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Category: General Writing

Stuff in general about writing techniques and genres.

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Move over blind dates, matchmaking services and online dating - the new trend for finding love is pheromone parties. 

According to dictionary.com, pheromone means: 

/ˈfɛrəˌmoʊn/ Show Spelled[fer-uh-mohn]
noun Animal Behavior . any chemical substance released by an animal that serves to influence the physiology or behavior of other members of the same species.

Partygoers are asked to sleep in a shirt for 3 nights and then put it in a zip-lock bag, freeze it and then bring it to the party.  The freezer bags are placed on a table and an index card with a number is put in each bag.  Attendees sniff the bags.  Once they find one they like, a picture is snapped of the person with the bag and projected on a wall.  Then the owner of the item should come forward and love should soon follow. 

The problem?  Some of the owners are too shy to step forward even when they recognize their bag. 

Studies have been conducted into the science behind the smell of attraction.

Research studies using similar T-shirt experiments have shown that people prefer different human scents. But whose smell they prefer is dictated by a set of genes that influence our immune response — which researchers say is nature's way of preventing inbreeding and preserving genetic adaptations developed over time.

"Humans can pick up this incredibly small chemical difference with their noses," said Martha McClintock, founder of the Institute for Mind and Biology at the University of Chicago. "It is like an initial screen."

In one such study, McClintock and her colleagues had participants sniff inside a covered box without knowing that in some cases they were smelling worn T-shirts. What they found was people preferred the odors of those who had different genetic makeups from their own, but not radically different.

What it comes down to is that what smells like love to me may smell like bad news to you, and vice versa.  Love is one of the greatest forces in the universe and time after time, it has refused to be boxed, labeled or categorized.  When love is ready for you it will find you - so long as you don't try to tie it down, pen it up or define it out of existence.

So what does love mean?  It means anything and everything -- with a cherry on top.    

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Phenom author Erika Leonard (EL James) is considering rewriting Fifty Shades of Grey from the POV of the hero, Christian Grey.  The present trilogy is seen through the eyes of the heroine, Ana.  The view from the eyes of the hero would look like a different tale entirely.

As Leila, Grey's former submissive says, "the Master is dark."  The story seen through his eyes would be a dark, tangled and twisted tale.  I'm not sure it would have been the sensation of the current books, as I don't know that a lot of readers would have bought the Master's Tale the first time around.  However, after reading the story from Ana's perspective, I think the author could count on a lot of readers being interested in the troubled hero's thoughts of all the events Ana could see only through her innocent eyes.

The story through Christian's eyes would be, like him, "fify shades of fucked up."  I bet it would be an amazing read but I think it would be very challenging to write.  Christian Grey's POV is much more over-the-top so I'd be bound to like that version now, wouldn't I? 

Here's hoping that unlike Stephenie Meyer, Erika Leonard actually pulls it off.  A trip down the dark side of desire through the eyes of fifty shades himself would be a unique literary journey.  I only have one question:  Would that make it "daddy porn?"

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This is a brief post to highlight one that Joe Konrath has up over at his blog  Joe's blog is a Newbie's Guide to Publishing and the post up now is titled "Pushing the Button,"  written by author Jude Hardin.  It deals with Jude's struggle about when to quit the day job and write full time. 

Yes, Virginia, Jude pushed the button and in this post he explains the struggle to get to this point and how he got the courage to live the dream. 

Not only does Jude explain the inner and outer journey that got him to this point, but Joe Konrath gives tips on how a writer knows it's time to stop dreaming and start writing full time.  It's a great post from Jude and fabu tips from Joe. 

Writing full time is my dream too.  I'm not at the point where it's possible yet.  I'm still trying to write my way to writing full time.  Recently, I've made a conscious decision to set aside more time for writing so that I can push out more books for my fans.  More books mean more sales and that is the path to paradise - writer style. 

Over the weekend I'll blog and give y'all all the lowdown on my new one that's out now and I may even toss out a hint about the one I just started.  My WIP is the next installment in my Forever Series - it's Peter's story.  Fans have been asking for that one.   And I love hearing from readers.  It's nice to know that there are folks crazy enough to take a trip over the top with the duck lady.

