassin before being captured and tortured by the Russians. He has PTSD on top of the autism―he’s a mess. It wouldn’t be difficult to have him committed to an asylum, and he has enemies.

Silly pantser me, I was having a ball with my unusual hero until I hit a wall, because A) I know squat about math, and, B) I was only portraying the upside of savant syndrome - the cool genius stuff, like composing brilliant music. Fortunately for me, music is my day job, but that's where Easy Street ended.

When I say hit a wall, I mean everyone who read the first draft hated it. I took the hint. Shedding a tear or two, I hit “delete,” stared in denial at the blinking cursor and white expanse of blank screen . . . then didn't write. Not for months. My hero was so way smarter than me. Composers, literature, and linguistics I can fake, but calculus? No dice.

I had to learn about the Quadratic Table of Residues - sounds like a kitchen sanitation issue to me - well enough to convince readers these brainy thoughts flowed naturally from the character. A normal person observes in approximation: “Falling from three stories is a long way down!” But Wilhelm inherently makes a calculation: “A human body falling one-hundred-sixty feet lands in three seconds.” Sophia, the heroine, inspires his “mathematical erotica” which I did enjoy inventing. The hero assures us the equation is completely viable.

Savant syndrome and synesthesia have always interested me. How can a person be off-the-charts genius yet struggle with a simple limitation? Think Rain Man. Laura Kinsale, Jennifer Ashley, and Lisa Kleypas, to name a few, wrote beautiful stories featuring heroes with some sort of mental disorder. I couldn't get enough of this kind of tortured hero.

You wouldn't believe how generous and candid the autism community is; I found more information than I knew what to do with. My favorite case is Daniel Tammet, a savant with mathematical synethesthia. He describes how he “experiences” numbers. “Five is like a clap on a front door, the sound of a wave against a rock. Six is small, the hardest for me to experience. It's like a black hole, a chasm.” Daniel “sees” every number from 0 past 10,000 in colors and textures. He holds the European record for reciting pi from memory: 22,514 digits in 5 hours, 9 minutes.

I was also inspired by Kim Peek, an autistic megasavant known as “The Real Rain Man.” He memorized nine encyclopedia volumes at age four. A capable reader finishes two pages in about three minutes. Kim Peek read the same text in eight seconds, his left eye reading the right page while his right eye read the right page, and he recalled 98% of the text. However, the simplicity of choosing clothes to wear was beyond his comprehension, and he couldn't fasten buttons.

Over and over I heard similar stories from savants - astounding genius paired with seemingly random disabilities. Prodigy musicians, chess champions, architects - who couldn't tell you how to fry an egg, who don't comprehend sarcasm. I took the most brilliant qualities and the most frustrating limitations I found in real cases, added a dazzling pair of pectorals, and the new Wilhelm emerged.

Not only is his freedom at stake, but he so badly wants to win over Sophia, and doesn’t know how. His genius brain can’t comprehend social complexities such as diplomacy. It was a bit painful as an author to make a character so earnest yet so flawed. Nothing about relationships comes easily to him, and he feels failure very keenly. While he is aware of the opposing forces in his brain, he can’t control them.

I liked him. Irreverent, moody, yet fiercely loyal and passionate. Did the new Wilhelm pass muster?

Turns out I had a hard time finding a home for my unconventional hero. Imagine my surprise on March 26th to hear from THE Julia London, saying I was a Golden Heart finalist. Really? My beat-up, politically incorrect character? I couldn't believe it. I was delighted and honored. *Shout-out to Terri Osburn, fellow GH finalist! Thanks for this cool gig. Harrgh!* “Song for Sophia” is now published - released Monday in fact - and I'm very eager to see what readers think of the characters.

What makes an unconventional character work or not? Do you have a square-peg-in-a-round-hole story too? Join the discussion, say hello, link to a funny cat picture, whatever - leave a comment, and you're entered to win a digital copy of “Song for Sophia.” Winner of the giveaway announced tomorrow, June 7, by noon eastern time. Don't want to wait? Want to make me filthy stinkin' rich? Buy it now on Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, or iTunes.

Visit http://moriahdensley.com for teasers and sample chapters, plus humorous blog articles on life as a writer. See reader reviews on Goodreads, connect on Facebook,Twitter, or Pinterest. I'd love to hear from you! 

