Romantic Suspense: Fans and WIPs

Ahhhh, that's better!   

I have loved all the romantic suspense books from LIS that I've read.  I have to admit a preference for cozy mysteries, and it pleased me a great deal to have those added to the line!  I'm still wondering whether it would be possible, as Gayle Roper did, to have a series detective who doesn't immediately marry the Hero (or, in fact, recognize exactly who the Hero is...), to continue through a whole line of books...  I'd love to do that! 

I can't wait for the first of my books from LIS to arrive in the mail!   

No, I haven't read it yet, but it may be up at the post office...  and I'm subscribed for six months, so I should get the entire series!   

Good to see you, Margaret! 

I haven't read it yet, but I ordered it. I can't wait. I love the continuity series. In fact, I think I ordered all the books that come out in February, lol.

Tell the housepet hi for me, Dream. You two won't get any sleep the whole weekend.

The continuity series are usually 6 books. Each one is written by a different author. They have to work together to make the series connected and flow together. Not an easy task.

Margaret

Hope - I've been following that series, it's a hoot, and the suspense is good too.  I'm hoping there's another Merry Kramer book, as a newly wed.

I'd also like to take a couple from book #1 where they meet, hate each other on site, fight that they're being drawn to each other, then fall in love and get engaged - to book #2 where they go through all the engagement stuff, have the dress fittings, while chasing a homicidal maniac, and get married.

We've been having a great time. And getting a lot of writing done. :) Last night, we met up with some ACFWers and Robin Carroll, who was also in town, for dinner. Fun, fun, fun. Tonight, Squirl and hubby took our family out for dinner, where we met up with some other friends of theirs and we ate up a storm. I'm so full from this weekend, I don't think I'll be able to eat for the rest of the week!

Oh, and we did some brainstorming. At dinner, Robin told us about a book she's working on, and oh wow! Talk about an awesome suspense. She needs to hurry up and get it written, because I seriously can't wait to read it. Cheryl and I also did some brainstorming and I read her latest proposal. Man, can that girl write!

AND... my March subscription came, so it was awesome to have her here while I pulled her book out of my mailbox. We also saw her book in Borders and took pictures. Yes, we are dorks. But we have fun.  

...at the thought of y'all hanging out together and having such a wonderful time!  I'm so glad the Lord worked all that out for you!    And that you got to spend some time with Robin, too!  I can't wait to see what everyone has come up with for RWA!  (I'm praying, hoping, & planning to be there, God willing!)

Dream, you are so right. I love getting together with everyone. I hope you can go to RWA, Hope.

Margaret

Dream - Sounds like you guys made some great memories this past weekend. 

Dream, I've always said I was about 100 years behind!  Oh well.  It is crazy, I have a Indian friend and she can't understand why we date---she has an arranged marriage and they love each other, she said that if your parents love you--they would not put you with someone bad.  Even if it's not arranged by man, we should let God arrange it, we'd have less divorce. 

It took me a while to get comfortable with the nondating thing.  I spent a long time thinking there was something wrong with me when there wasn't, it was God saving me for the ONE.  It really isn't me, God obviously has me choosen for someone special and He will bring us together---and I'm kind of  glad I haven't dated, I haven't gotten "in trouble" and I haven't had to get attached and unattached.  God has kept men away from me and will put me and the right man together, and now that I understand how to encourage properly, that will probably help. 

I'll have to look into ACFW--I think there's a chapter here. 

I was excited for Squirrel when I saw the book on the shelves. I bought it right away and read the entire thing that night. Incredible book! :)

 I also grabbed up Shirley's book and read it and spouted off the ending aloud. My sister was very angry with me because she wanted to read it, and I told her who-dun-it....oops!

I really wish I had more money to buy books I liked instead of 500.00 text books! Ugh!

                                             Jolene

(((Jo)))  Sorry you were so excited that you blurted out whodunnit!  I hope your sister gets over it soon!  I sympathize with you about the cost of textbooks keeping you from buying LIs.  It's frustrating not being able to afford books!  (Praying I soon will be again, as well as you!)

Ila, there isn't a chapter of ACFW close to me, either.  The closest would be Tulsa, but that's closer than your closest chapter.  There's no RWA chapter close, either.  I'm enjoying the articles, though. 

There's also some great online groups and chapters for both RWA and ACFW. Many of them will help you find an online CP.

Hope, I'd love for you to come to our Feb meeting (Feb 2nd). I'm speaking about characterization. Aren't you and your mom ready for a road trip?

Margaret

Ila --

I read your earlier post about published writers who had not entered contests, etc..  I did not even know about RWA or ACFW when I first published.  I'd never entered a contest.  I did have a critique partner for a short time but she hated romance novels.  I do believe that the above can shorten a writer's time to publication, but there is no substitute for writing and re-writing and reading, reading, and reading -- all of which you are doing.  In my case, I also found it invaluable to write magazine articles since it taught me to be very targeted in what I wrote.  I know you have a good eye for detail and your knowledge of history is invaluable. You can do it.

