First of all, I couldn't find a good pic so I choose this one.  It's getting colder in my neck of the woods.  I thought it appropriate.

Secondly, a huge shout out to my Philadelphia Phillies for the good work they did this season.  We came up short but it was a great run.  Go Phils.

Ok, on to what I really wanted to talk about today.

I’m plotting out my next story and I’m trying to get everyone’s motivations in the right place.  Luckily, I already know these characters a little as they appear in my first story.   But that doesn’t make this phase any easier.   Just because I knew them as a secondary character before doesn’t mean I’m ready to write their point of view without a little work.

I always end up wrestling with my overarching idea in the beginning.  With what the main theme of the story will be. 

My last story was a redemption story.  Two people, searching for ways to make up for things that weren’t entirely their faults.  Nothing is harder to fight than ghosts from the past.

I think my new story is similar.  Demons from the past again.  The characters don’t necessarily blame themselves for anything—don’t feel the need to make up for something—but they’ve been shaped by their experiences.   This story will be more about them learning to live with themselves the way they are.  Sometimes that’s harder than redeeming oneself, I think.

I have no idea if there’s a pattern in my story themes, if I’ll revisit the same theme over and over again.  Something about overcoming personal demons really speaks to me.  Something about facing personal hardship and coming out the other side stronger and smarter….  Who knows?

How about you?  Do you revisit the same theme again and again in your stories/plots?  What are some of your favorite themes in books? 

Jack: Hellie, sweetheart, this is exciting! You’ve never tied me to the bed before.

 

[camera zooms out and shows the bare-chested Jack lying spread-eagle on the Captain’s bed, tied with red scarves to the posts. Hellie thoroughly checks the ties for strength.]

Jack: Agree? How could I not agree, my luv?

[knock at the door]

Jack: We’re busy, come back later.

Hellie: No, we’re not. Just a second.

Jack: What?

Hellie: It’s Elizabeth. I’m so excited she’s here.

Jack: Elizabeth? That Elizabeth? Has someone hidden the rum? [eyes widening] Is she *joining* us?

Hellie: [laughing] She is. [stuffs a scarf in Jack’s mouth] Now do be quiet, darlin’, this will not take long. [Jack makes a muffled protesting noise as Hellie opens the door, launching herself at the blond stranger standing there and hugging her] Elizabeth! It is so great to finally meet you! Oh, dear, I’m sorry, I promised everyone I would not maul you at first sight, and I’ve already broken my promise. I’m just so….

Elizabeth: Excited. [laughing] I can see that. Do you usually conduct interviews in the Captain’s Quarters?

Hellie: [pointing her thumb over her shoulder] Jack has a way of hijacking my interviews, so this time I thought….

Elizabeth: You’d tie him to the bed for my pleasure? [hopeful note to her voice] Really, you shouldn’t have.

 

 



Hellie: No, no, he’s just tied there so he doesn’t interrupt. We’re going to interview up top….

Elizabeth: Oh, that’s okay, I think we should do it here. Keep an eye on the rascal and all. I bet he’s a whiz with knots, and you want to make sure he doesn’t get out of them and kidnap me. [wistful look] Whisk me away to an island to be his mistress…. [clears throat] Yes, I think we should do it here.

Elizabeth: Definitely. [pulls up chair next to bed] So what would you like to know first?

Hellie: Where to begin? I have all your books. I love them—and I was so excited to find that To Desire a Devil is now out. Finally. Can you tell us more about it?

Elizabeth: To Desire a Devil is the fourth and final book in my Legend of the Four Soldiers series. It’s the story of Reynaud St. Aubyn, Viscount Hope. Presumed dead for seven years, he escapes captivity and returns home, ready to resume his life. But the life he left isn’t there anymore. His father, the Earl of Blanchard is dead, another man has claimed the title, and there are rumors that he’s insane. Everyone seems to be against him except the new earl’s niece, a woman named Beatrice Corning. Beatrice for her part is dangerously attracted to Reynaud, but can she make him see that what they have may be more important than the life he’s trying to regain?

 

 



Hellie: [swooning in her chair] Reynaud. When you first introduced Reynaud in To Taste Temptation, I thought it was a shame he was dead. In fact, I was hoping he was alive, and voila, here he is! I imagine though, a man who was nearly murdered has some issues with trust and intimacy. Was it hard to bring him back to the land of the living, pardon my pun?

