Registered: Oct 2003
Location: Kansas
Posts: 275

Hmm. Maybe we can drum up some conversation on this list again. What's everyone reading?

I'm currently whizzing through a book by award-winning mystery writer Nancy Pickard, THE VIRGIN OF SMALL PLAINS. I haven't been sucked into a book so fast in ages. I'd term this a "literary mystery" although the publisher labels it "suspense." To me, it's rather reminiscent of a Jodi Picoult novel, albeit, Pickard needs no lofty comparisons... she's a wonderful writer.

How about you?
Jerri

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HOME BY STARLIGHT (Summer, 2006)

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What a coincidence that you should ask this.

I'm currently about 2/3 of the way through Home by Starlight. I heartily recommend it.

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Registered: Oct 2003
Location: Kansas
Posts: 275

Home by Starlight, eh? That's what I like to hear! I just finished VIRGIN (see previous post)... nice twist at the end. I really hadn't guessed in advance whodunnit--and that's unusual for me!

Right now I'm reading a Debbie Macomber book--and will follow it by Nicholas Sparks (AT FIRST SIGHT? I think that's the right title.) Why? I had a couple of readers compare my works to theirs--I think Ms. Macomber's because she also deals in large casts of characters and a small town series--so I wanted to see if I could tell why. Yep, pure self-absorption. (And isn't amazing I haven't read any books by these authors before? Too many good books, too little time!)

Since I'm considering it "research," I get a tax write-off for the cost of the books, right?

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LOL, yes, it works for me! It's interesting to see how people compare books--everyone focuses on different things. So, how's the research going? Do you agree with the comparisons?

Currently reading Dennis Lehane's Prayers for Rain. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed this author. Intense and dark, though--I'll need to read something light next.

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I had to look up Prayers for Rain as that author had slipped under my radar. But of course. Mystic River. Dark and intense is right. I'm intrigued after reading the reviews. Have you read the others in his series about this P.I?

Am I agreeing with the comparisons? Good question. There's obvious similaries with Ms. Macomber--the big cast, the small town, the series. She has, though, multiple--and I mean multiple--POVs. Shifting gears to "speak" in all those different voices must be a challenge!

The book (6 Rainier Drive) is WF; mine are, of course, romance. After STARLIGHT was pubbed, I had a reviewer applaud the book but also express the wish that I hadn't adhered so much to the "romance conventions." (But when your publisher tells you the book will have "romance" on the spine and that's what you're contracted to write...) And actually, what Ms Macomber has done is what I'd like to do with the HOME series... let it segue into books that, while certainly not excluding romance, don't necessarily have romance as the core of the story.

So, as far as research goes, it's stimulated ideas about writing the next book from several female POVs... but love would still be a core subject. Rediscovering love. Unexpected love. Unrequited love. Cool.

But when a writer wants to get paid for what she does, once published, "what's next" becomes a collaboration between author desires and publisher wants. So we'll see...

As for Nicholas Sparks... I'm only a short ways into the book. From what I've seen so far, I'd say my attempt to reach for the emotion and his no-holds-barred go-for-the-gut writing might be where the comparison came from. He does it so well, though... he pulls no punches. I admire that!

Jerri

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HOME BY STARLIGHT (Summer, 2006)

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Yes, I've read Lehane's previous books about this P.I. Unfortunately, Prayers for Rain seems to be the last one. Tough on us readers when an author stops a series. I'm sure I'll check out the next books, though Mystic River was really hard for me to watch--the kids hit too close to home, so I'm a bit wary of trying the book.

Romance conventions? Other than the HEA ending, what do you see as romance conventions? I can definitely imagine stories in the HOME series that don't involve romance--you've built a complex family & community there, with lots of possibilities. Do you think you'll be able to branch out, or has the series been pigeonholed?

It's interesting to see how a book that's both similar to and different from your own sparks ideas for future work--if I were an IRS agent, I'd say you could definitely deduct it.

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Registered: Oct 2003
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A lot to comment on!

Mystic River: I waited until it was out on DVD to see it. There are some movies I know I'll react to intensely, and I sometimes need to take a breather in the hallway before returning to it. Yes, it was tough to watch, but very, very good. I'd be wary of the book, too... my imagination is often more vivid than what a movie can depict. You, too?

When I speak of "romance conventions," I'm speaking about what you (typically) find in mass market paperbacks with romance no the spine, not about books not marketed as romance that include a love story. Hope that makes sense....

In books marketed as romance...

Besides HEA, there's also more emphasis put on sexual tension, the physical: the telling glance, the brush of an arm, the noting of physical characteristics.

The books are usually (not always) told from two POVs--the hero and heroine's. Almost all scenes will feature at least thoughts of the other.

