HelenKay Dimon

It’s official: my lawyer days are over…at least for now. Friday was the last day. Of course, that means I had to go in today and finish up everything. But, now that stuff is done too.

The house is packed. Phone was turned off – 5 days too early, so good job telephone company! Internet service is off. The modem, computer, television, Tivo box and everything else we own – all safely tucked into boxes and ready to go. We hit the road tomorrow or Wednesday, depending on how fast all these packed up stuff gets loaded into the truck. Then we drive. And drive. And drive.

Will try to check in from the road. In my absence, I’ll post (via the timed posting function on Wordpress) some information about a few books I either picked up or read before taking off.

Be back soon…

Even though 2006 is not over, the Best of 2006 lists are starting. First out of the gate – or the first I’ve seen – is Amazon. I’m guessing the goal here is to have you come to the site, see the list, have an “oh, I missed that book” moment and then order for the holidays either for yourself or someone else. Works for me.

There are separate lists for editor picks and customer picks. The picks are in almost every genre category. Romance is included. Top of the romance list on the editor picks is Shana Abe’s The Dream Thief . For some reason, the top romance selection is indicated by #0. Ummm, okay. In the #1 slot is JR Ward’s Lover Eternal. On the customer picks, Nora Roberts’ Dance of the Gods is #0. Dark Celebration by Christine Feehan is #1.

And, in case you’re wondering, Nora Roberts titles take the #0, #2, #3 and #4 slots on the customer picks list. Feehan books are in the #1, #6 and #9 positions. Not that I’m suggesting readers are stuck in a reading rut or anything…

This entry may appear to contradict yesterday’s blog which praised the UK. It doesn’t. Trust me.

American Revolution. Declaration of Independence. July 4, 1776. American independence from Great Britain. The freedom-loving colonies versus the evil British Empire. Any of this ring a bell?

Despite the war and George Washington and Yorktown and all that, we continue to struggle with the idea of separating from the British. Now, no one loves Britain more than I do. Lived in London during my junior year in college. But – and I could not be more serious about this – it’s time to let Princess Diana go. She died in 1997. She hasn’t worn a newsworthy outfit in public in almost a decade. Come on, people, why this and why now:

NON-FICTION: ILLUSTRATED/ART
Colin McDowell’s DIANA STYLE, with an introduction by Manolo Blahnik, the authoritative story of the making of a fashion icon, from her days as shy teenager to admired woman of the world, with over 100 remarkable photos, original designers’ sketches, and new information from her key fashion advisers and Palace insiders, to Hope Dellon at St. Martin’s, in a nice deal, by Alison Bond of Alison Bond & Associates, on behalf of Aurum Press (NA).

“New” information? Are you kidding? Leave the woman alone. There has to be some other famous person out there wearing an outfit worth chatting about – move on.

According to The Book Standard, romance is alive and well in the UK. The increase in sales for Harlequin Mills & Boon is only the beginning. Some credit goes to the Lit craze:

Rising to the challenge of the changing demand for story content, publishers are producing whole new sub-genres of romantic fiction. Alongside the classics and the Regency romances, there is now divorce lit, hen lit and even so-called “granny lit”: Transita publishes books that reflect the lives of mature women. Borders, which holds 200 romance titles in its core stock (up on 2005), has done well this year with Nora Roberts, Josephine Cox, Julia Quinn and Barbara Taylor Bradford. Family sagas, such as the work of Lesley Pearse, are strong sellers at Borders; as are American imports.

I must insist that that no one ever use the term “granny lit” again. It sounds ridiculous. The visual image it conjures up…well, it’s not good. What is good it that American romance authors are getting part of the credit for this sales increase in the UK:

Rowley attributes the growth in the genre’s popularity to the “huge increase” in the number of U.S. authors, such as Sherrilyn Kenyon and Christine Feehan, who are being published for the first time in U.K. editions—as well as the increased general availability of U.K. editions.

Another factor is the increased demand for romance aimed at younger readers, something that is being catered for by Headline’s Little Black Dress imprint, and by the new crop of paranormal romances. For example, Janice Mary Davidson’s “Undead” series has “definite similarities to chick lit themes and packaging,” according to Rowley—only with vampires.