Elizabeth: Not too hard for me, since he really never died in the first place, but Reynaud certainly has some issues to deal with. He represents the soldier that gets left behind by his friends (through no fault of theirs, of course—they thought he was dead!)

Elizabeth: I think breaking in was a bit difficult—my first book was The Raven Prince, which features Edward de Raaf, the Earl of Swartingham, who is called ugly in the first scene of the book. A lot of people were a little leery of an ugly hero. But here’s the secret: ugly can still be very sexy. Think Edward James Olmos (Admiral Adama on Battlestar Galactica) when he was younger. Rwoar!

 

 



As for inspiration, I write the books I like to read. I’ve always found the Georgian period more sexy than the Regency. (Jack should agree with me—the Pirates movies are Georgian.) There’s swordfights and ladies in magnificent sweeping gowns and men in heels and wigs!

Hellie: One of my favorite things about your stories is that each chapter has a piece of a “fairy tale” that mirrors the book’s story. How do you think up those stories? Do you write them before or after the book is written?

Hellie: What’s your call story?

Elizabeth: My agent shopped The Raven Prince for over a year—and it was rejected by every major New York publishing house. Warner—now Grand Central Publishing---was literally the very last house we had to submit The Raven Prince to—and they offered for it!

Hellie: What is coming up next for your readers?

Elizabeth: Right now I’m putting the finishing touches on Wicked Intentions, the first book in a new series! The Maiden Lane series is set during the gin craze in London when one out of every four houses sold gin for a penny and a half a cup. There was wide-spread addiction, crime, and violence, but for economic reasons it took forever for Parliament to crack down on the sale of gin.

 

 



My fictional Maiden Lane is smack in the middle of one of the worst areas of London at this time, St. Giles. And on Maiden Lane is the Home for Unfortunate Infants and Foundling Children run by Temperance Dews and her brother. But the home has recently lost its patron and the home is in dire financial straits. One night a man appears in her sitting room, Lazarus Huntington, Lord Caire, who has an interesting proposition: if Temperance will help him search St. Giles for a murderer, he will help her find a new patron for the home.

Also, I’m in the midst of writing a free novella for readers on my website this year. The Ice Princess is Coral Smythe’s story—Coral was the Aphrodite from The Raven Prince. Each month I’ve been posting a new chapter. You can go here to check it out: http://www.elizabethhoyt.com/books/iceprincess.php

Hellie: Okay, last question, what advice would you give to aspiring writers?

 

Elizabeth: Writers learn by writing so it’s very important to write as much as possible, preferably every day. And if you aspire to be a romance writer, I suggest joining Romance Writers of America (http://www.rwanational.org/). They have phenomenal online workshops, local chapters, Yahoo loops, and regional and national conferences where writers can learn the craft from published writers such as moi. ;-)

Elizabeth: Why, yes, Hellie…how exactly did you convince Jack to be tied up?!

 

 



Hellie: [waves hand modestly] Boys can be so dumb. It was nothing. Okay, crew, Elizabeth has offered one crew member a copy of To Desire a Devil to celebrate her ship visit. So the questions are: how exactly would you convince Jack to be tied up? Do you have a favorite “back from the dead” movie or book story? And do you have any fairy tales you haven’t seen in a book and would like to?

[Sun rising, the sky full of pinks and oranges; the ship is silent, being the crew is asleep—since when has any of the crew seen the sun rise? Please—and there at the front of the ship walks a dark haired lady, her skirts blowing behind her, her face turned to the wind. From the shadows emerges the one and only Captain Jack Sparrow]

 

Jack: Ms. Brighton, you came. I am honored. [sketching a small bow]

 

Ms. Brighton: Does one curtsey to a pirate? I have not seen that covered in the etiquette books.

 

Jack: An egregious oversight I am sure. Hellion usually conducts these interviews, but she’s not a morning person. Actually she’s not much of an afternoon or evening person either. She’s most personable in bed…or asleep, and to tell the truth—

 

Ms. Brighton: You’ve been known to tell the truth?

 

Jack: All the time. It’s not my fault no one believes me. Anyway, I purposely set up this little meeting because I knew Hellie could not spirit you away and ask those frou-frou writer questions of hers.

 

Ms. Brighton: What sort of writer questions?

