My Recent Comments

I've got a much worse track record with titles than Karen T, mostly because my titles suck. I always come up with some kind of working title (because I can't seem to write a book unless it has a title), but my editor either replaces it completely or alters my original title for the finished book. For instance, THE MILLIONAIRE'S MIRACLE BABY (my idea) became HIS MIRACLE BABY. LEARNING HER SECRETS (a rather sucky title) became HER MIRACLE MAN.

My editor always e-mails me asking for suggestions, but I always feel like telling him, please, you do it. Because my ideas for titles are rarely good ones.

Karen S

I rarely volunteer to critique or judge anymore. I have a hard time giving a general overview of a manuscript--I'm more of a line edit critiquer. So it's time consuming for me to critique or judge because I go into a great deal of detail in my suggested changes.

When my kids were in school and they'd ask me to critique their assignments, I became known as the Evil Blue Pencil Lady. I dropped the "evil" for my AIM screen name, BluePencilLady.

BTW, my older son is following in my footsteps as a writer. Here's a piece of flash fiction of his on the web:

http://welltoldtales.com/2008/06/05/the-monster/

Karen S.

I just turned in the proposal for the second book in what I hope will be a lengthy series. It looks like the title of the first book will be THEIR SECOND CHANCE CHILD (February 2009) and the title of the mini-series will be FOSTERING FAMILY. The stories will all involve the foster kids, now adults, of one foster mom.

But while I wait to hear back from my editor, I'm critiquing the proposal of an Aussie writer who won my critique in Brenda Novak's auction.

Karen S

I'm going (madly waving her hand). SF is a two-and-a-half hour drive for me--piece of cake. I'll be there Wednesday for the literacy signing through Saturday. Can't stay for the RITA/GH ceremony because my nephew is getting married that night.

Karen S

In one word: E-M-O-T-I-O-N! That's what throws me right into the story, keeps me reading long after I should have turned out the light and gone to sleep.

The emotional content of SSEs is what makes me want to grab the hero and give him a great big hug, or sit down with the heroine and have a heart-to-heart with her.

The story doesn't have to be weepy. It just has to grab my heart, and SSEs usually do.

Karen S.

Hi, all,

I figured I'd post since it's a little slow in SSE land. I attended BookExpo America last weekend in L.A.--my first time. Pretty huge event, with every publisher in the world there showing off their wares. Lots of booths with anything and everything to do with books on display and a few advertising some pretty head-scratching products (like the dentist's station where you could get your teeth whitened on the spot). There was a very cool booklight at one booth that I'm going to look for. I'm often reading past my husband's bedtime and hate to have my reading light glaring in his eyes.

I got to sign HER MIRACLE MAN in the Romance Writers of America booth. Lots of really nice folks came by, including a few I'd met that day while wandering the show floor. I even got to meet up with an old friend I haven't seen in years. Lots o' fun.

Karen S

Hi,

Just bopping in to report I'm doing the finished-the-draft-now-on-to-the-rewrite happy dance. Book 1 of my "Estelle's House" series, with heroes and heroines who were previously in foster care.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend, everybody!

Karen S

I have been known to take my family out for ice cream for dinner. Haven't done it in quite a while. Hmm. Maybe that would be a good Mother's Day meal.

Karen S

Nancy said:

>>OMG--I remember reading this book--I loved it!

Okay, now I'm blushing.  Actually, I'm thrilled.  BBB was my first Special and my first for Harlequin after many years and many manuscripts submitted.  I *loved* the hero of that book.

Regarding what Aurelene said about arranged marriages, I have an interesting story.  One time my car broke down on the San Francisco Bay Bridge.  I live east of Sacramento and had to have me and my car transported back home.  Luckily, I had extended auto club coverage.

Anyway, I spent a couple hours with the tow truck driver during the long trip home.  I think he was from Fiji (can't remember now).  He told me that when it was time for him to marry, he went home.  His parents had lined up 11 women for him to check out.  He was supposed to go to their homes, have dinner with them, etc.  By the time he got to woman number 7, he said, this is it, this is the one, because he just wanted it over with.

At the time I spoke with him, he'd been married 20+ years and had 2 or 3 kids.  Divorce wasn't even an option for him.  It sounded as if he and his wife got along great.

Quite a story.

Karen

It isn't recent, but my 2002 SSE, The Boss's Baby Bargain, was an MOC. When I was creating that book, I remember thinking, okay, in this day and age, how in the world can I make an MOC plotline that works? I like MOCs and wanted to write one.

In the case of BBB, the hero's 40 and wants to adopt and the heroine is his 20-something admin who needs a loan to keep her Alzheimers-afflicted father in private care. They strike a bargain.

The marriage is supposed to be temporary (of course), but things, ahem, develop.

Karen