I would like to point out that I know her name is MaryJanice Davidson. I’m not the one who spelled it incorrectly. The Book Standard people did. Blame them.

Three cheers for the UK!

This may sound more harsh than I mean it to be. You’ve been warned.

I am on a few writing email loops. From time to time people ask questions. Some questions you see over and over again. On that issue, I’m begging that people stop asking about how to calculate word count. Please! But this chat isn’t about fonts or word count or margins. It’s about something that could be even more basic. Something that seems, at least to me, like common sense.

See, I read a question yesterday that made me stop and think (far too long, by the way) about whether or not to respond. I decided not to since I couldn’t figure out how to phrase the answer without being offensive.

The question (paraphrased): I wrote a manuscript to submit to Silhouette’s now-defunct Bombshell line. With Bombshell closing, where should I send it/where else would it fit?

The simple answer: We haven’t read your manuscript. You have. So, why don’t you know where your manuscript fits? It’s yours. Why in the world would you need to ask a bunch of people who have never read your work, or this specific manuscript, where you should submit it? That’s your job to know. And, any advice we give would be based on guessing since, again, we haven’t read your manuscript.

If it was a possible Bombshell, that means it could be a romance…or not. It could have a great deal of suspense…or not. It probably is in the heroine’s POV only…or not. There may not even be a hero…or not. It’s probably longer than the regular category romance but shorter than the regular single title length…or not. It could have humor…or not. Knowing all of those things is necessary to answer the question. If you don’t think these are relevant pieces of information, you’re missing something or RWA or whatever other group is failing to teach you something.

That’s the calm and rational version of what I said in my living room.

Again, this could be a perfectly legitimate question in light of what she wrote. I’m sure many view it as such. More than likely this question hit a nerve because it suggests to me – and I admit this may not be fair in the case of the person who asked the question since I don’t know her – the writer has no idea what’s going on. More importantly, she has no idea what her work is about. That last part scares me.

I don’t know much, but I have some idea what I write. For example, I don’t category. I don’t write paranormals or historicals. I don’t write romantic suspense (not in the traditional sense, though I’ve thought about it). I don’t write erotica or what’s being termed as erotic romance (ex. Kensington’s Aphrodisia imprint). I write (or try to) sexy contemporaries with a touch of humor. My single titles so far have included a bit of mystery, but the focus always is centered on the romance so that the label of “romantic suspense” would be misleading to the reader, in my view. I tend to write about people trying to be, or actually pretending to be, something other than who they really are. For what I write, I know where I could send my work. It’s a finite number and I have a pretty good idea which places those are. To send to other publishers I would need to change my style somewhat and write a different book.

I know this because that’s part of being published. Knowing the genre. Knowing what’s happening in romance/chick lit/women’s fiction. I view that as part of my job. This has nothing to do with me being smart – trust me, I’m not that smart. Thousands of romance writers are smarter. This has to do with me wanting to get published and then trying to make it happen in the most logical way possible. I’m not talking about writing to trends or being a whore to the market. If that were the case, I’d be trying to write paranormal and jumping on that bandwagon even though I have absolutely no interest or aptitude to do so. I’m just talking about understanding what it is you write and where that fits in the grand scheme. If it doesn’t quite fit, that’s okay – just ask Diana Gabaldon – but know that too.

Mini-rant over.

If you’re the type who can’t stand to hear one more thing about Elvis Presley or Marilyn Monroe or JFK…well, I’m with you. But there’s a new book out that might make you take a second look. I did. Just can’t figure out if the second look here was a good thing or a bad thing.

Here’s the cover for Jack’s Widow by Eve Pollard:

In case you can’t read it or can’t get the thumbnail to work, the tagline says: “When His Life Ended, Hers Had Only Just Begun…” First, it’s fiction. Second, the plot has the CIA enlisting Jackie’s services to gather information on foreign visitors following JFK’s assassination. Third, it’s fiction (in case you missed the first point).