 

Jack: Oh, you know, the ones like “What’s your book about?” and “Tell us more about your hero.” As if anyone cares about those things. Readers want to know when you plan to write about pirates.

 

Ms. Brighton: [making a small noise in the back of her throat] You are so right, Captain Sparrow. [batting her eyes at him] But do you think we might answer those questions first? Just for the sake of conventionality?

 

Jack: [sighing] You’re like the rest of them. Fine, fine. [draws a piece of paper from his jacket] Hellie wrote something out earlier. [unfolds sheet and clears throat] This has been an exciting year. Debut book coming out. No pressure, of course, I’m sure. What is your book, Wild Heart, about?

 

Ms. Brighton: No, no pressure at all. ;)

 

Wild Heart is really two books. On one hand, you have your typical romance set in Victorian, England with a hero, Leo, out for vengeance. Leo’s parents were murdered and he will do whatever it takes to find the people responsible. On the other hand, you have a more suspenseful plot. Ella, the heroine, is hired to tutor a lad. It’s only after she arrives that she finds out Leo is anything but a boy. On the outside Ella is your typical sweet heroine, but she has a secret…Ella has a special ability she’s kept hidden from the world. As Ella and Leo grow closer, they realize their pasts are entwined, and only together can they unlock the mystery of their lives. In the end, both most learn to trust each other or risk losing everything they hold so dear.

 

 

Here’s a brief blurb:

 

"Leo is next in line for an earldom, but he is uncultured, unrefined-- and completely untamed...until governess Ella arrives, determined to set him on the right path. But Ella has a secret, and if Leo finds out what she is truly capable of, she may lose everything she holds dear." 

 

Jack: That does sound rather interesting, even if you insist on being conventional. Strange, considering how unconventional your novel is. It’s not just a historical, nor a paranormal. It’s both. Are you a fan of both genres? How did this story come about?

 

Ms. Brighton: Yes, I’m definitely a fan of both historicals and paranormals. My son was watching the Disney Tarzan movie and around the same time I saw a documentary on feral children. I love those alpha males and you can’t get more alpha than a man left in the wild to fend for himself. I’d come up with the basic concept, but it didn’t seem unique enough. That’s when I realized I could add the paranormal element. If Ella had an ability to control and sense the emotions of animals, since Leo is more animalistic than most, it would connect them on a deeper level. There were a few people who told me I didn’t need the paranormal element. My instincts told me to leave it in. Thankfully I did, since that was what Kensington really liked about the book. 

 

 Jack: [looks back at his sheet] Hellie read the excerpt on your website. She says Leo certainly makes an impression. (Hellie’s a little boy crazy.) You ladies certainly seem to have a fascination for a man who is not quite civilized. [tilting his head to smolder at her] What exactly is it you think will make all the lassies swoon for Leo?

 

Ms. Brighton: If your readers like an alpha male, and I’m assuming they do, they’ll love Leo. I tried to keep him true to life; what a real person would be like if they’d experienced what he has. On a trip to India, his parents are murdered. Leo is only a lad, but he’s forced to stay in hiding in a country he knows nothing about. Much like The Count of Monte Cristo (one of my favorite books), vengeance has kept him going. He’s very determined and blunt, but he’s also very honest and loyal. He doesn’t let people push him around. He’s a man who takes what he wants, and he definitely wants Ella. Here’s a short excerpt:

 

 

Leo sat beside her and removed one of his boots. Her gaze darted from his foot to his face, back to his foot again. A bug buzzed near her ear, and she brushed aside the annoying pest as Leo removed the other boot. Without hesitation, he pulled off his stockings. Large, sinewy feet were bared before her. Her face heated, and she jerked her gaze away. What in the world was he doing? She couldn’t look…It’d be improper. Yet, she couldn’t stop herself from watching him out of the corner of her eye.

            Leo stood and drew her attention to his tall form. When his hands reached for the buttons on his shirt, she jumped to her feet. “Wh…what are you doing?”

            His gaze locked on hers, but he offered no response. Slowly, his fingers traveled down his chest until the shirt hung open. With a quirk of his brow, he tossed the garment aside and stood before her bare-chested. Heat raced to her face. Had it warmed outside? Really, it was uncomfortably hot today. She slid her finger between her neck and collar, pulling the material from her damp skin. 

            “Leo, this is not very proper,” she said in a breathless whisper. “You really should-” Her voice caught as his hands went to the waistband of his trousers.

