I was Tagged - again - by Chris!

Total Number Books I Own: Holy crap. I have NO bloody idea, and I'm not about to count them. Let's just say A LOT.

Last Book Read: UNDERCOVER LOVERS by Julie Kenner

Book Sitting On My Coffee Table I'm Planning To Read: I've been reading a lot of Blazes to see if I want to target the line, but suspense is beckoning me back. ALONE by Lisa Gardner (I sooooooo love her!) is really shouting quite loudly.

Five Books That Mean A Lot to Me:

1. ENVY, by Sandra Brown - my first ever romantic suspense. My all time fav.
2. ON WRITING, by Stephen King - read my blog and you'll know why. He gives me permission to be me.
3. CRY NO MORE, by Linda Howard - although not my all time fav Howard novel (KILL & TELL gets that ribbon, cuz dayum, I'll forever lust Marc Chastain..*drool*), it ripped my heart out as an adoptee and gave me the inside view of the mother's lifelong search, and final FOUND. I have goosebumps fresh on my arms just THINKING about it.
4) THE PERFECT HUSBAND, by Lisa Gardner - my fav (so far) of her books, with a hero so dark, he makes me hurt for him and want to fix him myself. He isn't perfect, doesn't want to be perfect, and could NEVER be perfect. And I adore him.
5) THE SEDUCTIVE IMPOSTER, by Janet Chapman - She befriended me last year, my first year at Nationals, and omg, I was SUCH a glaring newbie. She held back her two new releases at a signing simply because I told her I'd be there. Besides the warm fuzzies I will forever feel for Janet herself, THE SEDUCTIVE IMPOSTER was the first book that told me it's okay to laugh while you worry yourself sick. It's a romantic suspense, absolutely threaded with laugh out loud moments. It was yet another of my "firsts".

And here ya go, the next five victims:
Gena Showalter
Kristen Painter
Gina Welborn
Teresa Baskinski Eckford
Shannon McKelden

Men vs. Women: Logic vs. Emotion

So this has been an interesting topic of conversation in my life lately. Apparently, men are more logical than women (yes, a man said that...I know, you're as shocked as I am with that little revelation.) Women, however, are *emotional*. (Duh.) However, does that mean men have no emotion, are NEVER lead by their emotions (no, I did NOT say penis, thankyouverymuch!) and women are ONLY moved by emotion, and NEVER logic?

Well, saying it that way, it seems like a stupid question. But is it? Can women separate logic from emotion? I think so. I'd LIKE to think so. However, every single time I think of a "for instance", there's an emotion linked to it. A past memory for my actions/words/whatever. An opinion...an emotion. I can't imagine the world in black and white, black OR white, logic OR emotion. To me, they go hand in hand.

Granted, some are more emotional than others, and some people are naturally more logical than others. Writer vs. attorney, for instance. I'm sure, regardless of their "career", you can INSTANTLY assign, in your mind, the logical one as the attorney, dealing with facts, and the emotional one as the writer...especially if you ARE a writer and thus you go through 4985047850345 emotions in an hour with your work in progress. What if I said, however, that the attorney is the female, and the writer is a male? Kinda changes up that mental image you had going there, didn't it?

And it also proves my point. Men are not more logical than women (hello?! We will ask direction when lost!). But I DO believe that we are also more emotional. (Yeah yeah, I know you guys are still stuck up there where I mentioned "penis" and are like..what? What do you mean you don't mean my penis?!?! Move along and keep up, k?) So if you ADD our emotion to our logic, yet you do NOT add the emotion to the male's logic, it *appears* we're merely emotional. Make sense? If you're a guy, you're probably scowling at the screen and thinkin' HUH? If you're a chick, 10 to 1 odds, you're nodding, because you TOTALLY understood all of that.

And THAT, my friends, is *logical*.

Yes, it is.

Tomorrow, I'll tell you why I'm thinking so much about this. Oh wait..it's an idea for a book, so no, you'll just have to wait and read it.

Deal.

Can I Get a YEEHAW?!