USA Today’s review on the book is titled There’s Something Unsavory About Jack’s Widow. The review actually is not as negative as the title would make you believe. But, the review does end like this: “Why take real people who have been a source of inspiration for millions and debase them for the purpose of ‘entertainment’? Jack’s Widow elicits the same queasy sensation as reading a supermarket tabloid.”

Publishers Weekly didn’t love it either. Well, unless you think this is a positive comment: “Readers who enjoy historical personages cast in an unflattering, unsavory or unappealing light will be most rewarded. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.” Call me a glass-is-half-empty type, but that sounds negative to me.

Not sure what I think about this. The idea of it strikes me as odd. It could be wildly clever in execution. Dunno.

Today is the day – go vote. I don’t care who you vote for…okay, I do, but that’s your business. Hard to pick from a bunch of losers, I know. Lesser of two evils or whatever, just go vote. Pull the lever, press the button, fill in the circle, punch out the chad. However your polling place does it, go do it. Today, rain or shine. This is a pet peeve of mine. You want to whine and complain – and, really, who doesn’t – then you have to vote. I don’t stray far from writing stuff and talking all about myself on this blog often. For this issue, I will. Vote.

After you vote for our political leaders – in fact, feel free to stop for a second and sigh in disappointment over the bunch of yahoos you had to choose from – go vote for something fun. All About Romance is conducting a series of polls. Karen has been talking about them. There’s always something interesting on the AAR polls. For example, like the folks at AAR I was surprised to see JR Ward’s Zsadist on the list of favorite heroes. Now, before the fangirls got nuts and start spamming me, know that I enjoyed Lover Awakened (the entire series so far, actually) and think Ward is a huge talent. And, I’m quite fond of the wounded hero type. Zsadist certainly qualifies as that. Just surprised since the book only came out a short time ago. Most of the others on the list have been around for a long time – example: Darcy from Pride & Prejudice.

A few days ago I blogged about Nicholas Sparks and the distinction he makes between his writing of love stories and romance writing. It was a for-your-consideration thing. Monica commented – I love when Monica comments because she always says something that makes me step back and think. This time was no different. She said: “I’d have to title the post The Secret of Sparks Success: A Dick.” Yeah, for those of you who don’t know Monica, she’s a straightforward chick. No guessing her views. I like that about her.

Monica’s comment initially made me chuckle. Then, for some reason, I kept thinking about the comment. Even emailed my cp Wendy and asked if she thought that was the secret of Sparks’ success – which should be further proof that I will use just about any excuse to procrastinate and not write while under a book deadline. Damn that Monica!!

Monica’s comment struck me, I think, because I’ve often wondered about the secret of Sparks’ success. Gotta say, I don’t think the XY chromosome is the real answer. Or, to be more precise, is not the answer in a traditional man versus woman way. If that were the case, wouldn’t all guys who write romance be bestsellers (they’re not – example: Leigh Greenwood) and women would never be bestsellers (they are – easy example: Nora Roberts)? After a few days of thinking about this, here’s my view on why Sparks is a mega-bestseller:

1. He’s a guy writing about love. Not about exploding things. Not targeting the literary market. His stories center on love without any promise of a happy ending (unlike the romance genre). That makes him unique. In real world terms, that makes him marketable by giving him, his PR people and his publisher a “special” angle. There’s no denying his books are heavily marketed.

2. He’s pretty vocal and fairly well-spoken (except in the early days when he was bashing women romance writers…). He takes hits from reviewers and other writers, both male and female, for the type of stuff he writes, but he stands up and stands by the work – an attitude missing in some romance writers.

3. By saying he writes about love, not as a romance writer, he taps into a reading market that is ashamed to read, be seen or admit to reading romance. With Sparks they’re reading fiction. Fiction is legitimate. To many: Love is universal but romance equals Harlequin equals lame.

4. He touches on universal and very relatable themes. Basically, he’s an epic love guy. He’s writing contemporary, non-paranormal/fantasy stuff. No vampires. No cowboy/secret baby themes. There’s nothing particularly new about the story, but it works on an emotional I-know-people-with-that-story level. If you don’t believe me, look at The Notebook.