Now, all I need is a mass outbreak of insanity to spawn a horde of new risk-takers ready to live life from the most radical POV - over the top of reality.  Trust me, folks, the view from the top is good, but the view from over the top is better.

And each sale brings me one step closer to pushing that button too.  In the meantime, pop over to Joe's place and give Jude's post a read.

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I've now finished reading "Fifty Shades of Grey" by EL James. As everyone on the planet likely knows by now, Grey is a trilogy and "Fifty Shades of Grey" is part 1. The books have received everything from lavish praise and adulation, to a life-changing movie deal for the author, to scorn and demeaning comments for the writer and the book's fans. I must've been fated to read it because I was still mulling over whether the books were worth the investment when my eldest bought me Fifty Shades in paper for Mother's Day.

And no, there was nothing weird about the gift. Zack had heard me mention it and recalled my saying that it was written as a tribute to Twilight. Zack's a big Twilight fan, and he knows I like tribute books (mine - Dangerous Relations: Griffin's Law is my nod to Grey's Anatomy).  So, being a thoughtful child, he picked up this one for me.

Here it sat, in my house as a gift for Mother's Day.  I hadn't decided whether to take the plunge and buy it - and this is where I have a confession to make - I'm not an erotica reader. My first acquaintance with the genre came with my first ebook publishing venture -  way back before Amazon built  the Kindle,  when no one ever dreamed that books would be mainstream in any form but paper, there was a little company called Mobipocket.  I first epublished there (later, Amazon bought Mobi and used the platform/engine to build the Kindle). Erotica sold better on Mobi than anything else, so I'd occasionally peruse the covers. Floating torsos.  Multiple torsos. The covers would show three or four men and one woman or sometimes several women and one man, and all of them would be naked and hovering. 

Ick.  What that reminded me of was growing up in a little town called Hartsville, SC where there was one of  THOSE drive-in theaters.  And sometimes, even respectable married ladies would venture in.  My Mom and my aunt took me and my cousin a couple of times as elementary school kids.  They told us to sleep in the back seat, but as long as we were quiet, they weren't going to interrupt their guilty pleasure to spank us for not sleeping.  Invariably, in the movies someone would show up for their first day at a new job and before they'd even filled out the tax forms, everyone in the office would be naked and going at it hard.  Or someone would move into a new house and order a pizza but they'd end up with the delivery guy, the plumber and welcome wagon ladies who brought a lot more than bundt cake.  It sort of put me off the genre.  As young marrieds, my hubby and I would sometimes rent one of those movies to enjoy together and as we wandered around the back section of the video store, I'd hand him a box and ask -- does this one look like it might have a plot?  (In case you're wondering, the answer always turned out to be no).

I hadn't decided whether I wanted 5o Shades, but it seemed to want me.  It's nice being wanted.  Then I started hearing high and mighty PC types calling Fifty Shades - "Mommy Porn."   Okay, if the PC crowd hated it, then I had to give it a try.  At least there are no floating torsos on the cover.

...continue reading "What Could Be Stranger Than Fifty Shades? My Review"

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A new piece in USA Today focuses on arranged marriages and some rather deranged opinions that arranged marriages lead to longer lasting love and happiness than love, over-the-top head-over-heels style.

The article first focuses on marriages among member's of Moon's Unification Church.  It got my attention because the focal couple includes a 23-year-old engineering student.  (My home includes a 21-year-old engineering student).  The young man asked his parents to find him a wife.  They checked with church friends and found a young 17-year-old girl.  The couple spent a single day together before their parents demanded a decision about whether they would marry.  I've spent longer than that picking out a purse.

The Unification Church claims that 70% of its member couples whose marriages were arranged are still together and it points out that 50% of non-arranged marriages end in divorce.  The article notes that arranged marriages are also common among Hindu and Jewish couples.  Okay, religious ceremonies and rituals tend to be lifelong beliefs, taught in infancy and followed as adults.  I may not "get" why anyone would want such a fundamental life decision to be taken out of their hands, but I can respect it as a part of another culture.  (I also don't understand the worship of cows or trees, but I have no problem with people who believe those things)

The author of the article tracked down a psychologist, Robert Epstein, who argues that arranged marriages work because couples start out with low expectations, their families lend support, and love grows slowly.  Stephanie Coontz, a research director for the Council on Contemporary Families,  notes that arranged marriages are often products of societies where young people have few choices and can be quite repressive for women.