Even if they spend a lot of imaginary time apart--like in SING ME HOME when Jon and Lil are parted by his road trip for three or four months--you'll note that this time is often shrunk into mostly narrative form so that on the pages, at least, the reader isn't given much time with them apart.

Also, even if it takes them a while to get togehter in the beginning (and usually it doesn't--usually there's some scenario that throws them together nearly immediately), they'll be present in each others' lives and have some "telling thoughts" about the other.

Too, most editors--unless the author is noted for "sweet" romance--will urge sexual encounters. Whether it's true or not, the adage is still "sex sells."

In my view, there's also much more attention paid to making both the hero and heroine "sympathetic." So if you have a protagonist who has... oh, say had an extramarital affair at some point, or gave a baby up for adoption, or committed a crime... you'd better give him/her a sympathetic reason for it. This has been something my editor has worked with me on in some instances. I tend to want to just present the gritty truth: that sometimes we act selfishly with disasterous results and there's not much to sympathize with in those cases!

These are generalities, of course--and I've probably missed some--but if there's "romance" on the spine and it's shelved in the romance section, these are often reader expectations. And what nobody wants--especially the author--is to create an expectation that the reader is getting something different than what the marketing implies. Not that writers have much, if any, say over cover art and back-cover blurbs.

That said, though, a lot of authors often break "the rules," and their editors approve it.

I've tended--as have a number of other romance authors--to push the envelope some. Believe me, when I was initially marketing SING ME HOME--the book I think of as being more "romance" than the others--I experienced a lot of (agent) resistence to including issues that might overshadow the romance at times, to the large casts of characters, to my characters spending time apart, etc etc.

What's interesting is that in the next HOME book (TAKE ME HOME is the title recently decided on--I'm checking on pub date, but I think it's Sept. 2007), my two protagonists aren't together until at least midway through the book--and she's engaged to someone else when it starts.

So once you've built an audience, there's more leeway. But my books have always had a WF-flavor, so even if what is on the spine changes, my voice and what I tend to write won't. I.e. love is a huge part of our existence--I'm not purposely going to exclude it and it probably will be present in some shape or form in whatever I write in the future.

Deep breath...

As for the series being pigeon-holed. Yes, there's often publisher resistance to making any noticeable moves into a different direction... mainly because they're concerned that readers won't get what they thought they would. I don't think that, for me, a segue into WF would be a big step since the books rather straddle a WF/romance line anyway.

I'm feeling ready to flex my creative muscles and do something different, but at the same time I don't want to abandon the series. Maybe I'll end up doing two things, who knows? I think I mentioned elsewhere that "what's next" ends up being a collaboration between what the author wants to write and what the publisher wants her to write. Right (write? ) now, we're talking about what that will be!



Jerri

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Wow, thanks for such a well-thought-out reply!

Yes, my imagination tends to get pretty vivid with books. I remember starting a book years ago that opened with the rape and murder of a young girl, and I had to put it down. Months later, I did finish it--but I never did read that first chapter. On the other hand, you do control your own pacing with a book, so if it gets too tense, you can take a break, or read really fast past the bad parts. I think Mystic River is actually in my TBR pile somewhere--if it is, I will read it eventually. Books don't get out of my house unread--even if it takes years.

Thanks so much for settting down the romance conventions like that--I recognized them all immediately (and you're right--there are plenty of exceptions, but they do apply in general), but hadn't really thought them through. It also makes me appreciate even more the authors who do push the limits.

quote:

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So if you have a protagonist who has... oh, say had an extramarital affair at some point, or gave a baby up for adoption, or committed a crime... you'd better give him/her a sympathetic reason for it. This has been something my editor has worked with me on in some instances. I tend to want to just present the gritty truth: that sometimes we act selfishly with disasterous results and there's not much to sympathize with in those cases!

---

If you're still looking at books that have something in common with yours, have you read Kathryn Shay? Her single titles for Berkley are like yours in that respect--more of the gritty truth, less of the completely sympathetic characters.

As far as reader expectations go, I think your covers have done an excellent job of showing that the books have a women's fiction flavor--no half-dressed hunks on the front, even if the spine does say "contemporary romance."

Make sure you keep us posted on what you decide for the future. I'm glad we're getting at least one more in the series, but it would be interesting to see what else you come up with, too.

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Registered: Oct 2003
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Posts: 23

Hi Darla:

I used to hang out here a lot a few years ago I think, but I must have started writing more and LIFE was happening.

Now I'm thrilled to find the board is active again.
I have asked this question today on "Ask the Authors and Editors" but have decided to put the question here also.

I have a light paranormal mystery with second plot romance (now what's a story without a man )
and wanted to know if NAL or imprints accept submissions and other info like that "without" an agent?

Hope so. Thanks for any help

Judi

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Judi, congratulations on writing more! Sorry I don't know the answer to your question. I do know that agents make things easier, but whether they're a must for NAL, I don't know.

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