I forgot to mention when speaking a bit ago regarding the RWR. If you look in the front inside cover, you'll see the HUGE neon green ad for Julie Kenner's new book: THE GIVENCHY CODE.

Here are some quotes for your viewing pleasure:

"Kenner is one of my favorite writers. Funny and sassy, her books are a cherished delight." ~bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon

"Kenner's star is definitely on the ascent." ~Publishers Weekly
(Well said, btw.)

Then, if you don't mind, look at the FULL BACK COVER and you'll find Dee Davis rockin' the romantic suspense world. Listing all three of her new releases (whew, makes me tired just THINKING it) of ENIGMA, EXPOSURE, and ENDGAME. And allow me some more quotes for you:

"Dee Davis is at the top of her game." ~Mariah Stewart, Bestselling author

"As a suspense novelist, Davis just keeps lifting the bar." ~Romantic Times

Why a yeehaw? 'Cause they're BOTH from my local Austin chapter and they both absolutely rock. Although Dee now lives in New Yawk, we still like her to hang out with us Texans. ~wink~ As they say, you can take the girl outta Texas, but you can't take Texas outta the girl.

"Your stories deserve no less."

I suppose it's all right to quote someone, as long as you give them credit for it, right? If it's not, I trust one of you will let me know. The above quote is from Jennifer Crusie's PROgress article for the June RWR. That was the 2nd to the last sentence of the article. Powerful, isn't it? The last sentence is moreso:

"And so do you."

Wow. Like when I was reading ON WRITING, again, it's like one of my favorite writers is GIVING me permission to expect the best, not only from me, but the industry as a whole. Permission not only to write, like Stephen King gave, but permission to not settle, like Jenny Crusie just did. I have no idea why I find these little comments to be so powerful to me, why I feel like they're directed right AT me, but I do.

Jenny's article was actually about agents. I swear to all things holy, she must have heard about the angst on the PRO loops as we crashed the National database in our scurrying to get agent appointments. I can only imagine that's why she addressed agents like she did, as did Tara Taylor Quinn on her FROM THE PRESIDENT address at the beginning of the mag. Reminding us to be TRUE PROs. Professional writers. And I'm still convinced I won't get my agent from a pitch. I don't think I'll get one, either, from querying, although I won't write that out entirely. I think I'll get my perfect agent from yakkin' it up and being myself, or from a referral. I don't know why I think this, I just do. ~shrug~

Jenny reminds us in her article that she was new to all of this once, too. I think a lot of new writers forget that little fact. Nora Roberts was new. Jennifer Crusie was new. Linda Howard was new. They have their own rejection letters sitting around, I'm sure. And yet look at them now. Is it any wonder that we're told persistence is a key to a career in writing? Keep going, keep trying, keep pushing, keep learning, and most importantly, keep growing.

So the quote above, and the 2nd quote as well, are in regard to agents. Don't settle. YOU and I deserve the best match, not the first offer. And isn't THAT hard to think about? I'd get all kinds of giggly just having an agent request a partial. Now I'm not even submitting. Why? I know my stuff isn't ready, and 2) I know who I'm going after. I know who I want. I just got to get my voice and my characters to make them want me just as badly.

And I have the confidence that I can. And will.

Fluffy White Clouds & Bright Blinding Sunshine

Well, I couldn't take it anymore -- negativity on the first post -- bad BAD karma! I got several replies on my uber-negative post regarding B, and sorry, can't remember off the top of my head which one of you said your husband never reads your work or even blog either, let me tell ya, total kindred-spirit moment. Those that understand, you make my heart ache in that you DO understand in such a way. Those that ARE my support group here, you have my eternal devotion.

So I came here to post to get the negative one off the "top", thus, the title above. But, let's look at that blinding sunshine. Texas. End of May. 'Nuff said. ~sigh~ Two days left of school, then the heathens are here full time. All four. FOUR.

Note to self: Make sure all refills are filled for the Xanax.

