Jamie Sobrato's Debut to SuperRomance--Creating Balance

Hi Tivi! Good to see you here. Happy Inauguration Day, everyone!

Regarding writing for Blaze versus Superromance and the challenges of switching between two lines...

First, I find changing between styles of books to be an excellent help creatively. I guess it's a little like cross-training--we're using different creative muscles and so if we change it up enough we make ourselves better writers overall. Or something like that.

After writing lots and lots of Blazes, one funny challenge was that when I turned in A Forever Family, it had too many sexy Blaze elements that my editor politely asked me to cut. Incidentally, I recently finished writing my second SuperRomance, and I didn't have any trouble remembering the second time around what kind of story I was writing.

I think writing SuperRomances has helped my most recent Blaze effort, as far as characterization goes. I felt free to dig deeper for some reason, and I'm sure it was the changing between lines that brought on the sense of freedom.

 There's more... I'll post again later.

Jamie Sobrato

http://www.jamiesobrato.com

Hi Marcie,

Regarding what made me decide to write for SuperRomance, it's always been a line I've wanted to write for. One of my favorite romance authors is Margot Early, and some of her SuperRomances inspired me to try writing romance. But I sold to Temptation first, then Blaze, and stayed busy writing Blazes for years. 

After a long while, I found myself more and more unable to write. I was feeling burnt out creatively. I knew I needed to try something different, so I decided to turn to a line I'd always admired--SuperRomance.

It's a nice change of pace. Blaze allows for a lot of creative freedom, but there are certain no-no's. For instance, kids and babies aren't easily worked into a sexy Blaze. Nor are family stories. But I live a life of kids and babies and family ties, so I think it's natural that I'd have the urge to write such stories sometimes.

 Thanks for stopping in!

Jamie

http://www.jamiesobrato.com

Hi Jaimie--thanks for sharing this topic--fascinating!

I struggle with finding balance in my books, mainly the point where the subject matter gets so dark I can't balance it with the humor I value so much in my life and my writing. I often wonder about readers--I'm a reader who prefers my funny books to have substance behind them and a good degree of angst is always welcome--but is that true for other folks?

I think some of the things you and Sam touched on are why I enjoy writing for Superromance. I like the freedom to follow my characters deeply into their specific lives. As Sam kindly mentioned, I wrote one Super with some very hot love scenes. The next one didn't have any physical exchanges except a few (also hot) kisses. I thought that was necessary for the characters to maintain their morals and credibility. (I know there would have been ways to circumvent my feelings and get the people together in bed, but I was happy I didn't feel I *needed* to do it. Or have them do it. ) I sometimes feel impatient when I hear Superromance characterized as a less sexy line--sure that's true for some books, but not for the line as a whole.

Anyway, I'm interested to hear more about balance and more about Supers and Blaze. I have kids on the cusp of their teen years and can't seem to stop writing the parent/teen dynamic in my books, but I could definitely imagine myself having fun working on a Blaze proposal once I've worked through the things I think about parents and teenagers.

Cheers,

Ellen

Hi Sam!

 Great to see you here. Thanks for stopping in. I agree with you that writing for SuperRomance and Blaze has some distinct similarities.

No, I didn't have to take all the sex out of the story. I think there are at least two detailed (and steamy, I hope) love scenes. I just had to do a bit of revising, tone down some language, eliminate a scene that showed a bit of, uh, self-stimulation... After writing so many Blazes, part of me was just wired to write in a certain way.

 I definitely think of Super as a line in which I can write a story as sexy as it needs to be (or doesn't need to be).

Oh gosh, I haven't gotten the knack for posting on here yet. I can't see everyone else's posts when I hit reply to refer back to what I want to reply to.... Must figure this out.

Jamie

http://www.jamiesobrato.com

Hi Ellen!

Thank you for stopping in. Some of my very favorite stories are those you describe--funny books with substance and even angst. My favorite Susan Elizabeth Phillips book has always been Dream a Little Dream--definitely one of the angstier ones--and from what I can tell whenever this conversation comes up among my writer friends, not many people agree with me. Sigh. I try to remind myself that what I want isn't necessarily what the general reading public wants, but I think our creativity is best served when we try to write what resonates with us.

I'm wondering if you've had to edit out humor from some of your darker books, based on your comments about striking a balance? I would think, the darker the story, the more it might need some occasions to lighten things up, provide a bit of emotional relief for the reader so that they don't get too exhausted.

I guess how we try to insert humor matters too. I don't think I've ever been an especially funny writer, so my version of humor tends to come in the outlook of the character (or occasionally in dry bits of humor in dialogue or internal narrative). Their perspective provides a lighter tone, in other words.

For instance, the heroine, Emmy, in A Forever Family, spends much of the story worrying that she's making all the wrong decisions, that her business is going to fail, that her son isn't thriving, etc. In the bikini incident I mentioned earlier, I tried to lighten things up a bit by giving her something fun to obsess over for a change. She meets a hot guy, and he's attracted to her, and she decides she shouldn't be walking around in her boring old mommy swimsuit--she should be wearing a sexy red bikini because she's still alive, right? She still has needs, and she wants to test out what kind of woman she has become since her divorce.

Anyway, it's not an especially important scene to the book, but it is an example of where I wanted to let up a bit on the drama. Also, having a child's point of view in the story helped immensely. The scenes seen from her son's perspective reveal that he's just going about his little kid business, and he views things sooooo differently from the way the grown-ups do, it's instant drama relief, even when what he's saying or thinking is bittersweet.