My curiosity over how Unificationists sell arranged marriage to modern children was answered later in the story with a comment that the Church frowns on dating.  I bet if you grew up in a town where everyone rode horses, the first car anyone drove into town would look mighty enticing - even if it was a beat up 2002 PT Cruiser like the one I drive.

My take on arranging love and marriage?  I agree that an arranged marriage would be an organized, sensible and wholly reasonable way to find a spouse.  But I think it's as likely to lead to love as latching onto the person in line ahead of you at the post office.  Love is disorganized and chaotic.  It will turn you inside out and your world upside down.  Love is an utterly unreasonable emotion -- and there's no better guarantee for a happy marriage or a happy life than spending it with someone who still makes your pulse pound after more than 20 years of marriage.

Love is an unreasonable expectation of a mundane world - and wouldn't life be a mighty poor experience if we abandoned our quest for it?

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Today it was my turn to post over at ADAN. Our topic this month is memories.

Please boogle on over and check out my post about Memory Bridge. And if you're a fan of Shonda "Sunshine" Rhimes or her new show "Scandal", you might check out my mini- rant on how I think she got it wrong.

Don't forget to comment - on writing, memories OR on two of my other favorites subjects:  Scanal and Grey's Anatomy.

So, waddle on over and quack back in the comments on the ADAN blog!!

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This post isn't about me - although I'm approaching the big "50" - and there's no Hawaii involved.  This post is to express my joy that a whole new generation is falling in love with some of the romances that made me fall love with the genre enough to want to write my own stories.  There's been a back list bonanza of late.  I think it's hurt sales of newer authors - like me - but I think it's given a bunch of new readers a chance to find out the truth about "old school" romances.

Back in the earlier days of the genre authors weren't hemmed in by "should" and "shouldn't" and they weren't locked in the prison of propriety that cages us today.  Those  authors understood that a book was the place where rules didn't exist and the impossible became the imperative.  Writers of early romance fearlessly took us into stories where tall, dark, handsome rogues who'd always gotten everything they wanted didn't see a reason why the new damsel should be any different.  And if she didn't want him at first, well, he'd see that she wanted him a lot and very soon.  Maybe he ripped her bodice -- but he didn't pull out whips and chains.  No, the whips and chains in early romance were emotional rather than physical and they were never wielded by the hero - punishment and instruction were masterfully administered by the heroine. 

Earlier writers realized that romance novels were the perfect places to turn dark, forbidden longings into the deep throbbing core of lust that would move the readers as it nourished the story so that it could grow and blossom and evolve.  They knew that readers would watch the heroes' use of force the way we all slow down and gape at the scene of a car crash.  

Readers would be horrified and aghast, but they'd also be engaged and sympathetic to the heroine's journey.  They'd cheer for her as she fascinated the hero with her charm or her wit, they'd adore her as she grew to do more than enjoy the lust - she invited it.  And they'd smile, laugh or even growl as she ground the man beneath a tidal wave of lust seeded with something so new and so foreign that he didn't recognize it.  By the time the hero groveled for the affections of the woman he'd once forced, the readers had more than forgiven him - they adored him to0.

So, to the new generation of romance readers - I encourage you to cast aside your preconceptions and remember that a book is a make believe world where we can enjoy things we'd revile in daily life.  In a book we can find a serial killer fascinating and we can delve deeply into the madness that motivates his mania.  It doesn't mean we don't think real life killers should be locked away.  It surely doesn't mean that when you encounter a serial killer you should invite him in for tea.  When the squawkers squawk, you should keep your wits and your reason about you and remember - books are the safe place to explore many things you don't want to encounter in the hallway of your house. 

And yes, Virginia, that includes force - even without the facade of S&M to make it politically permissible.

