HelenKay Dimon

An article in the Education Guardian Weekly references a study conducted by Professor James C Kaufman of California State University at San Bernardino. His findings: poets die young. He says:

The image of the writer as a doomed and sometimes tragic figure, bound to die young, can be backed up by research. Writers die young. This research finding has been consistently replicated in a variety of studies.

Isn’t that just fabulous news? Here I thought working from home and having less stress (well, sort of) would decrease my death risk. Unless a bookshelf falls on my head, I should live longer as a writer than I would have as a lawyer. Right? Well, not necessarily.

To the extent there’s good news for novelists here, it’s in the heirarchy of potential survival. According to the article, nonfiction writers live longer than fiction writers, who live longer than playwrights, who live longer than poets. Basically, it sucks to be a poet. And unless you’re Maya Angelou – and you’re not – you’re probably eating dirt out of the backyard to survive, so the poet thing is a tough gig no matter what. [That last part about the dirt was not in the study. That's just my sense of the situation.]

This all points to one thing: if you’re going to write and want to live, try writing nonfiction.

One of the fabulous parts about writing for Brava is that my editor will sometimes send me ARCs for upcoming releases. I jump up and down with giddiness every single time a box/envelope of Brava ARCs appears on my doorstep. Thought I’d torture you all by letting you know about my haul this time around. I got:

THE BAD BOYS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Karen Kelley. I adore Karen. She is a sweetheart and she writes very funny books. This one comes out in July ‘08, the same month as my book HARD AS NAILS. You should buy both.

WHEN SHE WAS BAD by Shelly Laurenston and Cynthia Eden. My editor is sooooo excited about this book. That makes me eager to read it. It’s a June ‘08 release.

HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT by Cynthia Eden. Cynthia is cute and talented and…wait, why do I like her? Anyway, this is a May ‘08 release.

SUPERB AND SEXY by Jill Shalvis. You can’t go wrong with a book by Jill. She’s awesome. This is a June ‘08 release.

Make sure you pick them all up!

It’s Friday and…

I’m thinking we all need a giveaway. I have no idea why, but I think we do.

I’m giving away two copies of RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW. The only catch – there’s always a catch, isn’t there? – is that you have to post a comment/mini-review of the book on your website by April 15th. You don’t have to love the book (‘tho I would be thrilled if you did). You just have to read it, say something about it and post that something along with the cover.

Easy, huh?

UPDATE: And the winners are…Anne and Wendy!! Congrats!!! Email me with your addresses.

Contest Rules:

For this one, U.S. addresses only and only if you have a website or website at which you can post a comment/mini-review about the book. Next week’s contest will be open to all (promise!). As a general disclaimer, please know I have zero short-term memory. I’ll make every effort to post the winners names on my blog within the next few days. Check back to see if you’ve won. Until the winners are posted, the contest is open. And while it would be interesting if 27 of you shared the same house in Topeka and all had the same I.P. address, I’m thinking that’s not the case. So here’s the reminder: One entry per person only. I’ll send the prize via USPS with a confirmation so we can track the package in the event it falls into the abyss (and they sometimes do). If you don’t receive the prize within three weeks of notification of winning, please let me know and we’ll hunt it down. I don’t mind reminders (see previous comment about having zero short-term memory). Good luck!

A reader emailed and asked why I don’t describe my books as romantic suspense. The real answer is this: ’cause I don’t think of them as pure romantic suspense. My books have elements of humor and mystery (sometimes), but all of those published to date have been what I would describe as romance not romantic suspense. The focus stays tight on the hero and heroine and their relationship. The suspense, to the extent there is one, is not central.

While I don’t think about percentages as I write nor do I think anyone should, there is a basic sense in my head that my books, when they include a mystery component, are about 70% romance-30% mystery. In my head – and this is not a formula anyone should use but is just my way of thinking – true romantic suspense is such that the romance and suspense are intertwined. If you separated out the romantic plot from the suspense plot (to the extent you could do that), you’d find about an equal share of romance to mystery. Mine have not been that way. Not yet…

In addition to what I write now, I’m toying with a romantic suspense series idea. The focus would be less romance-focused and, instead, more equally focused on a complex mystery plot. In other words, the mystery would not just be an element. It would be an integral part of the story. To me, that’s the difference. Others may see it another way. I’m not sure there’s a “right” answer.

NOTE: It’s Wednesday. If you’re participating in the Sweat Challenge, head on over and check in with Sven.

In case you missed it, the Golden Heart (unpublished) and RITA (published) contest nominations have been announced. These are a huge deal. Congratulations to all!!

I’ll point out just a few finalists in case you missed them. I visit Kerry Allen’s blog just about every day (see my sidebar). She’s very funny and insightful…and she’s a Golden Heart finalist!! Yay for Kerry!! Also Fellow Brava author Sylvia Day is a finalist for the second year in a row in the RITA novella category. Wahoo for Sylvia!!! And her newest release – DON’T TEMPT ME - is out. Go buy it.