If I had a uterus, I'd birth the child of the person that created Xanax.
Yes I would.

Feel the Love

So, as I said two posts down, I did come up with a new story line last night. I tell B, "Hey! Guess what?! I just came up with a new story line!!"

B: "I don't even want to hear it."

Me: ~insert my frown here~ "Why not?"

B: "Why would I?"

Well, nevermind then. His support is just drowning me in the high waves of love rolling over me. Not.

For those of you with great support systems, buy the person some chocolate and tell them thanks. Today.

Don't Quit Your Day Job

Wanna know how much a writer makes? Go here.

The "S" Word

Yeah, you think you already know what it is. If you're a writer, you DEFINITELY know what it is. If you're not a writer, you THINK you know what it is, and granted, it's probably right in the same vile-word category.

SYNOPSIS!!!

You chicken. I see you flailing and screaming and ripping your clothes from your panicked body, reminescent of Old Testament times, and I'm sure your dramatic performance would impress even poor ol' Job's wife. But really, it's okay. I promise.

And I just LIED!

In my last post, I mentioned how I'm not planning on writing full time until late August, and now is the perfect opportunity to say what I WILL be doing. Last night, I came up with a new story line, and then I fleshed it out bouncing it off someone (not B) and realized that for a short category, I'm dang near the point of being able to write a short synopsis on it. Imagine that.

Many writers I know are on the FIRST DRAFT email loop that gives little articles and news in the publishing world. Today I got two on SYNOPSIS. If you know me mostly as a writer, you'll know already that I'm collecting all things synopsis. I'm printing out anything I think is valuable, even if it's just a one pager. I went to Julie Kenner's class she gave our Austin group. Also, if you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll remember my rant on how nothing in publishing has any definite rules, minus that blasted 37 cent SASE. So I figure I'll take bits and pieces of everything I've learned to create my own style. Sounds like a FABULOUS plan, doesn't it? Thanks, I thought so, too.

So this morning, while reading Noah Lukeman's FIRST FIVE PAGES, I look up at my email and see the First Draft emails are here, and they're on synopses. Well rock on. I can add them to the 200 sheets already in my SYNOPSIS BINDER (yes, I have an entire binder devoted JUST to synopses...I'm such a loser.) Imagine my surprise when I'm reading this article and it says (my paraphrase) "I'm not even going to cover the format of a synopsis, that's something you should all already know."

Umm, 'scuse me? Some insist that your synopsis be double spaced like the 'script. Some say single spaced. Some say single spaced, but only up to 2 pages. If you double space, start each new paragraph with an indention. If you're single spacing it, left justify all paragraphs with leaving a single line break between each one. Some people say you can use Times New Roman (once again, refer back to my rant post). Some say that if the 'script is done in Courier New, the synopsis should be as well. Some say that doesn't matter.

And frankly, I think I'm going to stick to the Kenner and Brennan method. If you do it right (whichever right may be for YOU), it's not going to matter what FORMAT you use. Julie recently told us that she sent out one that was 22 pages (maybe 25, not sure, but it was HONKIN'!) and not only that, but it was alllllll single spaced. Granted, she's published and published TONS, but it just goes to show there is no ONE way. After looking at the publishing business for a year now, I'm totally believing her and Allison. If so many people have SO many opinions on what way is the "right way", then they must have succeeded in "that" way, right? Which means each editor, each agent that said, "Yes, we want you" made that author believe they had the Magic Synopsis Key. All of that simply proves there is no ONE right way.

So I'll do it the way I think represents my book in its best light. And not enter a single contest in which some anal judge (not all are, but we all had that one, haven't we?) will mark me down based on HER opinion, and not score me for the ONE appropriate thing: Does my synopsis tell and sell the story?

So there.

When Does Studying Become Counter-productive?

As any follower of my blog knows, I haven't been writing much lately. In all honesty, I haven't written much at all since the completion of my first novel, and at the same time, my discovery of RWA and the realization of how clueless I was. The revisions on that one completed novel are HUGE and daunting, because NOW I know exactly how many problems the manuscript holds. So what do I do with it? Nothing.