I love me some YA titles. Terri is always making fun of my choices, mainly because when I go looking for books to read, I find the most depressing world-building setting I can find. Dystopian is my drug of choice with YA novels.

This week’s selection of young adult goodies though doesn’t have a single post-apocalyptic world setting. Instead we have a restaged Pride & Prejudice; an enrapturing Persephone-paranormal myth; and a humorous, but dark modern twisted Fairy Tales story which will make you very glad to be as common as you are.

Although Terri laughs at my YA obsession, fortunately she hooks me up with great reads through her daughter. Since we clearly have very similar reading tastes where YA novels are concerned. And if I’m not mistaken, Jacob Black.

EPIC FAIL by Claire LaZebnik. The warm comfortable read of Pride & Prejudice, but without that awkward proposal scene by Mr. Collins. (That was creepy.) If you can’t get enough of Mr. Darcy in any of his incarnations, this book is a joyful read. You’ll find yourself cruising along in the story of Elise Benton and Derek Edwards as they flounder around in the pitfalls of high school and Hollywood society. And the Lydia character never fails to make me long to strangle a teenager more. Charming, fun, and sweet.

EVERNEATH by Brodi Ashton. My new favorite teen author. I’ve bookmarked her author page and liked her on facebook just so I can legally stalk her. Her next book in this series will come out in January and I’m already hyped for it. Aside from the fact this is yet another series (which doesn’t bother me, but I know how people can be afraid of commitment and tired of series in general), it had the trifecta of story perfection: deep world-building, powerful heroes and heroines, and sweet, terrible tension. This book is like the myth of Persephone with the Matrix and a couple horror flicks thrown in. It breaks your heart on the first page and continues to break your heart until the very end. The world-building is so deep that I marveled at how long this book took to create—it did not feel like a first or second draft sort of creation. This felt like a book of the heart that had been nurtured for some time. I want to write a book like this. Magnificent.

KILL ME SOFTLY by Sarah Cross. The funny and dark twisted Fairy Tales. The heroine finds out she’s a real-life Sleeping Beauty, and that everyone in the town where she’s gone to find her parents is basically a part of a fairy tale in some form or another. There is a Snow White “group” that are particularly hilarious to read about as they help Mira. While the heroine (Mira) would like to find her parents, Blue just wants her to leave before his brother ends up killing her. It took me a while to figure out which fairy tale Blue and his brother were from. It’s clear Blue and Mira have an ill-fated romance ahead of them, since she’s due to die from an unknown “prick” and he’s doomed to kill her, because his kind always kill those they love most. I do love the dark and twisted. A great read. If you know your fairy tales, you might want to give it a try just for giggles. Dark and funny.

Please give one or all of these a try. They are all engaging reads, though some are happier than others. *laughs* You won’t be disappointed.

Do you read YA novels? Why or why not? Who is your favorite recent new find author?

Let me explain.

Last week I implemented a new rule. No email after 6pm until the daily word count is done. Daily goal is 1500-2K words a night. By some miracle, I obeyed my own rule and kicked ass on the word count.

And then Thursday afternoon showed up and while reading one of Jennifer Crusie's blogs, I realized that everything I'd written was not going to work. In fact, I'd repeated something I've done twice before. This couple was on a path to reach their happily ever after around page 50.

*Sigh*

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a confrontational person. I could argue with a stump. And probably have. So WHY cannot I not create conflict between my characters? Surprisingly I remained calm and started to brainstorm. The first two ideas were thrown out immediately. I'm not about to make my hero irredeemable and no way will I write a heroine who is too stupid to live and shallow.

Bottom line, that's not who these people are. But Chance pushed for me to bring in a villain. I balked and pushed and said flat out I don't write villains. (Which is a lie because my GH MS has a villain but I'm stubborn that way.)

I still don't have a villain, per se, but Manuel "Manny" Baker introduced himself to me while I was taking a shower this (Sunday) morning. Imagine my surprise. As an eternally single 40 year old woman, I don't often come across adorable 25 year old hotties in my shower.

If only.

Manny is still a bit of a mystery but guarantees me he has no problem stirring up trouble and plans to use all his charms (and maybe some underhanded tactics) to keep Lucas and Sid apart. At least for a while.

How do you feel about villains? Must have? Pure evil or just misunderstood? Met any characters in the shower lately? Gotten into a story and realized it wasn't working? (This goes for writing and reading.)