Archive for May, 2005

The Experts Have Spoken

Tuesday, May 17th, 2005

For those among us who like to think we know everything - I’m, of course, speaking about myself - here is the 2005 list of The 101 Best Websites for Writers as decided by Writer’s Digest. 
Now, I got a little skeptical when I saw the first site was about print-on-demand publishing.  There are some [...]

Did Someone Say Beta?

Monday, May 16th, 2005

A few weeks back Jorie and I chatted on her site about beta heroes versus alpha heroes.  This was part of my search for a book with a compelling - read: not squishy or boring - beta hero.  She made some suggestions and directed me to a Jennifer Crusie book that happened to be balancing [...]

No Genre Is Spared

Sunday, May 15th, 2005

It’s as if some reviewers look for ways to insult popular fiction.  The review of Jacquelyn Mitchard’s book THE BREAKDOWN LANE in People  - yeah, the magazine about all that’s good and popular in society - starts like this:
There are chick lit writers, and then there are novelists like Mitchard who write about - and [...]

Girls Gone Stupid

Friday, May 13th, 2005

Keishon has some ideas about what’s wrong with heroines in romantic suspense novels.  We can probably sum it up in one word - stupid.  They tend to act off-the-charts stupid.  She lists out 9 ridiculous things we accept from these women - you know, the same acts that would land a real woman in jail, [...]

A Pitch Is Still A Pitch

Thursday, May 12th, 2005

For anyone who has ever dreaded the pitch - those 10 minute sessions with either an editor or agent at a writing conference where the goal is to garner some interest in your manuscript - take heart.  We are not alone.  The USC School of Cinema-Television has taken this practice to a new and vomit-inducing [...]

Does Mel Gibson Know About This?

Wednesday, May 11th, 2005

I’m not an Anne Rice reader.  I saw INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE under protest.  It was 1994 and the cast including Christian Slater, Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise was supposed to be a compelling draw for an unmarried woman in her 20s.  It wasn’t. Apparently the vampire craze didn’t thrill me then either.  Again, I like [...]

My Book Hero Can Beat Up Your Movie Hero

Tuesday, May 10th, 2005

Now, a post about something other than me.  Well, something not totally about me.
Sunday’s Washington Post, the same newspaper that brought us Watergate, has once again attempted to tackle a compelling topic of great intellectual debate.  The article?  Well, it was a hard hitting news story about men in chick flick movies called, Chick Flick [...]

THE CALL - Yeah, That One

Monday, May 9th, 2005

Okay, the title of this one probably gives it away.  So what.  I’ll only get The Call, that first sale, once so indulge me while I ramble on about it for one full blog entry.  Here we go….
At approximately 3:00 p.m. - okay, at exactly 3:03 p.m., who am I kidding - on Friday, May [...]

Those Wacky Women At Yale

Sunday, May 8th, 2005

I will take a risk and say Elizabeth Archibald, then senior at Yale and editor of the Yale Review Of Books, is not a romance fan.  In this article, she debates the virtues of writing romance.  Could be me, maybe I’m mis-reading her here, maybe I’m a bit slow, but I’m thinking she’s decided to [...]

Stop The Madness

Saturday, May 7th, 2005

I’ve seen some version of this question 3 times this week.  I’ve hit my limit.  Disclaimer:  This isn’t going to be nice or even slightly politically correct so if you’re one of those "I only like warm, fuzzy blogs" types, stop reading now.  Come back Monday.  I’ll have some good news then.  Well, good for [...]