There are a lot of writers out there that write that first novel and then it's forever tucked in a drawer or hidden under their bed, trading gossip with the off-season clothings and the occasional dust bunnies, and every now and then chattin' it up with the sex toys hidden under there in the hopes that the children never delve in the darkness as their mother perpetuates the myth of monsters under the bed.

But not my first novel. The book is good. The premise is unique. But it was written by an amateur SO green that her olive skin damn near glowed. Although I've started several other stories since then, none of them are more than a chapter in length. The ideas are there, the stories showing promises and fun in the revelation of plot and character, but yet I don't pick them up and work on them.

Also, if you read this blog, you know that I plan on writing fulltime come the end of August, when my youngest of the four heathens starts school. I will have all day to write, to plot and plan and kill the darlings in my books. And if you read the PASSION thread here, you'll see why I'm postponing. Because I know once I open the door where the stories live, they'll flood out and the damn will be very hard to stop back up again. I become consumed, and it's a bit frightening. As much as JBM wants to implement a schedule, I just don't work that way. I'm left-handed, to begin with, and he's SO anally right-handed (and thus, left-brained) that he can't understand my fears and my trepidation. And now Foster is up my ass too, pushing and pushing, wanting me to produce results and "work on my gift". Well, I WILL. Someday...

With the plan that I'm going to start writing full time in the fall (late summer), I've decided to spend that time reading anything and everything. My TBR (To Be Read) shelf is literally overflowing, and that's just "my line". That has nothing to do with the crapload of craft books I've gotten. As posted, I've finished King's ON WRITING and I've moved on to Lukeman's FIRST FIVE PAGES. Up next will be Maass's WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL. While reading these on the craft of writing, I'm able to read fiction for the fun of it. I just started Kathleen O'Reilley's THE DIVA'S GUIDE TO SELLING HER SOUL and on page 11, I'm already in love with it and the concept. Thankfully, I can read a non-fiction at the same time as fiction, the only way I can absorb two books at the same time.

My reasoning is thus: Why write, or revise, when there's SO MUCH for me to learn? I don't want my next book to have such wicked revisions looking at me, mocking my fear and my time and everything else on the freakin' planet. I want to do my best the first time, to have a first draft with only one re-write. So I need to finish SELF-EDITING by by Browne & King and NO MORE REJECTIONS by Orr before I even begin to look at my next idea and committ to paper. Does that make sense?

But when will enough be enough? At what point does the idea of studying the craft of writing replace the precious time to actually WRITE? I don't know. I really don't. I'd like to think I could study in the mornings then write at night, but my tenacious personality just doesn't work like that. So I'm doing things in typical Brenda-style. All or nothing. So I'll continue to consume the craft books while ideas float in and out of my mind. I am noting things as they come to me: Witty stories, quirky personalities and even fabulous titles, and making note of them so that when the time comes to sit down and PRODUCE, I have an arsenal to pull from.

On a writing note, rather than study/craft, I do have a goal: I plan on entering the Always the Bride contest with my first book (the first three chapters have been revised to hell and back) from when I finaled in The Merritt. I've been absorbing the feedback of judges, and I've already got huge plans for changing the first part yet again. So by the time Nationals is over, I should have a firm gasp on reworking THE HAUNTING OF ELIZABETH.

In the meantime, Liz is just gonna have to do with bumpin' uglies with Alex and wait her turn to get to the revisions. I'm sure she's miserable at the idea, but she'll live.

Check it out!

If you look at my links to the left, you'll see I've added a lot of new blogs to my list (some are listed under "authors" but most are under "BLOGS" if I'm linking a blog.) I found some GREAT ones out there today, and I've been spending WAY too much time posting on them. ~sigh~

I'm off to start THE FIRST FIVE PAGES.

Frankly, I feel sorry for Mr. Lukeman. After ON WRITING, he's having to follow some...err...stiff (cough) competition.

Anyway, check out the others. They're great!