Janet

Thank you for the words of encouragement Janet!  That makes me feel hopeful.  With school I'm not doing much on my 2nd MS (I was about to sit down and write for a bit but want to be able to go to early church in the morning), but I do know a lot of the time with me it's detail that I need to add in after that messy first draft, which is where that re-reading comes in. 

And magazine articles, I still have one of my prof's from undergrad all those years ago trying to get me to publish my senior thesis as a set of articles---he even tells is students they can do the topic because it's taken!!  By me who is sitting on a box of research---I guess I should try to get it out and do somethign with it!  WAIT---I need money----that's it!!  Maybe a history magazine would take them!

I still appreciate that you took the time to read my chapter and will keep writing, reading, and hoping and praying!

I've been going through books, etc., around the house, and I found one we'd bought years ago, God's Little Devotional Book on Success.  I stuck my thumb into it and it opened to this idea:  "Success in life is a matter not so much of talent or opportunity as of concentration and perseverance."  That was exactly what I needed to hear!  It followed with Galatians 6:9 in the Living Bible translation, and the story of Charles Schawb, one of the first presidents of Bethlehem Steel Company.  He hired an efficiency expert, Ivy Lee, to help make the company run better.  The advice was to write down the six most important tasks he needed to do that day, in order of most important to least.  Then start working on the first task until it's finished, begin the second task, and so on, until quitting time.  He told him to have all his employees do the same, and then to send him a check for what Mr. Schwab thought it was worth.  Mr. Lee received a check not too long after that for $25,000 (and this was back when that was real money!). 

I know that's the most efficient way to work.  It's just that sometimes, I forget to make my list (and then spend the day on the computer instead of doing the things I need to do!).  Yesterday, I had one item on my list: work on the closet.  I got most of it done!    I'm really glad that I found the book and that the Lord had me open it to that particular page!

Ila --

I'm responding to a post you sent about someone cutting the description in your historical manuscript.  I have to battle that myself.  The way to add historical detail is to do it in such a way that it doesn't stop the forward motion of the story.  Maybe tuck a little description next to a line of dialogue.  Or put some description with an emotion or an action.  If you cp was cutting your sections of description,  you need to ask how you could get that same information in the book without making someone want to cut it.  It's a daunting task, I know.  I always have to go back over my writing and see what I can leave out. 

Janet

Oops -- just realized I'm in the suspense loop not the historical one.  The same principle applies, however, no matter what kind of fiction a person is writing.

Ila, I am hoping and praying that HH takes it as well.  And, yes, you do need some description! Otherwise, why would people read? How long has it been now that HH has had it?  I keep thinking you'll hear soon --

Janet

Janet, I totally agree with you on description. You have to be careful it doesn't jump out at the reader or slow the pacing. Sprinkling is the best way usually. As a reader big chunks of description make me skip the paragraph and get on with the story.

Margaret

Ila --

Loved your comment on page numbers for life -- it's so true. Waiting to know what happens next can be very hard. Hopefully you will at least hear on your query about your query from HH very soon.   It seems like they have had plenty of time to review your proposal.

And, keep being the kind of friend you are to your friend. He does sound like he is thinking things through. Time will tell.

Janet

Nike --

To find out about magazine article markets get the latest issue you can find of The Writer's Market (libraries will sometimes have them).  Look through it and pick out a couple of magazines you think fit the things you'd like to write and then get a couple of those magazines and read them to see their style, etc. --

Generally, The Writer's Market has lots of tips and advice in it as well as the listing of thousands of markets for freelance work.

 Good luck!  I enjoyed writing for magazines and hope you will, too.

Janet

Janet - Thx for the tip on magazine article writing.

We have a very good local public library branch and I'll look at the Writer's Market there.

Can anyone tell me what it's about?  .... who the author's are and how many books are in the series?

So far there are three books for sale in the "Reunion Revelations" series ...... and I can't see how they are connected ...... the book store techs are getting lazy again and are not putting up the author's Dear Reader letters ..... we the "reader / shopper" need the insights in those letters to know about the books ... 

did I miss a discussion or blurb somewhere announcing the new series?  .... if I hadn't, how's a reader supposed to know about them?

I wanted to purchase the Shirlee McCoy book ... should I be buying the Irene Hannon one too as it came out before?  ... do they stand alone?

Yes that helps tremendously!

This sounds like a great series ..... And I see I best get a move on and order the January release, as already several of the January releases are sold out      

thanks for the list .... now I can add them to my wish list so that I won't miss any in the upcoming months .....

it would be loverly if the there were a thread just to announce the various multi-author mini-series .... with a brief blurb of what the series is about, how many books there are and who the authors are ......  I'm not a subscriber to this line, but I do enjoy a good romantic suspense ..... and from the few books I've read I've discovered there are some exceptional reads in this line

thanks again!  .... off to add books to my shopping cart!