Now I can stop thinking about Nicholas Sparks.

Nora Roberts writing as J. D. Robb is one of four mystery/thriller authors highlighted in Entertainment Weekly this issue. The blurb is about what’s new in this genre. For some reason when I think of Eve Dallas of Roberts’ Born In… series, I don’t first think mystery/thriller. The classification makes sense, but Roberts is first and foremost romance to me.

For those wondering what’s new in mystery/thriller, I’ll tell you:

Born In Death by J.D. Robb – The reviewer gives Eve Dallas a thumb’s up and a B. He says (yes, “he”): “Dallas methodically cuts through her twin cases with barely a hitch, but she’s such a prickly-sharp, memorable character (one of many, in fact), you’ll enjoy watching her do it.” The reviewer then brings up kind of an odd point, but one that made me chuckle: “Why she can’t be a 2006 cop, though, remains a mystery.” Guess that means the reviewer doesn’t quite understand or appreciate Robb’s worldbuilding in terms of the future. Interesting point. Not one I’ve focused on, but it’s been awhile since I’ve read Robb.

Wild Fire by Nelson DeMille – It’s been even longer since I’ve read DeMille. The General’s Daughter is the last I remember, but I’m thinking there was one after that. This one is about ex-NYPD detective John Corey’s investigation of a “right-wing zillionaire plotting to blow up two American cities…” See, to me that sounds like a plot that’s been done and done. The reviewer disagrees. He gave the book an A- and says, “Corey proves once again that doomsday is nothing a street-smart New York cop can’t handle.”

Grave Surprise by Charlaine Harris – Harris is one of those authors. I see her books and think “yeah, I should pick that up and try it” and then don’t. I have no idea why that’s the case. The reviewer suggests this might not be the Harris book to try. Reviewer gave it a C and says, “…lacks the thrills befitting a thriller.” Just a thought but maybe this really isn’t a thriller in the thriller sense?

Seeking Whom He May Devour by Fred Vargas – That’s quite a title. One of those books you kind of have to pick up, turn over and read and back. It’s described as this: “After a systematic slaughter of lambs in the French Alps leads to a human victim, locals begin to suspect the presumed culprits – wolves – might be more supernatural.” The reviewer gave it a B. Something about the description of the plot turns me off. The word “slaughter” certainly doesn’t help.

The title of this entry has absolutely nothing to do with me or my writing career. Nothing. This one is about Janet Evanovich and Stephen J. Cannell. According to Publishers Weekly, these two have teamed up and snagged this book deal:

Bestsellers Janet Evanovich and Stephen J. Cannell have inked a deal with Warner Books to coauthor a series of adventure novels. The hardcover titles will be set in Orange County and follow the adventures of a former Special Forces operative, Benjamin Cannon. The first book, No Chance, is set to bow in fall 2007. While Warner senior v-p and president Jamie Raab said the series is “guaranteed to result in a marvelous, bestselling new franchise,” Evanovich was even more enthusiastic about the project. “Benjamin Cannon and crew are going to kick ass Jersey style in the world of OC glam,” she said of the books. Robert Gottlieb of Trident Media brokered the deals (on behalf of both authors) and Beth De Guzman, editor-in-chief of paperbacks, will edit the series.

Evanovich is, well, an author superstar. She’s everywhere. You know who she is. You know Cannell too. You just might know that you know him. Cannell is an author. He’s also the man who brought you television megahits such as The Greatest American Hero, The A-Team and, of course, 21 Jump Street among others. If you haven’t heard of those…you’re young. Annoyingly young. I remember them. Watched them. Can probably tell you far more about 21 Jump Street than I’d care to admit.

Kind of makes me a little disgruntled to realize I have somehow aged 25 (or so) years while Cannell continues to look exactly the same. Very disturbing. And now he’s making tons of cash writing books. That’s on top of the tons of cash he already has. Sometimes life just doesn’t seem fair.

And sometimes is does…Jordan Summers got a three-book deal from TOR. Yeah, Jordan!!! Congratulations!