Anyway, back to Ellen's comments, I so agree that the freedom to follow my characters deeply into their lives is a wonderful creative experience.

Oh, and I'm recalling now that I had one Blaze early on, Some Kind of Sexy, that had a family subplot, and a married couple romance subplot.

Regarding including kids in a Blaze, I've always thought it would be fun to do a How Stella Got Her Groove Back kind of story--single mom of a preteen kid goes off on vacation and meets the love of her life. Doesn't fully include the kid, but it could create a nice balance between time when the heroine's away and lots of steaminess can ensue, and then all the tension later of trying to introduce the new guy into her real life with kid.

Jamie

http://www.jamiesobrato.com

Thank you for the tip about opening two screens--big help.

 And I'd love to come by the Cigar blog sometime--thank you for the invite!

Jamie

One of the things I like about Supers is that you can make it hot or not.  Not many lines give you that option.  I love writing for Romance, but there are times when I write the scene "off screen" during the "keep the door closed" moment and then come back to write the aftermath.  Sometimes my characters do, sometimes they don't, but it's great when you have the freedom to let THEM dictate it so that it fits with the characters and their arcs.

 IMO,

 And a big wave to Sam, Ellen, Jamie et al.

 Donna

Wasn't a correction, just my quickie opinion.

Some Blaze are heavily slanted to overt fantasy, absolutely, but then again, it's all just different kinds of fantasies, maybe I should have said -- the small town fantasy, the big city sex fantasy, LOL. I think I was reacting to the idea that Blaze is more fantasy than anything else, which I don't think it is -- it's just one kind of fantasy -- which does make it hard to include kids, though not family. I put family issues in my books fairly often...though not in the same way a Super does. Super basically provides a different kind of fantasy, I think -- maybe one that more closely resembles people's everyday lives, though?

Then again, Blaze may resemble other people's daily lives...

I mean, I don't know if anyone has done what my July chars do on the Empire State Building, but I don't think *I* would try it! LOL Definitely fantasy -- but then there are components of the characters that are very real and relatable. Real people with problems, etc. I guess that's what I meant. 

Nancy, yes. Absolutely. Nothing wrong with fantasy... To be lifted out of ourselves and taken away? I can watch the news for "real." Excellent point, that fantasy is often in the hands of the reader, and their perspectives...and so much more clearly stated. Thank you!

Sam

PS: I did come back to reedit this and make it more clear... I hope it is... 

I got sidetracked but I'm so glad I made it back.

I have to laugh because I think my first Super, Wanted Man, was one enormous Mommy Fantasy. The single-mom heroine sends her son off on a summer long road trip with his relatives. She spends the summer writing her dream novel and chasing after her house painter. Heh. Mommy Fantasy all the way. Of course the big drama is the Return to Reality when the son comes home from the trip.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that I had a very demanding 3 year old and slightly less demanding 5 year old when I first conceived this novel. 

From a writing perspective, I disposed of the child for much of the novel because 1.) I was worried I couldn't write a convincing kid voice (this was the first book I ever wrote) and 2.) I wanted the heroine to have the freedom to indulge her impulses fully and she would not have done that if the kid had been around. 

I think I can read almost any situation as long as the author does a good job with motivating the characters and answering my questions. One of the Nora Roberts Chesapeake Bay trilogy involves a mother of a young child. Whenever I read that book I question the amount of time that kid spends with babysitters. It doesn't stop me from enjoying the book, but it does pull me out of the story every time.

Another thing I hate is when a mother in a book has a child who naps soundly and consistently for huge sections of the book. I never buy that scenario. If I ever write a book with a baby in it, that kid is going to wake up at inopportune moments, just like the real life kids do. That could actually be funny...and might be a way to jack up the sexual tension. 

Thanks for all the interesting conversation,

Ellen 

Oh Rae, I'm soooo so sorry you're coming down with the flu! Here's hoping it's a false alarm. This flu bug I have is going on two weeks now of me being pretty much out of commission, running a fever every day. It's the pits.

Regarding your comments about Blaze being more fantasy, I can only speak with much authority about the ones I've written, and there is a certain fantasy mindset I enter when I'm writing them. It's hard to describe. I think all romance contains some element of fantasy, or else it wouldn't be romance.

And thank you for hosting me here this week. This has been so fun. I'll definitely check out the other Super forums now that I'm feeling like I know how to find my way to the message boards. :-)

Jamie

Am I thirding the welcome to the Supers board? I think it's an exceptionally fun way to procrastinate connect with readers and writers. Follow me: Supers thread is here.

Ellen

P.S. We don't "let you" hang around, Sam. We love you.

Thanks Ellen -- mutual. ;)

Jamie should probably know, though, about everyone sleeping with everyone else over there... wait-- should I have said anything??? *G* It's a love fest.

Rae, feel better. Seriously, if the CDC wants to cut down on flu transmission, etc why doesn't the gov't provide free hazmat suits for kids???

Sam ;)

Take care, Rae. Stock up on Tylenol if you haven't already. I think it's saved my sanity.

Thanks again everyone! This has been fun!

Jamie

Jamie, after loving your Blazes for so long, I can't wait to read your Super.  I'm late to the party, but it was great to read about how you're balaicing between the two lines.