Blimey, no.

He couldn’t….He wouldn’t.

He did.

 

Jack: Typical. Women. [looks back at sheet] Oh, yes, they’d keelhaul me if I didn’t ask this. What’s your call story?

 

Ms. Brighton: It’s a sad, long tale, but with a happily ever after, of course. When I wrote Wild Heart I had this feeling it would sell. Then I sent it out into the world of agents and it was rejected, over and over. Not one to give up easily, I decided to enter it in some writing contests. It came in first place in the Golden Acorn Contest and Hilary Sares, an editor at Kensington, requested the full. I sent it off hoping this was the break I’d been wanting for six years. Then a month went by, then two, then three. I chalked it up to another rejection and started thinking about which book I’d start writing next. Then one day I got a call. The I.D. said New York, but since I didn’t know anyone, I didn’t answer. When I checked my messages later, it was from Hilary saying she was interested in my book. I was so shocked, I could barely breathe, let alone call her back. It took me about 30 mins to get up the nerve to return her call.

 

Jack: Shot of rum is always good for the nerves. And lastly, what’s coming up next?

 

Ms. Brighton: My Kensington contract was for two books. The second book is a spinoff of the first. It takes place in India and has minor characters from book one. Colin, the hero, is a charming rogue, much like you, Jack. He’s an adventurer and Bea, his heroine, is a prim and proper lady. They’re thrown together in India, forced to travel the country while fighting for their lives. It’s quite the thrilling adventure and I really enjoyed writing it. Unfortunately it won’t be out for at least a year. I’m hoping to put up an excerpt on my website soon.

 

Jack: Most excellent. Did you have any questions for me?

 

Ms. Brighton: Not a question exactly. [glancing longingly at the prow of the ship] I would wonder if you would do be a small favor.

 

Jack: Ah, you want the Titanic thing. I get that a lot. I would be delighted, Ms. Brighton, if you’ll just step this way…anything else?

 

Ms. Brighton: I’m honored to be spending my release day with you all! It’s been a blast. In fact, you’ve been so wonderful that I think I’ll give away a few copies of my book. Leave a comment and 3 people will win a copy of Wild Heart!

This week, I wanted to devote our hottie blog to those men with a soft spot in their hearts for man's best friend:  the pooch.  It's heartening to see a man taking care of those smaller than us.  Below, some dog lovers among us.  I don't think that it's the puppies making me drool....

 

 

  



 

We have two great guests visiting with us this week!  Lori Brighton will be here on Tuesday.  Her debut, Wild Heart, will be out this month from Kensington.  Then, on Wednesday, Elizabeth Hoyt joins us to talk about her newest release, To Desire a Devil.  Come hang out with us and chat with this two amazing authors!

Congratulations, Armenia! You are the winner of Anna Campbell's FANTABULOUS blog. Please contact her with your snail mail information at: anna@annacampbell.info. Happy reading!!!

 

* “No, really! I swear, she can talk ta the written!” Chance leaned close, almost lips to ear with the Bo’sun.

 

* “Uh uh. Don’t believe it, Chance. What you been drinking?” Bo’sun leaned away, fanning away the odd scent hovering around Chance.

 

* “This?” She held up a large green mug, steam rising from the lip. It slipped a bit in her grip and she caught it carefully. “Just the leftover Corrupted Tea from Wednesday’s party. But it ain’t that! I went ashore last night and saw her act, at the Wicked Wench Bar and Laundromat! She be amazin’!”

 

* “Why were you at the Laundromat?” Bo’sun tried to steer the bartender away from the topic of Lulu, the woman who claimed the dubious ability to speak to the written.

 

* “Those banditas left me a lot a’ dirty napkins… Anyway! I saw her, she uses these interestin’ cards, the Reflection deck she calls it. Waits fer the question and pulls one. She be right more often than wrong.”

 

* “How would you know? The written aren’t there to contradict her… All she has to do is be well read to get some things right…”

 

* “But she ain’t well read! She admits it! Doesn’t know half a’ the written customers want ta talk ta!” Chance furtively looked to each side before admitting, “I invited her aboard taday…”

 

* “You what!” Bo’sun shook her head. “You know Hellie don’t approve of that sort of nonsense!”