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Published on 1 Comment on Welcome Back to an Old Friend With A New Vibe

The award-winning "Romance Divas" blog is BACK!! It's been on hiatus to get all gussied up and it's looking and feeling mighty sharp.

If you're looking for insight into the romance industry, you can't beat the Diva's advice and knowledge of the profession from pubbed to indie and back again. Today, they're also dishing on fun stuff, like, how TV can help writers compose authentic, believable dialogue. Readers of this blog know what show I had to suggest as having great dialogue, right?

Waddle on over to read my Grey's comment and leave a comment about your favorite TV spot for dialogue.  Be sure to mention that the crazy duck lady sent you -

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Mommy porn?  Wuthering Heights "with a torture chamber"?  Is it "poorly written and utterly ridiculous" or is it "heartbreaking and deep"?

I don't know about any of those things, but I know that the three parts or books in the "Fifty Shades of Grey" series have occupied the top 3 spots on Amazon's romance best seller list for at least the last several weeks.  I also know that Hollywood studios got into a bidding war for the movie rights to the book by EL James and I know that means millions in the multiples.

There are a couple of other things I know about the current "it" books - (1) I haven't read them yet despite an enthusiastic recommendation from a co-worker because the books would cost $30.00 and that's a big chunk and (2)  I'm tickled chartreuse for the author, EL James, who is an indie sensation because she wrote the books as Twilight fan fiction and only later did they get picked up by a small publisher.   It makes me very happy whenever writers succeed and it makes me particularly happy to see an indie author do so well.

It's the success of the books that confuses me.  I understand that the tale of Christian and Anastasia is set - like Twilight - in Washington State. He's a billionaire and she's a college student filling in for her roommate to interview him for the campus newspaper.  I understand that she's embarrassed by some of her friend's questions and he's intrigued and pursues her, trying to get her to sign a contract to be the submissive to his dominant.  Reviewers say Christian only has dominant-submissive relationships, that he pursues Anastasia "madly" and that he stalks her, is jealous of any real interaction she has with other men and he wants to control her on his terms.  

Reading those reviews and descriptions of the book, and considering its absolutely amazing popularity have me shaking my head in confusion and saying - WHAT?

See, I still love what most folks these days call either "old school romance"  or "bodice rippers."  Those are novels that started the romance genre, written by amazing authors like the late Kathleen Woodiwiss and by Rosemary Rogers, amongst many, many others.  As I've said on this blog many times, Woodiwisses' "The Flame and The Flower" is one of my all time romance faves.  But in recent years, loving those "old school bodice rippers" has become very, very UN-popular. 

People have railed against how the "old school bodice rippers" show men controlling women - dominating women.  And that's bad - right?  It's bad even though by the end of the book the hero inevitably had been "schooled" by the heroine.  He'd learned to value her gentle emotions and he'd learned to love her while she'd learned to value his passion.  That's all bad and wrong and unpopular.  It doesn't sell for beans today now, does it?

Before the Grey phenom, I'd have said, absolutely.  Put the bodice rippers in a box and bury 'em because they're dead.  I'd have said that women today don't want to read about dominating men and heroines who love them.  I'd have said that any book showing a heroine as submissive to a man was D.O.A.  But apparently - I'd have been dead wrong. 

That's where my Fifty Shades of Confusion starts.  Because I wonder -- if someone today wrote "The Flame And The Flower" as a contemporary - would it become the next big thing? 

I'm hoping that the fans brave enough, bold enough, and assertive enough to love "Fifty Shades of Grey" may become smart enough to realize that political correctness is the wrong yardstick to use to measure any book.  It's the 21st century and today a woman can enjoy reading about a domineering man, and then put the book down to go and chair a board meeting, perform surgery, argue an appeal  -- or diaper an infant and prepare dinner.

Maybe the phrase "mommy porn" is today's version of the phrase "bodice ripper."  And if that's the case, you know what I think we should do?  I think we should dig up those "bodice rippers" we buried and stuff all the labels in the coffins instead. 

Women can be - and read- whatever we like and we can do it without justifying it to anyone.