From reading through the RITA finalists, I do have a few general thoughts to pass on:

1. Whenever I’m asked to speak about writing, someone inevitably asks about the death of romantic comedy novels. I’m always a bit stunned by the question because there are a heap of funny, witty romances out there. Maybe they’re not billed as romantic comedies (mine aren’t), but they’re out there. If you don’t believe me, check out the contemporary single title finalist list.

2. While I don’t think we need 42 categories in the RITAs, I do wonder if it’s fair to bunch every otherworldly and futuristic title in one paranormal category.

3. The romantic suspense titles are of the deep and serious variety. There are some lighter romantic suspense books out there (see: Stephanie Bond), but the finalist list is made up mostly of the gritty stuff. I like the gritty type, so I’m not complaining. Merely pointing it out.

4. I don’t understand why some of the titles that are finalists in the “Novel With Romantic Elements” category were entered in that category. I’m thinking I don’t understand what that category is.

I have many books to check out, but I did read a bunch of the RITA finalist books. For example:

-Dead Girls Are Easy by Terri Garey
-Prime Time by Hank Phillippi Ryan
-Prom Dates From Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore
-The Medusa Affair by Cindy Dees
-The Medusa Seduction by Cindy Dees
-Untouched by Samantha Hunter
-Sexiest Man Alive by Diana Holquist
-Tempt Me Tonight by Toni Blake
-The Sleeping Beauty Proposal by Sarah Strohmeyer
-High Noon by Nora Roberts
-Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward
-“Mischief and the Marquess” in Perfect Kisses by Sylvia Day
-Ice Blue by Anne Stuart
-White Heat by Cherry Adair

Have you guys read any of the finalists?

People often ask me about my writing process. I dread this question only because I fear what the person really is asking is for the right way to write. There isn’t one. I preface my answer with “don’t try this at home” or “this is just me.” My basic belief being that you have to do what works for you and not what works for some bestseller out there. I got a little reminder of this while writing my November release, HOT AS HELL.

When ideas for books come into my head, I write them down in these little journals I drag around with me. I don’t write a full synopsis or an outline or anything that detailed. Usually, the notes are enough to put the idea in my head and keep it there for later. This happened with the HOT AS HELL plot. Before writing my current release, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW, I had this idea for an estranged couple where the hero is a black-and-white thinker and the heroine is pure gray. I wrote it down and sketched it out so I would not forget the plot. But instead of my usual notes, I wrote something more along the lines of an outline and about four chapters. I then put HOT AS HELL aside and wrote RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW instead.

When it came time to write HOT AS HELL later, I had some trouble. I knew the plot, characters and where the story was going to go. Problem was that by setting it out in my journal earlier in such great detail – as was not my normal process – it was as if I already had written the book. Whenever I tried to write, my mind had a you’ve already written this response. Needless to say, that made writing HOT AS HELL a tad difficult. I got over it, but changing my process, even slightly, really did impact my writing. I had a feeling this would be the case, but the reality of it was very strange.

A few years ago I heard Jayne Ann Krentz speak and she talked about how she couldn’t write a long outline before writing a book (like, for example, Suzanne Brockmann does). Krentz said that once she wrote the outline it was as if she wrote the book. I remember thinking I agreed. But now I know I really agree. For me, the detailed outline way of writing does not work. Good to know.

Hope everyone had a fabulous holiday.

Did you remember to visit Sven and check in at the Sweat Challenge…? Go do it!

Happy Birthday to my dear friend Wendy Duren!!!!

We met online back when she had an awesome blog (which I continue to miss). Wendy is the one who reads my first manuscript drafts. She’s tough but exceptionally good at seeing where a book goes wrong and at remembering my older books and being able to compare and contrast them. For example, she read the very first draft of YOUR MOUTH DRIVES ME CRAZY, a book set in Hawaii, and said: “This could be New Jersey.” Her point? I hadn’t done a very good job of setting the scene on the first try. If you read YMDMC now, I think you’ll see that her critique made the book a thousand times better on that score. All remaining writing issues are mine. Wendy tries, but I don’t always listen.

In other cool news, Wendy is nominated for the prestigious Pushcart Prize for the very first short story she ever wrote. Yeah, she’s that good.

I’m over at Access Romance today talking about some recent Kensington Brava (my imprint) mass market covers and how they differ from the original trade covers.

Kensington wonder-editor (I made up that word) Kate Duffy is blogging at the Brava Authors Blog today. She’s talking directly to readers. Check it out.

If you are subscribed to my newsletter, you know I got the cover for my November release, HOT AS HELL. This thing is beautiful. Look:

She’s mad as hell.
He’s hot as hell.
The desert may not be big enough for both of them…

Alexa Annabeth Stuart. The stuffy name couldn’t be less suitable for a woman as fiery and free as Noah’s Lexy. And Lexy is his—always will be—the tricky part will be getting her to realize it. Of course, Noah’s always up for a challenge. Which is a good thing, since between the crazy heat at this god-forsaken “retreat” and the looks Lexy’s shooting him (not to mention the shockwaves he’s getting from her hot-pink bikini), winning his ex back could be one dangerous mission. But if Noah doesn’t survive it, well, he intends to die a very satisfied man…

He’s just the most adorable thing ever.