 

* Chance sniffed, “It be me blog day and she be me guest. It be fun! She were booked fer Halloween, a private party, but said the eve of all hallows eve worked fer her. I gots me own rituals ta attend tomorrow night anyway.” Chance looked up, “OH! There she be! Don’t ya love that long skirt and all those beads?”

 

* “Looks like a reject from Mardi Gras,” Bo'sun mumbled. “Hell, I’ll let the Captain know. How is Madam Lulu going to do this?”

 

Chance skipped to her feet, ignoring the Bo’sun’s last question and ushered the strange gypsy looking woman to the deck. She found a stool and set her up at the bar, watching eagerly as she brought out a large deck of cards. Shuffling them, she stacked them carefully on the velvet bag they’d come in and took the drink Chance handed her.

 

Chance looked up, “Hey, scalawags! This here be Lulu and she be a Written Whisperer! Step up and ask what ya will. She speaks ta the written! What favorite character do ya wonder ‘bout? What da ya want to ask? She sometimes can connect with the writer…!”

 

“Come on! Lulu is here!”

 

The pirates clustered at a distance, suspicious of the stranger. Chance grimaced, then with a gleam in her eye, held up a small keg of rum, “Each question get a tote from me magic rum keg! Good luck fer the comin’ year!”

 

They gingerly moved forward, pushing each other to be first…

 

Lulu raises an eyebrow and smiles. “Well, brave sailors. What be your questions? No plot questions, please, the written don’t like to spoil the story for those who haven’t read them yet… And don’t ask me to bring them aboard. I don’t do that. And no one is kissing me to pass on a kiss to Mr. Darcy. I don’t do that either!”

 

I love this holiday!

 

Well, at the end of this week, I believe I’ll be finished with my revisions to my current MS.  For now, at least.

I expected that announcement to make me feel better but I have to admit that I’m just exhausted by it.  I finished this book faster than my first book (on Sept 7) but it’s taken me almost two months of near constant revising to get it close to where I wanted it to be.  I’m still not sure this is the end of it, figured I’d take a few weeks away and write the proposal for its sequel, then come back.  Though I do expect I’ll start querying soon.

This is the first real stab at serious revising I’ve done.  With my first MS, I could see a few fundamental problems with the story, so I didn’t go back and hack too hard at it.  I’ll admit I almost sighed with relief that time that I wouldn’t have to get too involved in revisions last time.  No avoiding it this time around.

I didn’t really know where to start, to be honest.  I read it through at first, making grammatical changes, cutting some extraneous words.  I let my first CP read it.  She made a suggestions, I adjusted. 

After a week or so of sitting on it, I adjusted a conflict.

I let another CP read it.  She prefers beta heroes while my first CP prefers alpha heroes.  CP 2 hated, I mean hated my hero.  She admitted that this could have been because she prefers betas and well, my hero was severely alpha.  I read through CP2’s comments very closely, trying to find where Nik fell on the alpha scale.  I adjusted some of his motivations, some of his reactions.  While I didn’t want him to be beta, I definitely didn’t want him to be a complete a**hole either.

I cut a couple scenes on my own, including my first scene and a “girltalk-y” scene in the middle that didn’t do much for my story.  I added some things.  Read through again.

Another CP weighs in.  She’s my grammar queen-fact checking guru.  Though she doesn’t particularly like the genre I write in and she prefers sweeter romance to the more sensual stuff I write, she read me through.  She caught a few inconsistencies in my world building, a few missed facts with the FBI.    I adjusted. 

At each step along the way, each CP helped me out with word choice, with conciseness, and with general tightening up.

PS, have I mentioned that all three of my CPs rock it hard?  No?  Well, there you go then.  They are AWESOME.

So now I’m ready for my beta readers to hit it, tell me what they think.

I’ve been trying to figure out what I could have done to make this easier.

Here’s the stuff I did do:

1)       I wrote a list.  I know, you’re all shocked.  Marnee?  With a list?  What a surprise.  I made a list of things that struck me funny.  I added more and subtracted from as I went along making changes.  Only a couple more things on it.

2)      I read it out loud.  My family thinks I’m crazy, my cat is now fully versed in my angelic/demonic world, but it worked to catch some issues.

3)      Of course, I had my CPs read it for me.

4)      I read through with an eye towards Margie Lawson’s EDITS system.

So, wenches….  Any other suggestions?  Things that have made revising easier for you along the way?  Any revision techniques you’d care to share?  I could definitely use them.